Eric Barton

It’s possible I’m going to lose my Coastal Elite membership card for saying this, but I’ve become a fan of Chick-fil-A. I was, for my entire life, in that decided minority of people who refuse to go to the place for political reasons. Oh, there’s also the whole alleged Silly Putty chemical thing. But recently, for the first time ever, I walked into a Chick-fil-A and ordered almost everything. I sat down to a feast that, I’ll admit, my left-leaning proclivities hoped would be awful. But it was not. Even the salad was good. Damn it. So then, with enough food to cover two trays, I set out to rank everything on the Chick-fil-A menu, from the best to the worst of what the fast-food restaurant serves. It was good enough that I might just go again. Here, then, are the best lunch-dinner offerings at Chick-fil-A, a restaurant that’s hard to hate anymore. RECOMMENDED:The best McDonald's menu items, rankedThe best items on the iHop menu, ranked from worst to bestThe best Taco Bell items to pick from the menu  

Lately, Miami has seen a whole lot of major pizza news. (Yes, we realize “major pizza news” reads like the subject line of a DJ Khaled pizza newsletter that should not exist.) In 2023, we reported that a couple of Miami pizza joints earned coveted rankings in the annual 50 Top Pizza USA list, and one study even placed Miami in top 10 pizza cities in the U.S. Since our last update, we gained one of New York’s most venerated pizza spots, Joe’s, with a slice joint now in Wynwood. Roberta’s, too, will make its Miami comeback any day now. But we've lost a couple of Miami favorites, including Stanzione 87 and Paradis. And spots like Old Greg’s (our previous No.1 in Miami) and stalwart Mister 01 have sadly taken some serious hits in consistency. So, before you devour a few slices around town, check out our updated guide to the best pizza in Miami below. You’ll find some worthy newcomers, our hot and fresh pick for Miami's No.1 pizza restaurant and plenty of very good pies, including New York-style, Neapolitan, Detroit squares and more. RECOMMENDED: The best burgers in Miami: a field guide for the hungry meat lover

Until recently, I had never been to an IHOP. It’s not for any particular reason, like some stance against corporate policies. I’d just simply never been underneath IHOP’s A-framed blue roof until a recent Tuesday, which is when I set out to eat as many things as I could off the very large, very colorful and very picture-heavy IHOP menu. The goal: find the absolute tastiest and, I suppose, most international things served at the International House of Pancakes. I’ll admit my expectations were low, figuring IHOP lands somewhere in the pantheon of affordable sit-down chains closer to a Dennys and below a Waffle House. I’m happy to report, after ordering what my server described as a “total feast,” that my gorge-fest at IHOP was mostly good, with some dishes, and this might be hard to believe, nearly to the level of a fancy brunch place. So, which of the menu items at IHOP are the best? Read on for the ranking, with some conclusions that might come as a surprise. Like, first off, the No. 1 thing at IHOP is not pancakes. RECOMMENDED: The best gas station snacks, rankedThe best McDonald's breakfast items, ranked

Here’s a truth about Miamians: We love to complain about Brickell’s nightmare traffic, but then we willingly subject ourselves to it anytime there's an occasion to celebrate basically anything. That’s because the barely-existed-a-generation-ago neighborhood is now home to many of the city’s best restaurants. These typically fall into the categories of glamorous spots helmed by renowned chefs and restaurant groups that spent well into the eight figures creating glittering cathedrals of fine dining. If what you seek for a night out with your significant other is crystal chandeliers, velvet ropes and a meal with a bumping club soundtrack, you'll have no problem stumbling upon one on nearly any Brickell block. But for the neighborhood's best restaurants—including chef-driven concepts, chill seafood spots and, yes, even clubstaurants—we’ve got you covered with our fully vetted guide below. These restaurants in Brickell run the gamut, from affordable options for a post-work happy hour (this is the financial district, after all) to trendy rooftops with sky-high prices to match. RECOMMENDED: Brickell, Miami: the ultimate guide to the neighborhood

It’s not just that Coconut Grove is one of Miami’s best neighborhoods. This leafy little oasis on the water is officially one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world (at least according to our readers and editors). If you’re lucky enough to visit regularly like we do, that’s no surprise. The walkable triangle of shops, parks, cafes and restaurants feels a lot like Miami itself, a charming mix of the U.S. and South America, dotted with outdoor tables ideal for slow sipping and peak people-watching.  A big part of what makes Coconut Grove so good lately is the restaurant scene, from Michelin-starred fine dining to tried-and-true eateries where we’d gladly brunch for the rest of our days. This enclave is a tourist mecca, though, so don’t expect to just stumble into the first restaurant luring you in with bucket-sized mojitos. Instead, follow our suggestions below, a vetted guide to the best Coconut Grove restaurants right now. RECOMMENDED: Guide to Coconut Grove

July 2024: Say hello to summer! We're contending with extreme heat, dense humidity and daily storms, but with fewer tourists around, this is a great time to book at any of the Michelin Guide's newly-starred Miami restaurants. And while there are fewer days to dine outside, on the water or in the sky at a Miami rooftop restaurant this season, consider it an excuse to explore some of Miami's best things to do when it rains, including cozy wine bars and beautiful museum restaurants.  Our top places to eat in the city are a true mix of flavors and feels, from white tablecloth fine dining—like some of Miami’s best steakhouses—to tried-and-tested cheap eats in Miami that never, ever disappoint. And where there’s a solid cocktail there’s likely to be an epic dish that follows, so expect to run into some of Miami’s best bars on this list. Just as we've always done, Time Out’s local experts scour the city daily for great eats, great value and insider info. We emphasize fun, flavor and freshness at every price point, and update this list monthly with standout finds. If it’s on the list, whether it's a short-lived pop-up or a mega clubstaurant, we think it’s awesome and hope you will, too.

