I’ve been reviewing restaurants in Miami going on 20 years now, and I get a lot of texts from people asking a similar question: They’re coming to Miami and want to eat somewhere new. And let me tell you,  I take such requests very seriously. It usually involves follow-up questions (price point, where are they staying, etc.) that might literally last for days.

The end result, for now at least, is the selection of restaurants you’ll find below—and the best new spots to eat out in Miami. They’re places that are representative of the city’s white-hot dining scene, a few chef-driven spots and at least one restaurant that feels like a party, like you’ve done something pretty special with your night out.

Where should you go next time you come to town? Here are seven spots that on their own just might justify a vacation to Miami.

Tâm Tâm

Tâm Tâm opened in a not-very-loved section of downtown across from the courthouse in the former home of a Cuban cafe. It’s quirky and kitschy, with—not kidding—a karaoke machine in the bathroom. But Tâm Tâm works on every level, starting with servers who are as excited as you will soon be about the food, an ambiance that’s lovably unique and dishes that are not only entirely new to most everyone but also simply delicious. Get the crispy wings in caramel fish sauce, order the ribs in tamarind glaze or share the “lamb situation” that’s roasted in betel leaves. It’s all just downright amazing.

Sereia

The folks from the Michelin Guide awarded Henrique Sá Pessoa two stars before he decided to open his first restaurant in America, right here in Coconut Grove. To run the kitchen, he hired Miguel Massens, a Miami native who’s worked at some of the finest spots in town. It’s an a la carte menu that offers creative takes on Iberican classics. The bacalao shows up at the table looking like a layered tarte, then mixed together in a way that’s reminiscent of the salt cod dishes served by abuelas—but also so very elevated. There’s a prawn rice that nails the crispy bits of socarrat and a fish stew with a stock that seems like it has been simmering for all of time. I marveled at the chewy, charred edges of the Basque cheesecake and the oozy center hidden within. If I had a vote, Sereia should earn Sá Pessoa a star here too.

Kyu

Back before it closed in November 2022 after suffering storm damage, Kyu was always one of the places I’d recommend for out-of-town visitors. It mimicked the energy of the Wynwood neighborhood it occupies without ever being overbearing and consistently put out dishes that people would declare best-ever of whatever genre, from the hotpot to the massive beef rib. Kyu reopened recently, and I’m glad to say it’s still worthy of a glowing rec, carrying over many of the menu favorites and also offering new ones, like wildly delicious corn ribs and a delicate burrata. Best of all, they’ve kept the coconut cake, made up of a tower of layers and an ideal meal-ender.

Zeru

Perhaps it might sound like a strange backstory: a Spanish restaurant that came to Miami from Mexico. But the Brickell restaurant Zeru, a sister restaurant to its two locations in Mexico City, is pretty unimpeachable. It occupies a stylishly modern space and serves dishes that I found downright faultless. Perhaps the best of them was the socarrat, basically a pan that’s a whole lot of seafood and just the crispy rice bits from a paella (otherwise known as the best part), then dotted with islands of aioli to add a level of richness. There’s also a manchego fondant that my wife, not by any means picky but certainly not impressed by restaurants that try to over-dazzle you, declared maybe the best thing she’d ever eaten.

Maty’s

Chef Valerie Chang already made a name for herself at Itamae, where she worked alongside her father and brother putting out some of Miami’s most creative seafood dishes. She has struck out on her own now with Maty’s, a Midtown spot named after her Peruvian abuela, who inspired many of the dishes. Like at Itamae, Chang knows how to take simple ingredients and turn them into something special, like the Florida tomato and avocado salad, clams in a well-seasoned broth and a roasted chicken covered in an addictive spice. Chang broke a long streak for Florida by winning the Best Chef: South award from the James Beard Foundation, and we have a feeling it’s the first of many accolades coming her way.

Brasserie Laurel

If you’ve spent time in Paris (and honestly, it’s only been a single, rainy weekend for me), then you know it’s not hard to find a brasserie on nearly every corner that you’ll wish was on your street back home. That was the idea from chef Michael Beltran, to create an homage to the French brasserie with new takes on the dishes you’d expect: foie gras, a baked hen, lobster and sweetbreads. Here, Beltran installed Ashley Moncada as executive chef, and her expertly executed sauces are an argument that Laurel is better than—sacre bleu!—any Parisian street corner brasserie.

Deliah

Yes, the food is very good at Delilah, but what’s coming out of the kitchen is only part of this over-the-top story. The place is a vibe, like you’ve stepped into a supper club from a century ago. To those who lived through the supper clubs and speakeasies of the early 2000s, perhaps this sounds trite. But the opulent level of every single detail in Delilah is staggering, from the crooning singer on stage who looks like a Jessica Rabbit cosplay, to the handsome outfits worn by servers and bartenders and even the busboys. The menu hits hard on nostalgia—chicken fingers, pigs in a blanket, hot fudge sundaes—but does it in a way that fits the upscale feel, served alongside dishes like the tomahawk steak that run up to $317. Settled in at the bar and filling up the tables will be finance bros, first dates, glamorous couples and wide-eyed tourists. It’s all very much a scene, one that you just have to witness.