Gramps is one of our favorite bars in Miami, and now you don’t have to brave the chaos of Wynwood to satisfy a Gramps craving. You can just go to Gramps Getaway in Key Biscayne. Here, in the former Whiskey Joe’s space, you’ll find pretty much everything we loved about the original Gramps: rare $12 cocktails, DJs playing songs you forgot you knew all the words to, and an old school atmosphere that’ll feel familiar to anyone who’s lived here for more than 10 years.
Palma is a tasting menu-only restaurant so thoughtful, the team could blindly buy your mother-in-law the perfect birthday present. The $85 menu changes every 10 to 15 days. But you can expect seven courses of locally sourced dishes, like fresh steamed snapper with spigarello or steak tartare wrapped in a crunchy ribbon of radish. A silver spork is the weapon of choice for attacking a meticulously scored and seared squid in mushroom ragu with pepitas, ensuring no seed or sauce is left behind.
No one seems to notice Aoko. With little to no internet footprint (and not even a sign on the door), this place feels like it was built during the sushi prohibition era, which actually was a thing in early 19th-century Japan. Thankfully, sushi makes up pretty much the entire menu here in the form of nigiri, sashimi, temaki, and maki. They have a la carte sushi and omakase options under $100. Please, for the love of all things with gills, order at least one omakase.
This Spanish restaurant in North Miami is making dishes so much more complex than its casual interior would lead you to believe. The all day menu features a bucatini carbonara with smoked idiazabal cheese that’s simultaneously light and rich. There’s also a steak tartare on a flaky croissant toast with hazelnut emulsion that’s incredibly delicate. And we haven’t even gotten to the steak. This could be the best steak in the entire city.
Take a walk down the Miami Beach boardwalk—all the way from 1st Street to Haulover Inlet—and you’ll see plenty of bars and restaurants. But 99.9% of them exist exclusively for tourists who don’t know any better. That’s why Louie’s, a tiki hut situation in the back of a Mid-Beach hotel, is so valuable. This Cuban concept is one of the only local-friendly options a mere 15 yards from the sand. The menu is mostly things between bread.
This pop-up operates out of Tinta Y Cafe (the one in Miami Shores) Wednesday through Saturday. Every ingredient—except a squash or two—is sourced from Florida. But what’s most impressive is what EntreNos does with those ingredients: turns them into beautifully plated dishes with curveball ingredients that work shockingly well. This is a very exciting pop-up to keep an eye on, and a reservation to prioritize when you want a dinner that is all about the food.