Picking a restaurant for date night or a lunch with the visiting boss is a pretty straightforward equation of ambience-plus-food. Finding a spot to take the kids requires much harder math, adding in high chairs and space for strollers, subtracting places that are too loud and don’t have menus any kid would consider. To help parents with this arithmetic, Time Out’s crew has taken our children and nieces and nephews to everything from burger joints to fine-dining spots. What we found are these spots below, where kids are welcome and parents will find plenty of dishes, and much-needed drinks, to keep everyone happy. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do with kids in Miami

It’s not possible to live on pastelitos alone. (Trust us, we’ve tried.) There are times when you must diversify your sweet treats, and donuts are a fine substitute. Unlike the quintessential Miami pastries that come in flavors of guava, cheese or, if you’re feeling crazy, guava and cheese, donuts contain multitudes. In Miami, all manner of savory and sweet delights have been stuffed into and layered on top of fluffy dough rings. This is something we know particularly well, since we’ve taken an extensive tour of the town’s donut shops to produce this list: the best donuts in Miami. RECOMMENDED: The best chocolate shops in Miami

For those who partake—and if you don’t, please reconsider—the burger is a quintessential indulgence. Carbs and fats and all the sauces known to humanity, brought together into a grabbable, portable sandwich of a meal. These days, the hamburger can be found at everything from roadside stands to the finest of restaurants. But all of us who seek them out in new and unknown dive bars and diners, we’ve eaten plenty of bad ones and a whole lot of overpriced ones at chef-y restaurants. Luckily, our team of burger experts (yes, this is part of our job description) has scoured this fine country for the finest patties found between two buns. We’ve discovered the best burgers in America between the purple mountain majesties, hit the diners between amber waves of grain, and, well, you get it: we’ve eaten the best cheeseburgers in the U.S. to come up with the definitive list of the best burgers in every state. RECOMMENDED: The best burgers in L.A.The best burgers in NYC The best burgers in Boston The best burgers in Miami

Most bars and restaurants in Miami offer some sort of discounted offering during happy hour— and if they don't, they should. Because the rent is too damn high, and we all deserve a break where we can get it. If you're here, you're seeking out the best bang for your buck, and we know exactly where to find it. At these top Miami happy hour spots, you’ll find flowing drinks, yes. But there’s also an array of tasty bar victuals to be sampled from some of the finest restaurants in town. Dollar oysters and panoramic views, half-priced martinis and caviar-topped snacks, frozen libations and live music—get it all, and at prices that’ll make that monthly Brickell rent just a little easier to part with.  RECOMMENDED: The best rooftop bars in Miami

Surprise! Florida is known as the Sunshine State, but more than a third of the time, you can count on a rainy day here in subtropical Miami. Wet weather is typical in the summer, but if your plans call for sunshine, there's a good chance you'll get rained out no matter what season you're in.  Don't let a little water ruin your good time. Whether you’re dealing with a fleeting sprinkle or a full-on tropical storm, there are plenty of fun indoor activities in Miami when it rains. Shopping in Miami is an excellent option, and a rainy day is the perfect excuse to get off the sand and explore the city’s world-class museums. Figuring out what to do in Miami when it rains? Below, we came up with fun beach day alternatives, kid-friendly activities and plenty of boozy options so your day doesn’t have to be a total washout.

That new outfit just arrived in the mail, and the last thing you’re going to do is throw it on right before walking out the door. No, there is mirror time, styling, selfies involved to ensure this look lives up to the glowing online reviews. A similar thing happens with new Miami restaurants that open over the summer, a sort of trying on of the concept before the tourists swarm.  Summer 2024 is no exception: Restaurateurs are planning to roll out a bevy of new concepts (a few of which we mentioned in our guide to 2024's most anticipated Miami restaurant openings), many from renowned chefs and big-name restaurant groups. In fact, so many restaurants are opening in Miami this summer, it’s like the entire food scene of a mid-sized city. Here are the ones we’re most excited about—and not just so we can finally wear that new outfit. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Miami right now

