If seafood is what your tastebuds are longing for, Miami has just the place. Try one of our favorite Miami seafood spots—five of them are below!
LT Steak & Seafood
Sitting right on Ocean Drive, LT Steak & Seafood {1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; 305.673.0044} is the brainchild of famed Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel. Sitting in the historic The Betsy-South Beach, this restaurant serves a seasonally-inspired American menu with an emphasis on what’s fresh and local. In addition to a curated wine program, guests can expect a mix of light and hearty dishes, like Lemon Poached Lobster Salad with grapefruit oil, Grilled Red Snapper with smashed fresh peas and lime-shiitake ginger vinaigrette, a 36-ounce U.S.D.A prime Porterhouse with a jalapeño chimichurri, and even impressive sushi dishes like Crunchy Curried Peekytoe Crab.
Lobster Bar Sea Grille
Dazzling South of Fifth diners, Lobster Bar Sea Grille {404 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.377.2675} is the award-winning Buckhead Life Restaurant Group’s haute new addition to Miami Beach’s seafood scene. In a setting that includes an ice display made of white Thassos marble imported from Greece, this restaurant sources its seafood from all over the world: namely Europe (especially Greece and Spain!), New Zealand, Japan, and other parts of the United States. The menu is broken down into four parts, from a “Live Lobster Experience” with Canadian hard shell lobsters from Nova Scotia and a “Whole Fish Experience” with whole European and local fish prepared in the Mediterranean style, to “USDA Prime Signature Steaks” and “Unique Seafood Specialties & Appetizers,” the latter of which has a menu of shareable appetizers like crudo of pristine fish, sashimi, ceviche, tartares, buttery French tartes with house-cured salmon, and more.
A Fish Called Avalon
Perched on the corner of Ocean Drive and 7th for almost 30 years, A Fish Called Avalon {700 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; 305.532.1727} is a South Beach staple. Hidden in the Avalon Hotel, this indoor-outdoor spot uniquely sits right in the heart of Ocean Drive’s action, without making you feel like you’re on Ocean Drive at all. Grab a seat inside, and feast on Spanish Octopus, Seared Diver Scallops with an artichoke potato mash, Wild Salmon Tartufata Crusted with Panko and horseradish, and more in an intimate, demure setting. Get a table outside on the open-air terrace, which has direct views of the Atlantic coast, and you can get some people-watching while you eat, too. Pro tip: Wherever you sit, order a mojito. They’re legendary here.
The River Seafood & Oyster Bar
This Brickell dining destination is not to be missed. Known for its popular happy hour and top-notch seafood, The River Seafood & Oyster Bar {650 South Miami Avenue, Brickell; 305.530.1915} serves up a modern twist on classic seafood. The setting is comfortable—you feel like you’re eating in your friend’s living room—but the menu makes you feel like you’re traveling the world. When you go here, expect ice-packed, hand-shucked cold water oysters (with daily deals!), fresh cold-water fish brought in from Alaska, organic salmon and bronzini from Ireland, sardines from Spain, and much more.
Seaspice
When it comes to good seafood in Miami, it’s hard to ignore Seaspice {422 NW North River Drive, Miami; 305.440.4200}, which combines good seafood and a beautiful setting. Sitting right on the Miami River, this sexy restaurant and lounge serves a high-end, globally inspired seafood menu that has everything from a haute raw bar to Seaspice Scampi with Wild Nigerian jumbo prawns and a tomato confit, Chilean Sea Bass with a truffle porchi crust and Yukon gold potatoes, and a Maine lobster Risotto. While there, try Modern Garden, a lounge within the Seaspice restaurant, and you can get raw fish crudo paired with upmarket meats cooked on 850-degree volcanic stone slabs. Show up by car or yacht (both are welcome!), order a Blossom Martini with Ketel One, St. Germain and a fresh Orchid from Seaspice’s bespoke cocktail menu, and take it all in: here, you’re guaranteed delicious food… and a good time.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor