Best Restaurants in Miami Beach (2026)
Our ranked guide to the best restaurants on the Miami Beach side - South Beach, South of Fifth, and Bal Harbour - built from the tables we book most.
Why we wrote this guide
Miami Beach is where the city goes to be seen. Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, the walk along Lincoln Road, the moneyed quiet of South of Fifth, the luxury hush of Bal Harbour - this is the strip of sand and pastel where a dinner reservation is never only about the food. The room, the crowd, the entrance, the table you land: on the beach side, all of it counts as much as the plate in front of you. That see-and-be-seen energy is the whole identity of South Beach dining, and the best rooms lean into it. This is our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Miami Beach in 2026, covering South Beach, South of Fifth, and Bal Harbour, built from the rooms our guests ask for by name.
Every venue below is one we know well and send guests to. Last updated September 2026.
Looking for the table, not the reading? Tell us the night and the group and we will route you to the right room. The order below blends the quality of the room with the occasion it fits best, not just the size of the dining room or the loudness of the name.
The ranked guide
1. Carbone (South Beach)
Carbone is the beach-side table our guests name more than any other, from Chef Mario Carbone, set in South of Fifth on Collins Avenue, with a Ken Fulk design in terracotta, cream and deep emerald green - malachite ceiling beams, damask-upholstered walls, leather banquettes, and Murano sconces and chandeliers throwing soft light across the room. The menu is classic Italian-American cooking with fine-dining technique: the signature Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, Veal Parmesan, the Caesar alla ZZ, Carpaccio Piemontese, and baked clams. The room fills with recognizable faces and the kind of buzz that makes an ordinary Tuesday feel like opening night. See Carbone.
Best for: the marquee South Beach celebration dinner where being in the room is the point.
2. Gaia Miami (South of Fifth)
Gaia is the most talked-about opening the beach side has seen this year, the US debut of Dubai's cult Greek-Mediterranean flagship, landed in South of Fifth at the quiet, moneyed tip of South Beach. The room unfolds through distinct spaces - a main dining room defined by the daily fish display, a salad bar, and a wood-fired oven, an open kitchen, a bar, a lounge, and a terrace overlooking South Pointe Drive - with the daily fish display as the centerpiece, where you hand-select your catch and the preparation. Chef Izu Ani's cooking is refined but soulful - barrel-aged feta baked in honey and filo, sea bream carpaccio, charcoal-grilled rib eye, lobster linguini - and the crowd is dressed-up and high-buzz. See Gaia Miami.
Best for: the see-and-be-seen dinner that is meant to feel like an event.
3. Papi Steak (South of Fifth)
Papi Steak is the definitive scene-y steakhouse in South of Fifth, a high-energy chophouse from David Grutman and partner David Papi Einhorn at 736 1st St in Miami Beach. After a full Rockwell Group redesign the room is pure Miami glamour - deep red velvet banquettes, resin-topped tables, and a statement chandelier - and dinner runs hot and loud. The menu is built on theater and premium beef: the 32-ounce tomahawk Papi Steak with its secret sauce, and the famous Beef Case, a 55-ounce Australian Wagyu tomahawk served as one of its signature tomahawk presentations. See Papi Steak.
Best for: the celebratory group dinner that wants theatrics with the steak.
4. Queen Miami Beach (South Beach)
South Beach's most theatrical room, built inside the restored 1945 Paris Theater on Washington Avenue. Dinner here is an event - 26-foot ceilings, Lobmeyr chandeliers, terrazzo mosaic floors with brass accents, velvet banquettes, an oversized gold gong mirror, and live performance - that runs in two acts from seated Japanese dinner into a late-night scene. It photographs like a movie set and draws a crowd dressed to match. See Queen Miami Beach.
Best for: the South Beach night that wants to be a spectacle.
5. MILA (South Beach)
MILA is one of the few rooftops in the city where the room, the scene, and the food all land at the same high level, perched above Meridian Avenue just off Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. It is a self-styled MediterrAsian concept, a marriage of Mediterranean warmth and Japanese precision, with a Cycladic aesthetic softened by Japanese wabi-sabi touches, a lounge, and a smaller enclosed omakase room. The kitchen plates shareable, izakaya-style dishes for the middle of the table - spicy tuna crispy rice, wagyu, robata-grilled meats, grilled octopus - and the energy climbs as the DJ finds a groove. See MILA.
Best for: the South Beach rooftop night, energy without a nightclub.
6. Forte dei Marmi (South Beach)
Forte dei Marmi is the refined counterweight to the louder rooms, an Italian fine-dining room with a Tuscan coastal concept, at the quiet southern tip of South Beach, set in a restored 1938 Mediterranean-revival building at 150 Ocean Drive. It takes its cue from the seaside resort in northern Tuscany, leaning on wild-caught fish and high-quality Italian produce in a calm, material-driven space with a garden veranda for outdoor seating. The verified standouts run to truffle cacio e pepe finished tableside inside a pecorino wheel, the Mediterranean branzino filet, and honey onyx pistachio gelato. Note the dress code: no shorts, sandals, or hats for men. See Forte dei Marmi.
Best for: the considered, grown-up Italian dinner on Ocean Drive.
7. Casa Tua (South Beach)
Casa Tua is the quiet-luxury counterpoint to the city's louder rooms, a Northern Italian restaurant hidden behind ivy-covered walls in South Beach, inside a Mediterranean villa at 1700 James Avenue with a lantern-lit garden. High walls and front gates open onto a garden patio strung with lanterns, and inside the villa, The Library dining room and a semi-private Chef's Table feel like the home of a friend with impeccable taste. The cooking is refined Northern Italian - fettuccine with wild mushrooms, black truffle, and parmesan fonduta, a farro risotto with Maine lobster, and Casa Tua gelato to share. The mood is hushed and adult, closer to a private members club than a scene. See Casa Tua.