For years, Itamae served as a litmus test. Adventurous eaters would explore their limits with things like candied mushrooms atop spicy tuna, or a fresh catch sushi roll with a hairdo of shaved parm and swimming in leche de tigre. These unusual and highly original Japanese-Peruvian combinations always turned out to be wonderfully delicious. In May 2024, chef Nando Chang reimagined his family’s concept as Itamae AO, a fiercely personal omakase-style counter in Midtown that currently costs $213 including tax and tip per seat. And while the new Itamae still aims to challenge the adventurous, many of its tiny plates were simply not enjoyable to eat during our visit.  It began with my very first bite: ponzu with white grapes, an umami dropkick as salty as the dregs in a potato chip bag. The misses continued with a squid ceviche as chewy as bubblegum and eel that looked a bit like the remnants of another dish.  I searched for complexity in the 42-day dry-aged tuna slice, but could not find it beyond the potent fish market smell. Near the end of the multi-course meal, those candied mushrooms from Itamae’s previous life made an appearance in dessert, a custard that was overpowered by their earthiness.  You enter Itamae AO through a door in the bar at Maty’s, the restaurant helmed by Nando’s sister Valerie Chang, a newly crowned James Beard Best Chef winner. While passing through, I spotted the ceviche with tortitas corn fritters, one of Miami’s best dishes—a happy reminder of the Chan

We cannot live in the world of Bridgerton, no matter how many tiaras and ruffled shirts we buy. But at Lafayette Miami, we can dine on fine steaks as the grand piano plays nearby, servers rush about in handsome outfits and drinks and dishes are finished tableside with dramatic flourish. I can’t say whether Penelope finds happiness, but I’m willing to bet you’ll find joy in Lafayette’s vintage vibe. That’s because, first and foremost, the place is gorgeous. The former El Tucán space in Brickell rings more opulent than ever, with cherry-red banquettes along the walls, chandeliers that look like giant golden flower buds and a thick, Tonight Show-like curtain in the back hiding who knows what?  Unlike the similarly nostalgic Delilah, where the menu includes pigs in a blanket and chicken fingers, here, it’s steakhouse classics. Our meal began with a fluffy Parker House roll with smoked butter, deviled eggs topped with caviar and crispy capers, and a carpaccio striped with a trio of sauces—all pretty flawless. Though we could have skipped the octopus, which was nicely grilled and sliced but didn’t pair with the hunk of burrata in the center.  For entrees, we ordered a seabass finished at the table with a roe-studded beurre blanc and a dry-aged strip, near purple in the center, not as tender as some but richly flavorful and served simply with roasted onions and rosemary garnish. As we awaited dessert, the night’s entertainment began: a sultry singer belting out Gloria Gaynor to pian

There’s a thing that happens in transient cities like Miami when an old friend who left town for greener pastures returns for a visit. Can she recreate those fond, only-in-Miami memories of bottomless brunches that rolled right into happy hour (and, on rare occasions, kept going till dawn)?  Probably not, which is why we worried about the return of KYU, a restaurant that, back in the day, featured on pretty much everyone’s list of favorite Miami restaurants.  The Wynwood restaurant closed in November 2022, purportedly after storm damage. In the meantime, KYU clones have spawned in Mexico City, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Michelin guide landed in Miami, and one of our top local chefs finally reclaimed Florida’s James Beard clout. Could KYU, at this particular moment, possibly live up to its memory? The short answer is yes. New KYU is as good as it was—perhaps better. The team has taken that special, original recipe and improved it with new dishes, fresh cocktails and a similar but more refined ambiance than the original. The night I went, it was late into the dinner service, and a friend and I grabbed the last two open seats at the bar. Just like before, there’s a buzzy energy, the music and the chatter just to the point where you can still hold down a first-date-level conversation. (Don’t believe what you read in a bank-owned review site that curmudgeonly complained about it being too loud).  Aesthetically, KYU hasn’t changed a whole lot—it’s more like

The Bloom (stylized, confusingly, as “The B100M”) is a food-hall-like concept in downtown Miami that’s almost nearly well named. It’s more like a new spring bud, not yet the beautiful thing it might become.  Calling itself a “chefs’ collective,” The Bloom occupies the bottom floor of a Biscayne Boulevard high-rise, with a wall of windows facing Bayfront Park and within view of the Kaseya Center. By day, lots of light fills the rather handsome space of mosaic tile and beige wood. There’s a bar to the right and a scattering of high tops and tables that seem nowhere near enough for the place to ever get truly busy. You can order at the counter from any of the three concepts or, like I did, opt for table service. That means you’ll get drinks and food delivered, but you will have to pay the 18 percent service charge. On the day I went, the place was inexplicably running at half-power. The Ecuadorian concept from chef Alejandra Espinoza, about which I had heard good things, was unstaffed, without a sign or any other explanation. Drinks were out too, as the venue’s liquor license was still pending. I ordered first from Yasu Tanaka, one of the city’s most talented sushi chefs, who’s been putting out flawless omakase platters at MIA Market since 2020 (andm before that, ran The Den at Azabu). Like he’s done elsewhere, Tanaka’s handroll here is a perfect representation of what’s essentially a Japanese sandwich, stuffed with seared wagyu beef, real-thing wasabi and still-hot sushi rice,

