T+L’s Definitive Guide to Miami

Eat

The hottest tables in town for foodies (or the see-and-be seen set).

Cypress Room: Michael Schwartz, whose Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink has anchored the Design District since 2007, opened this small, formal dining room nearby as a showcase for more-ambitious dishes: lamb tartare with quail egg; seared snapper with a sea urchin rouille. Mismatched china, wall-mounted deer heads, and a menu of barrel-aged cocktails keep the atmosphere light. $$$

Eating House: An unassuming space in Coral Gables—10 minutes from the airport—is the setting for exciting cooking by young chef Giorgio Rapicavoli. Dinner is a mash-up of Italian, Asian, and Southern traditions, using modern techniques (pork belly glazed in dashi caramel; tomato salad with frozen coconut milk). The brunch menu’s stoner-joke dishes (Cap’n Crunch pancakes; Tang mimosas) actually work. $$

Khong River House: Lincoln Road is the last place you’d expect to find authentic northern Thai cuisine, but those are real Chiang Mai–style khao soi noodles in coconut-milk broth on the menu. A sister restaurant to the bourbon-and-bacon hit Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Khong River is done up like a Southeast Asian farmhouse, with tin ceilings, wicker birdcages, and a bar stacked with liquor bottles. It’s still South Beach, after all. $$$

PB Steak: A Fran Lebowitz quote printed on an exposed rafter here—“My favorite animal is steak”—sets the tone at the latest addition to the Pubbelly Group’s mini-empire in South Beach’s Purdy area. Under Edison bulbs and a huge chalkboard menu, locals dig in to tartare sliders, yellowtail-ceviche tacos, and butcher cuts of aged Black Angus. $$$

Restaurant Pricing Key
$ Less than $25
$$ $25 to $75
$$$ $75 to $150
$$$$ More than $150

Stay

Miami Beach is booming again. Here, the most noteworthy arrivals—and a few long-standing favorites.

The Newcomers

Gale South Beach & Regent Hotel: If you’re young and beautiful and looking for value, you’re staying at the Gale, a redo of a 1941 L. Murray Dixon hotel just a block from the ocean on Collins Avenue. Nightlife is a priority here—Amy Sacco’s Rec Room club thumps in the basement. Handsome rooms are white with navy blue accents; some have balconies with Persian lime trees. $

James Royal Palm: A retro vibe permeates the 393-room Deco high-rise on South Beach—terrazzo floors; mod furniture; a sky-blue and sea-green palette. Thoughtful extras include free Wi-Fi and triple-distilled water, solar-powered beach huts, and an outdoor spa area with salt-scrub stations. $$$

SLS Hotel South Beach: High celebrity wattage (eye-popping designs by Lenny Kravitz and Philippe Starck; tapas by José Andrés; LeBron James sightings) makes this 140-room hotel the center of the South Beach social scene. The sexy poolside Hyde Beach lounge helps, too. Spring for a suite; standard rooms are teensy. $$

The Classics

The Raleigh: Miami is holding its collective breath to see what new owners (the SLS folks and partners) will do with the beloved Deco dowager and its glorious, scallop-edged pool. The changes so far—refreshed lobby furniture and a restaurant from Michael Schwartz—are positive. Our hope: dreary hallways and scuffed furniture will go, bohemian charm will remain. $$

The Setai: Miami Beach’s most grown-up hotel has a serene atmosphere, deferential service, and graceful Asian design. The new Setai Grill is a steak house with extravagant French touches: côte du boeuf with Roquefort sauce; a caviar tin filled with layers of osetra, crème fraîche, and Florida stone crab. $$$

St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort: Across the street from the vaunted retail mecca, this opulent resort draws a well-manicured crowd who are in town to shop, spa, and relax. Beachfront yoga and fitness classes from cult trainers Tracie Wright Vlaun and Christopher Vlaun help offset all the indulgence. $$$$

W South Beach Hotel & Residences: We like the large-for-South Beach studios at this condo-hotel: 500 square feet and up, all with balconies and kitchen facilities. We love the art—co-owner Aby Rosen rotates contemporary works from his collection. On view now: Damien Hirst, Rob Pruitt, Jonathan Horowitz, and others. $$$

On the Horizon

Big international brands continue to put down roots here. Look for Como Hotels & Resorts, Edition, and Faena as well as an outpost of L.A.’s Redbury Hotel.

Hotel Pricing Key
$ Less than $200
$$ $200 to $350
$$$ $350 to $500
$$$$ $500 to $1,000
$$$$$ More than $1,000