Best for: the romantic or discreet high-end dinner away from the noise.
8. Baoli Miami (South Beach)
Baoli does something South Beach does especially well - a stylish dinner that slides straight into a late night - all in one room at 1906 Collins Avenue. Born in Cannes in 2000 and open in Miami since 2008, the space blends lush foliage, velvet chairs and tropical textures, and it runs as a seamless dining-to-nightlife destination, with dinner giving way to handcrafted cocktails, bottle service, live performances, and resident and guest DJs into the early hours. The kitchen, led by chefs Gustavo and Maximiliano Vertone, blends coastal French Mediterranean flavors with East Asian techniques, with dishes designed to be shared. There is a smart dress code, so come dressed for a night out. See Baoli Miami.
Best for: the group that wants dinner and a scene without changing venues.
9. Prime 112 (South of Fifth)
Prime 112 is the South of Fifth landmark that reshaped Miami's steakhouse scene, opened in 2004 by restaurateur Myles Chefetz in the historic Brown's Hotel at 112 Ocean Drive. It breaks traditional dark-wood convention with bright lighting, up-tempo music, and modern decor that amplifies the collective energy, with an eclectic, upscale crowd that keeps a single dining floor loud. The menu centers on dry-aged beef, with shareable sides like the Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese and the Kobe Beef Sliders, and it works for business dinners, romance, and celebration alike, always at a high-energy pitch. See Prime 112.
Best for: the classic South Beach power steak dinner with a see-and-be-seen floor.
10. Makoto (Bal Harbour)
Makoto is the rare luxury-mall restaurant that feels like a genuine dining destination, tucked into Bal Harbour Shops just north of Miami Beach. It is the modern-Japanese room of chef Makoto Okuwa, who trained in Edomae sushi and works across three registers: pristine raw fish at the sushi counter, soulful skewers over a charcoal robata grill, and premium beef, with an omakase for those who want the chef to steer. The India Mahdavi-designed space brings a coral pink, saffron, and sandalwood palette with supersize floral motifs inside, and 1930s-style chairs and palm trees on the terrace, and verified plates to anchor an order include the whole branzino with wasabi chimichurri and shiso, A5 wagyu from Miyazaki, robata skewers, and caviar for the table. The energy shifts from a moneyed lunch to a warmer, social dinner. See Makoto.
Best for: the polished Bal Harbour lunch or a sushi-serious date night.
How to choose, fast
The marquee South Beach table: Carbone.
The event-dinner of the moment: Gaia in South of Fifth.
The scene-y steakhouse: Papi Steak, or Prime 112 for the classic version.
The rooftop night: MILA, just off Lincoln Road.
Quiet luxury, away from the noise: Casa Tua in South Beach.
Dinner that turns into a late night: Baoli.
A grown-up Italian on Ocean Drive: Forte dei Marmi.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between South Beach and Bal Harbour?
They are two stretches of the same barrier island, running south to north, and they set very different tones. South Beach (SoBe) is the high-energy heart, running from South of Fifth at the southern tip up through Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, and Lincoln Road - this is where the see-and-be-seen rooms cluster, and where Carbone, Gaia, Papi Steak, MILA, Baoli, Forte dei Marmi, Casa Tua, and Prime 112 sit. Bal Harbour is the luxury enclave farther north, anchored by the Bal Harbour Shops, where you will find Makoto. Tell us the vibe you want and we will point you to the right stretch.
What is the dress code at Miami Beach restaurants?
Dress up. The beach side runs smart and stylish after dark, and the marquee rooms enforce it: Forte dei Marmi asks for no shorts, sandals, or hats for men, Baoli keeps a smart dress code with no beachwear or tank tops, and the scene-y steakhouses expect you to look the part. A good rule for South Beach is to leave the flip-flops at the hotel - the room you are trying to get into is dressed for a night out, not a beach day. When in doubt, err elegant.
What is the best night to go out on Miami Beach?
Friday and Saturday are peak for the full see-and-be-seen energy, when the dining-to-nightlife rooms like Baoli and the DJ-driven scenes are at their loudest. If you want the same rooms with a touch more breathing space, a Thursday reads nearly as lively. For the quieter, more romantic experience at a room like Casa Tua or Forte dei Marmi, aim for an earlier weeknight seating. Whatever the night, prime-time weekend tables at the top rooms go first, so plan ahead.
Which Miami Beach restaurant is hardest to get into?
Carbone and Gaia are the toughest beach-side tables right now, with prime-time weekend seatings booking well out, and Papi Steak and Casa Tua both run tight, in-demand rooms. Book those as early as each restaurant allows, and earlier in the week if the exact date matters more than the day.
Do I need a reservation, or can I walk in?
The top Miami Beach rooms effectively require a reservation at prime time, especially on weekends and during the November-through-April high season around Art Basel and the Miami Grand Prix. Some rooms may seat the bar or counter if availability opens, but that is not reliable for a group or a special occasion. Tell us the night and we will point you to where it books.
Booking the table
Book the table direct on the restaurant's own platform - each pick above links to its
page with the current booking link. Then tell us the night and the group and we will
build the rest of it around dinner.
Build a plan with us
Want the full lineup? Browse every Miami restaurant we feature to round out the trip.
Build a custom itinerary with our concierge team. Pair the venues mentioned above into a single concierge-confirmed evening. See the full Las Vegas events calendar for every upcoming DJ and pool party across the city.
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