I walk the dog through the Design District most days, and there’s a type of person I see, usually strolling dramatically to somewhere important. This person is dressed in flowy clothes that blow out behind them like linen drapes caught in the wind. They’re more often than not wearing sneakers that look like spaceships, and their hair is arranged into origami.  I’ve always wondered where they dine after dropping a mortgage on a new watch or bed (seriously, there’s a Design District store that sells a $400,000 mattress). And now I think I know: a place called Elastika, where the ambiance and the dishes are both as glamorous as the people of the Design District it calls home. The restaurant occupies the four-story atrium of The Moore building, where the namesake “Elastika” sculpture by Zaha Hadid hangs dramatically over a stunning dining room with booths and tables arranged in geometric patterns. You can’t see the sculpture as you first walk in. Rather, it emerges as you’re led to your table, suspended like spiderwebs between the open floors, lit up by skylights and spotlights, a captivating sight that’ll pull your attention throughout a meal.  The drinks and dishes, by chef Joe Anthony, are largely familiar things executed well. I started with an airmail cocktail with a spiced rum that’s extra smooth from brown butter, which paired well with a creamy gazpacho poured tableside into a bowl of artfully cut veggies towering from an orange sea.  There’s a daily pizza, and we got one

Salty Flame falls into a genre of restaurant that just might exist only in Miami: trendy steakhouse with an Asian-ish menu and a distinctly suburban crowd. The food is as good as it needs to be, the service pretty decent and the look as nice as the outfit you’ve been saving for date night.  On my visit, couples and families with boisterous babies seemed to revel in the bumping unst-unst music and crimson and gold-trimmed decor. Like the gussied-up guests, cocktails were full of ingredients I had to google and garnished with fruits and herbs, ready for their next selfie.  My Thai salad looked just as pretty, a bowl of chopped, julienned and sliced veggies heavily dressed in something bright and tangy. Likewise, we enjoyed the Salmon Togarashi roll topped with thinly sliced, spiced and seared tuna. The simply prepared dumplings and Song Hua Ban Noodles weren’t nearly as photo-ready, though they were well flavored.  We split the wagyu steak, and it arrived raw and ready to sear on a stone so blazing it radiated heat from across the table. Soy sauce and salt and a little sample of pickled cukes worked as the seasoning, and we learned the hard way that it’s easy to overcook the thin slices. It’s a fun dish that will likely impress the couple you invited from Kendall. In the interest of luring suburbanites to fight Brickell traffic for Asian-adjacent dishes, Salty Flame has competition, including Komodo, Sexy Fish, Gekko, Kaori, Novikov and maybe a dozen others. You’ll eat better a

When the Michelin Guide began including Florida in 2021, a local chef I trust gave me a prediction: The goal of new restaurants would not be to make profits or happy customers. Instead, they’d obsess over one thing: earning a star. What that meant wasn’t exactly clear to me until I had a meal at Palma, a restaurant where the wine, dishes and entire ambiance seem centered around impressing Michelin’s secret inspectors. The dainty things that arrived on my plates were undoubtedly original and creative, though I left hungry and, days later, I’m still pondering whether Palma misses entirely or just needs some work before hitting that Michelin mark of approval. Chef Juan Camilo Liscano opened Palma in January 2024 in a strip mall on Northwest 8th Avenue, just south of the Miami River. There’s a bodega next door where men hang out on lawn chairs, and people passing by on the sidewalk peer in through the window to an interior that seems quite out of place on this block. Cheap rent must explain how they offer an eight-course tasting menu for just $85, about a third of the price of the one at the two-star L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.  Inside Palma, most of the space is bomb-shelter gray, with an open kitchen right in front where a row of barstools faces Liscano and his sous chef. That’s where I sat early one night, watching them prep ingredients on the counter just in front of me. The chefs explained the dishes as they served me and also ran plates themselves to guests sitting at table

We didn’t expect to like Orilla as much as we did. It’s not that we doubted the Argentine spot’s dishes would be good, which they are very. It’s just that nobody would’ve expected, right there on South Beach’s busiest street, a verdant culinary oasis. At the corner of Euclid and Fifth, Orilla’s chic dining room spills out to a courtyard enclosed by a leafy row of lighted palms. On the opposite wall, more palms fill a dramatic painting above a leather banquette, a backlit bar at the end. On the night we went, a hard rainfall trickled down into the planters, adding to the feeling that we were far away in some dewy Buenos Aires garden. It’d be hard not to love the place just based on all of that. Luckily, the food is also stellar, beginning with a mahi mahi tiradito, ceviche-like but swimming in a punchy coconut milk vinaigrette. Both the empanadas, the cheesy spinach and beef in a tangy tomato sauce, came wrapped in flaky, golden brown dough. We ordered the New York strip, one of the signatures here, with a salty grill char from the time it spent over coals.  The star, though, was the Black Rice, a dish that’s a lot like Orilla itself. It arrived at our table looking unremarkable, as dark as a picture that your phone accidentally took in your pocket. But underneath, it’s smoky from bits of pork belly, deeply flavorful from squid ink and rich from a saffron aioli sitting on top. In the center, the rice is gooey and toothy, while the edges and bottom are crisped into socarrat, th

