August in Miami means it’s time for Miami Spice, that special time of year when temperatures rise and restaurant check totals actually fall (a bit). Each summer, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) offers a two-month promotion from August 1 to September 30, where more than 250 Miami restaurants offer prix fixe, three-course meals for $30-$35 for lunch and $45 or $60 for dinner.
Call it Christmas in August, or Miami’s version of “restaurant week” (that really lasts two months), but those who follow Miami’s restaurant scene with the zeal of sports fanatics know to look forward to the annual promotion. Several restaurants with Michelin Stars will be participating, along with Bib Gourmands and restaurants that are included in The Michelin Guide. Here’s our take on the best menus in town for Miami Spice.
Chef Jeremy Ford’s One MICHELIN Star South Beach flagship will be participating for the first time this year and showcasing their refined take on seasonal cooking (with some produce sourced from Ford’s own farm in the Redlands). The dinner menu includes choices of handmade potato gnocchi and confit duck to star and potato-crusted Atlantic swordfish for a main course. Desserts of mamey Basque cheesecake and summer mango sago will leave diners swooning.
Best for: special occasion, date night
If you have yet to check out Miami’s only Michelin-Starred Korean steakhouse, the Spice menu (only offered at lunch) is a perfect opportunity to try the restaurant’s USDA prime beef, but we also recommend the limited-edition fried chicken served with pickled daikon and sweet and tangy sauce. A $25 upcharge gets you the full “Butcher’s Lunch” if you’re looking for the full grilled meat experience with dry-aged ribeye and marinated galbi grilled tableside, accompanied by lettuce, scallion salad, and ssamjang.
Best for: meat lovers, power lunches
Florida’s only Two Michelin Star concept is participating for a second year of the “Signature Experience” category with a four-course Evolution Menu for $135. This unique offering provides a pricier, non-traditional Miami Spice experience, but is ideal for those looking to indulge in the restaurant’s multicourse tasting menu. Dishes like cold poached lobster with corn gelée, and beef filet with vegetable cannelloni and black truffle exemplify the restaurant’s culinary prowess. Desserts are equally enticing, with options such as Black Forest chocolate with cherries and Kirsch chantilly.
Best for: special occasions, impressing your date
French for “the gardener,” this sleek, One Michelin Star gem in the Design District offers a sophisticated setting for a produce-centric menu. For lunch, choose from starters like melon gazpacho with charred cantaloupe, then move on to squid ink linguine and cilantro-marinated chicken for mains. The meal ends with a mango passion fruit layered cake. For dinner starters feature golden beet salad or salmon tartare, followed by entrées such as Pacific striped bass or pappardelle with summer zucchini pesto. Dessert options include a chocolate salted caramel tart.
Best for: business meals, date night
The iconic Miami Beach restaurant now stays open year round and is offering Spice menus for lunch and dinner. Lunch features items like stone crab bisque, a chopped salad and entrees like Joe’s burger with a choice of sides, plus their award-winning Key lime pie or creme brulee for dessert. But if you’re looking to try those legendary stone crab claws, opt for the dinner menu where The Taste of Joe’s Select entree includes Joe’s fried quarter chicken and three select stone crab claws.
Best for: family dinners, power lunching
Chef Michael Schwartz’s Design District staple - and Bib Gourmand winner - works for every occasion, be it dinner with the in-laws or a business meeting. Spice is offered for lunch and dinner and In keeping with the restaurant’s ethos of fresh, seasonal dishes the lineup includes French onion soup croquette, steamed mussels, pork Milanese, and grilled cobia for apps and mains. Desserts like banana upside down cake and espresso flan offer a sweet finish.
Best for: people-watching, casual catch-up sessions
Lido Restaurant
The swanky Lido Restaurant at the Four Seasons Surf Club is housed in the hotel’s fabled ballroom, once home to the 20th century’s most talked about parties and culinary affairs and now an arched mahogany dining room that gives way to the ocean views of the Lido Terrace. A pre-dinner cocktail at the hotel’s Champagne Bar is a must, before delving into the restaurant’s Spice menu which includes thinly sliced vitello tonnato and burrata as appetizers and branzino, suprema di pollo, and spinach and ricotta cappellacci as the mains.
Best for: Entertaining out-of-towners, quiet meals
This Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient has already been recognized for its exceptional value and the Spice menu offers even greater savings at the lively Wynwood Mediterranean outpost with its $35 lunch menu. Score favorites like muhammara (roasted red peppers, pomegranate, walnuts, garlic), haydari (garlic yoghurt, burnt butter, mint), kofte (grilled turkish meatballs), wood-fired chicken thigh and pide with truffle. For dessert, choose from the fig and walnuts or homemade pistachio baklava.
Best for: birthday lunches, families
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