I’ll admit to being skeptical walking into Oise. The idea here is to combine Japanese and Italian ingredients, a theme they’re calling “itameshi.” Which sounded initially like the very-played-out Asian fusion thing. But then I had the Oise meatball. It’s soft and tender within and caramelized on the outside to give it a glazed, crispy texture. It sits on a tomato sauce that’s richly umami from the addition of miso. And it wears a crown of fondue foam blowtorched until it’s charred like a toasted marshmallow. It’s as tasty and creative as anything I’ve had lately at the finest of fine-dining restaurants.  And yet the concept at Oise is something far more casual. To create this place, Chef Brad Kilgore, who’s killing it these days at MaryGold’s, teamed up with Andrew Mayer of the affordable-yet-excellent Mr. Omakase. They devised a simple space in the back of The Oasis food hall where you order by your phone. There are no servers, just a food runner and a single person back in the open kitchen. Whether that’s a process you’ll find enjoyable really comes down to personal preference. There will be a moment when you have to stop the conversation and open your phone to search the menu for your next round. Still, that’s arguably more efficient than unsuccessfully trying to flag down a server almost everywhere else in town.  When the dishes arrive, it’ll become clear why you came. The Baby Butter Lettuce Salad is like a Caesar reinvented into something better: a green goddess dressin

There’s no participation trophy in restaurant reviews. But if I could give an “A for effort,” it’d go to Smoke & Dough. Because what it’s trying to do—update American barbecue into something very Miami—is the best idea since somebody decided to stuff guava and cheese into a pastelito.  The thing is, Smoke & Dough has that meet-cute backstory that makes people want to root for a restaurant. Owners Harry and Michelle Coleman,met while working at the FIU student newspaper. They couldn't find journalism jobs after graduating in 2008 (who could?), so eventually they opened Empanada Harry's in a Kendall strip mall. They later added Smoke & Dough as an adjoining restaurant. It might have just been a quiet little barbecue place if the New York Times hadn’t put Smoke & Dough on a list of restaurants the paper was most excited about in 2023. Then things blew up.  The early Saturday night I was there, “reserved” placards sat on every table—yes, a barbecue place that takes reservations. The theme is “modern smokehouse,” corrugated metal in place of tiles in the drop ceiling, a pelt on the wall, “BBQ” lit up in bare bulbs in a sign hanging above our heads. The Sinatra soundtrack, loud and lively, added to the man-cave vibe.   Some of the dishes excel at combining Southern barbecue with Latin flavors. The brisket features slices of tender, cafecito-rubbed meat atop a rich mole sauce with an artful swirl of herb oil. The bravas substitute fried yuca for potatoes and add heat from a dried pe

One of my favorite local Instagram accounts follows the exploits of a couple with an enviable life: they travel the world eating at only the finest restaurants. After the Michelin Guide debuted its Miami recommendations, they posted their own analysis, arguing that our local picks didn’t hold up against other cities. I disagree with that conclusion, but I thought about it during my recent meal at Sereia. This modern seafood restaurant in Coconut Grove seems destined for the Michelin Guide—multiple stars, even—because it succeeds at every key fine dining metric, from impeccable service to dishes displaying a sophisticated level of technique.  Take the bacalao. It’s salt cod, which some may remember as a fishy, over-seasoned offering from their grandparents. Here, it arrives in the form of a tarte, pretty enough for the front window display of a French bakery. A cured egg yolk sits on top like the center of a blooming flower. It’s mixed tableside, a light and delicate dish with the flaky cod the star of it all.  This refined approach is the work of Henrique Sá Pessoa, who earned a pair of Michelin stars before opening Sereia in Michael Beltran’s old Navé spot. The space received a minor facelift, the bar still off to the left as you walk in, and an open kitchen in the back for those who want to watch the chefs work. To helm the kitchen here, Sá Pessoa hired Miguel Massens, a tasting menu master. Luckily they went with an a la carte menu at Sereia, since diners (and their wallet

Ossobuco is a beautifully designed Wynwood restaurant with an everything-is-grilled theme. It puts out dishes that run from fatally flawed to so perfectly executed that it’s almost as if there are two opposing chefs in the kitchen. The place occupies a space in the bottom of Sentral Wynwood, one of the shiny new apartment complexes replacing the neighborhood’s squat warehouse buildings. Inside, it’s all stone, amber woods and concrete with an open floorplan that spills out to the leafy courtyard. It’s moody and buzzy, with every seat in the dining room and handsome L-shaped bar offering a view to the kitchen’s grill stations. And that’s the point. Each dish, even the cold apps and some of the cocktails, includes a grilled element. The chef (there’s actually just one) is Guillermo Eleicegui, an Argentine who’s worked at Sugarcane, the Delano and the Hilton West Palm Beach. Here, he’s designed a menu that’s like a modern version of a South American parrilla. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it flops as hard as a flipped T-bone. Photograph: Eric Barton for Time Out Take, for instance, my Negroni cocktail washed in Wagyu fat. The drink itself is a smack-you-in-the-kisser umami bomb, which already is hard to process. The garnish is a clump of raw, lightly blowtorched mushrooms. Bits of them broke off, creating an awkward sip and an unseemly texture that says, “A fungus is floating in my drink.” But then, to emphasize the dichotomy of the place, arrived the Steak and Eggs appetizer:

While Bogotá is a cosmopolitan city full of panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and a thumping nightlife scene, I’ll admit I wanted to go for one reason: arepas. I’m fairly obsessed with the discs of corn and all the ways Colombians prepare them. There are the small, simple ones from the País region that serve as vehicles for salsa. Then there are the corn pancakes, sweet and doughy and oozing with cheese.  For those who might also share my passion for arepas, or simply want to check out Colombia’s vibrant capital city, there’s a brand new way to get there: The high-end Emirates Airlines just launched a daily, non-stop route from Miami, and I recently had the opportunity to experience the inaugural flight. Full disclosure: Emirates paid my way as part of its media rollout. Nonetheless, I’ve outlined my unfiltered takeaways below. TLDR: If you’re planning a trip to Colombia anytime soon, you might just want to book yourself a ticket if you can. Photograph: Courtesy the authorTime Out contributor Eric Barton on the inaugural Emirates flight from Miami to Bogotá 1. The only luxe way to reach Colombia Several airlines fly directly into Bogotá, but Emirates is the only one with a first-class cabin. The good seats on an Emirates plane are as nice as you’ve probably heard. Yes, you could fly economy roundtrip for around $350, but upgrading just might be the best part of your vacation. First class, where each seat is like a little apartment, will cost you the downpayment o

The James Beard Foundation last night named Miami’s Valerie Chang the South’s best chef, and it’s a reward not only for a talented young restaurateur but also a long-deserved recognition for an entire state. Chang’s award is the first time a Florida chef has won the Best Chef: South category since Michael Schwartz claimed the recognition way back in 2010—remarkably 14 years ago.  It’s a point Chang made from the podium at the awards ceremony in Chicago. “Miami—finally, we won! We got something for Miami!” Chang’s voice mixed with laughter and exuberance as she triumphantly held up the medal. Chang’s Midtown restaurant Maty’s is an homage to her heritage, her Peruvian immigrant parents and to her grandmother, the restaurant’s namesake. At the podium last night, Chang talked about the emotional rollercoaster of winning the award not long after losing her grandmother. “To my grandmother who passed away five days ago, and you know I named the restaurant after her, and I can't believe I'm standing here.” Her brother and business partner Nando Chang said in the comments of an Instagram post: “What a way to honor Maty. @chifitachang I love you very much and I’m so proud of you.” Photograph: Isa ZapataMaty's If you haven’t been to Maty’s, chances are it’s going to become harder to score a reservation after last night. But it's well worth whatever wait is required, with oysters bathed in a tangy leche de tigre, charred cauliflower with ocopa sauce and what's become the restaurant's

There’s a truth about Miami that maybe you didn’t know, something that’s developed over the last few years, pretty much out of nowhere: We now have a die-hard contingent of folks who will do whatever—brave the heat, long lines, uncomfortable seating and those daily hurricane-like rainstorms—just to eat something delicious.  Because of this, pop-up restaurants now thrive here. Those responsible for the pop-ups (both experienced chefs and young upstarts with no training) credit these people, the ones going above and beyond to discover Miami’s next best foods, with allowing them to do what they do.  There’s proof by the dozen across town, with many of Miami’s best restaurants growing out of pop-ups or humble food trucks. Among our favorites, Boia De, now a Michelin-starred restaurant, launched as a food truck serving fried chicken sandwiches; Zitz Sum, one of the city’s most awarded restaurants, started with a chef making dumplings in his home kitchen; Old Greg’s, some of the best pizza in town, began as a pandemic side project; and the new QP Tapas, technically still a pop-up, is among our favorite new restaurants this year.  The growth of these experimental, temporary restaurants and their committed followings has fundamentally changed the restaurant industry in Miami in ways that make it entirely better. How? Why? We spoke to the teams behind many of Miami’s pop-up success stories to find out. RECOMMENDED: Why is it so damn hard to open a restaurant in Miami? Photograph: Cou

It seems like every week there’s a new national outlet arriving in Miami to report on something we locals already know: This city is having a serious restaurant moment. It began well before pandemic lockdowns but, ever since, Miami has seen an influx of major restaurant groups clamoring for their piece, along with homegrown chef-owners carving out new concepts throughout the county. This season, there’s lots to be excited about, from (yet another) Miami omakase courtesy of the Itamae team to Klaw’s stylish new Italian neighbor. As the not-so-slow summer ends and fall picks up, here are our top Miami restaurant openings to bookmark on Google Maps this season from Wynwood to South Beach and beyond. RECOMMENDED: Every Michelin-Starred Restaurant in Miami Photograph: Courtesy Itamae Ao 1. Itamae Ao Much-loved Nikkei destination Itamae swaps its Design District digs for a new, 12-seat omakase-style counter next to sister restaurant Maty’s in Midtown. Brother-sister duo Nando and Val Chang were just named best new chefs by Food & Wine, so expect hard-to-get reservations from day one. 3255 NE 1st Ave Photograph: Courtesy Alpareno Restaurant GroupAlpareno Restaurant Group founders Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar and Chef Niven Patel 2. Erba Niven Patel, the celebrated Miami chef behind Ghee, Orno and Mamey, began this pasta concept as a pop-up way back in 2019. Ever since it’s been just on the cusp of reopening in a permanent home. This fall, Erba finally lands in Coral Gables with a menu

Vikram Thadani first came to Miami from Chile on vacation when he was 17, and he swore right then that someday he’d open a restaurant here. That was in 2002, and after opening four restaurants back home, he decided in 2021 he’d attempt to pull off his dream. Thadani settled on a space in Wynwood. He figured it would take six months to open. “Everyone laughed when I told them that,” he says.  Eighteen months later, after endless red tape and reams of paperwork thrown at him by the City of Miami, he finally opened his Indian restaurant, Rishtedar, in February. He can’t even calculate how many tens of thousands of dollars the delays cost him.  “That’s why I’m living in my car at Home Depot,” he says with a laugh. “Just kidding, just kidding.” Thadani’s experience is similar to stories I’ve heard over and over from chefs and restaurant owners in my 20 years covering the industry in South Florida. Miami’s inefficient and often beguiling bureaucracy can lead to months—sometimes years—of delays in even a simple restaurant opening, costing operators sometimes upwards of six figures. The reasons for the delays in Miami are often baffling, owners say. In Thadani’s case, one problem arose when the Post Office changed his restaurant’s mailing address. Suddenly, inspectors stopped showing up, leading to a two-week pause in the process—and adding to months of delays. Some might shrug this off as a problem suffered only by well-off restaurateurs. But it can also hurt workers who get stuck i

It’s after 2 o’clock in the afternoon when we hook up with Brittany Brave, and she’s just finishing up breakfast at Mamey in Coral Gables. She polished off a coffee, a mimosa, coconut water, tuna tostones, and grilled cheese bites—all with the desperate hope of beating the hangover. Having just barely answered the phone, she’s already apologizing profusely for sleeping through multiple alarms and jumping on the call late. “I don’t know what I was thinking scheduling a 10am Monday phone call.” You can’t blame her. The night before, 31-year-old Brave had headlined the Miami Improv for the first time, all part of what seems to be a major moment for this homegrown comedienne. In the past year, Brave has racked up headlining spots and accolades including being named by the Miami New Times as the city’s best comedian. Is this officially a thing? “Um, yeah, I am afraid—well, first off thank you for saying that—but I’m afraid to use language like that,” Brave says. “You never want to jinx it, and you never want to think you’re ahead of where you are.” Up until recently, she was a starving artist. “Sometimes literally starving,” she says. And as such, she doesn't want to ruin things. Brave grew up in west Kendall, the only child of a cosmetologist mom and sales manager dad. Her parents remain the funniest people she knows, she says, and she figured out early on that she loved making them laugh. Some of her earliest memories are of standing in the middle of the room at get-togethers an

Take a stroll through the lush grounds behind the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and you’ll find yourself at a one-of-a-kind staircase. The steps are made of hardened coral called coquina, and they lead down into the murky depths of a mangrove forest. There are a couple of moorings at the bottom that look like barber poles, where you can imagine Venetian gondolas pulling up. While the stairs make a sweet backdrop for engagement photos, they’re also a harbinger. David Hardy, the horticulture manager at Vizcaya for a decade now, has watched as the bay waters creep up those stairs inch by inch. More and more every year, the rising waters also carry in plastic bottles, wrappers, netting—the detritus of society that, let’s be honest, doesn’t look great in a selfie. Photograph: David Hardy All that junk will vanish over the span of a day when a few hundred volunteers descend on Vizcaya to fish around 700 pounds of trash from that mangrove swamp. The efforts are part of Baynanza, a county-wide series of events with the goal of cleaning up Biscayne Bay and raising awareness around the constant challenge of preserving our local waterways. “This is truly critical,” Hardy says of Baynanza. “And the level of enthusiasm of the people who come out, and their concern for the environment—it’s encouraging to see how many people really care.” Since it began in 1982, more than 100,000 volunteers have shown up for Baynanza’s annual Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day and collected more than 500 tons of trash f

Most people know Carolina Isabela as Caro the Tour Guide, a personality she took on for social media to boast about all the cool things in Miami. But when we spoke, she had just returned home from Amsterdam and couldn’t stop gushing about all the epic bike rides there.  “It was the best.” And then drawing out words in a way that’s become something of her signature, she said: “ It was amaaaaazing.” She biked everywhere, slowly so she could take in the view of the Rijksmuseum and look for street food, stroopwafels especially. “Oh, my god. Amaaaaazing. I’m so mad I didn’t bring any back.” Considering how much Isabela likes to bike, it’d be easy to assume she’d be wistful about Amsterdam now that she’s back in Miami. But when asked about whether the Magic City could ever compare to bike-friendly Amsterdam, she’s nothing but optimistic. “Can Miami do it? Yeah, of course. Miami is only 126 years old. We’re babies!” she says. “Amsterdam has been designing their city for millennia. We’re just getting started.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miami’s Tour Guide - Carolina (@carothetourguide) Is Miami a bike-friendly city? Not all bike advocates share Isabela’s hopefulness, but Miami has certainly made progress in becoming a bike-friendly city. Thanks in part to efforts by the Transit Alliance Miami and local organizers, we recently gained bike path protectors along the Venetian Causeway as well as three new miles of Downtown bike lanes, with plans for even

Congratulations, you’ve booked a week’s vacation in Miami, the Magic City, a subtropical subparadise known for its sandy beaches and pumping nightclubs. Now forget everything you think you know. Ignore the online guides and the recommendations from the concierge (who gets paid to tell you to do the touristy things). On this list, we’re sending you elsewhere and warning you of the things in Miami you need to ignore. Don’t worry—there will still be croquetas and cafecito. 1. The food scene is legendary Call us biased, but with tons of celebrity chef-run restaurants and imported cuisines from everywhere in the world, Miami isn’t just having a moment. It’s downright one of the best restaurant cities anywhere. 2. Enriqueta's over Versailles Presidents have dined at Versailles, it’s true. And yes, it’s been there forever. If you want big plates of Abuela-quality Cuban food and don’t want to wait in line with cruise ship types, head instead to Enriqueta’s and squeeze in between construction workers and lunching lawyers at the tight counter. Jonathan P.Ellgen" data-width-class="" data-image-id="105807692" /> Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Jonathan P.Ellgen 3. Airboats are loud AF Riding on an airboat is proof that it’s a good rule to avoid any kind of trip into nature that requires earplugs. 4. Nobody rides the bus There’s nothing sadder than seeing a public-transportation-reliant European waiting for those tubes of human misery provided by Metrobus. Photograph: Shutterstock 5. Al

There’s an old saying that the best thing about Miami is that it’s so close to the United States. It’s true for the fact that this is a place that often feels very European, South American and Caribbean. It’s also true for the fact that Miami exists as a place different from anywhere else in this country, a Bermuda Triangle of weirdness, where the rules on what to wear and where to go and how to act just might change depending on your dance partner for the evening. How do you live in such a place? Here below is a guide on how to navigate America’s most delightfully foreign city. 1. The dress code is whatever It doesn’t matter if it’s the fanciest brunch spot in town or the jankiest corner deli. Look around the room and you might see a dude in a tank top and jellies next to a woman wearing a sparkling evening gown. If you want to wear it, you’ll probably be fine. 2. About that dress code, tho Even though you can wear whatever to pretty much everywhere, you’ll also walk into clubs and bars and restaurants where every single person looks dressed by their own personal shopper. ChrisGoldNY" data-width-class="" data-image-id="105877750" /> Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/ChrisGoldNY 3. Nudity is a thing Out on the sand of South Beach, topless is normal, and up at Haulover, it’s all coming off. Just try not to make eye contact. 4. If it requires a trip on I-95... ... the restaurant is almost surely not worth it. 5. It’s raining iguanas When it gets cold, giant reptiles just might st

We don’t know why you’ve gotten to this point. Perhaps your favorite Miami restaurant just took that amazing burger off the menu (legit problems). Or working from home means your only coworker is that long-neglected philodendron in the corner (have you considered a dog?). Or maybe it’s just time for a good soul-renewing sob to remind you of all the good that’s in the world—somewhere. Either way, it’s time to weep like Forrest just learned Jenny’s not going to make it. Here then is where you can bust out a good cry in public in Miami, places where your uncontrollable emotional breakdown will fit right in. NiteOwl Drive-In Nobody’s going to judge if you were to weep during the showing of a tear-jerker on an outdoor screen at this makeshift drive-in that’s smack in the middle of downtown (with a second location coming soon, perhaps?). We suggest you might wait for the breakup scene. Photograph: Shutterstock Shark Valley The Everglades is a wide expanse of nature that’s perfect for dumping a body and/or getting far, far away from anyone else. Here at Shark Valley, you can walk or bike a seven-mile paved trail, giving you plenty of space to let out all that’s pent up and see nobody else aside from a few judgment-free gators. Photograph: Shutterstock Hard Rock Stadium The Dolphins and Hurricanes play here. Must we say more? MGoBlog" data-width-class="" data-image-id="105591069" /> Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/MGoBlog Freedom Tower From 1962 to 1974, what may be Miami’s most

Being short on cash and with a big date looming, you’ve got some choices to make. There’s always figuring out which of your cards isn’t going to get cut up by the waiter. Or there’s heading midday to COTE Miami. Go there for dinner, and it’ll cost you a couple of hundred bucks. But there’s a lunch menu you can actually, maybe, afford—and still impress your date with your great expensive taste. On it is the “shicken” sandwich that costs $28, and yes, you’re probably laughing now at a sandwich that costs $28. But it’s huge, as in too-big-to-eat-on-your-own sized. It looks utterly charming too, like a beautiful remake of McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. There’s the big, fluffy La Provence Bakery bun, the tartar sauce dripping out the sides, and the slice of melty American cheese. The patty in the center is as thick as a butcher’s block, and inside there’s something quite unique: layers of pounded chicken and diced shrimp, layered together and then panko battered and fried golden. They split the sandwich back in the kitchen, providing both a cheese-stretching cross-section and also an ideal setup for proposing to your date that you split it. This thing is so huge I guess we don’t need to order anything else, you’ll say. Two tap glasses of your finest tap water, please, and a killer chicken-shrimp sandwich, and you just took your date to one of the nicest places in Miami for $14 per person. Well done, you cheap bastard. Photograph: Eric Barton