Rich
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Ghee, in Dadeland. We really try to stay veggie. Planta Queen in Coconut Grove is really good.
Chapman Field, Ghee, Guitars over Guns, Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Planta
Christiana
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We go to Whisk quite a bit, and Joanna's market. And Cecile, the French bakery in South Miami.
Heidi
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
That's tricky. I have a lot of friends in the industry. I like going to dives as much as I do fine dining. Right around here, Keg South is pretty up there...it's between the wings and the burgers. I think their wings are fried and then tossed with their hot sauce and thrown on the grill. Sometimes - the dirtier the dive, the better the food. I recently found this place Lung Yai Thai tapas. It's on eighth street. When you sit down, you order and then you can't order anything else, they will not allow you. So, it's a conundrum to order too much or not order enough. It's one of my favorite places right now.
Dina
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Red Rooster in Overtown. The original is in Harlem, New York. That's where I used to live and would frequent Red Rooster all the time. I'm excited that they brought it back here to Miami, in the same community where my family's restaurant is. It's like your soul food, but with a French / New Orleans infusion. They have this amazing shrimp and grits, or an oxtail, which is to die for. They even have something for vegans, which is a plant based fried chicken appetizers which is amazing. I didn't think I'd like it, but I do. And they have a DJ and it feels like New York.
Diane
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Truthfully, we don't like going to restaurants. I like the farmer's market because I like supporting local farmers and buying fruits and vegetables to cook with during the week. We make a lot of vegetables, salads, and greens. My husband and Hannah are also bread bakers.
Sharon and Jeff
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Trattoria Luna (next to Roasters) is our family go to. They will literally make you anything - whether it’s on the menu or not. I usually get the tuna steak or tortellini. Also, we’re boaters - so we go often to Boaters Grill which is at the end of Key Biscayne – in a place called No Name Harbor. They have the most amazing fish and rice – with ceviche, tostones and frijoles – my kids eat ceviche because of that place.
Bekki
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We love Cafe Portofino. It's in the Marshals shopping center on 136th street. It's a nice Italian place and their food is always delicious and their service is great. I always get the Capellini Castegliano which is pasta with pink sauce and shrimp - and they know that. We also like to go to Sage by Chef's Kitchen, which is a great hole in the wall. The food is always delicious and Hector is great. Now, you can actually sit down and order. Maddie and I like to go there a lot. We also like A-Pizza Brooklyn. My son's favorite restaurant in the world is Five Guys, because he likes the burgers. We also like to stay home and cook. We like the new place, Fiola, in South Miami. It really pretty, quiet, and the food is really, really good. Their short rib ravioli is delicious.
Ben
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Every Sunday or Monday evening, like clockwork, I get take out from Tropical Chinese. Also, Madruga Bakery. My wife is French and her parents are French and make baguette requests when I go to see them in Clearwater, FL.
David
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
That list is supremely long. Do we go geographically...alphabetically? My buddy Niven, just opened up (Mamey) a new spot in Coral Gables. The food looks great, but I haven't been yet. The guys that Bar Lab cocktails opened up their natural wine popup on South beach, and it looks amazing. I still haven't gotten my hands on one of those pizzas that Brad and Old Greg's are doing in the Design District. I really miss the eating the ceviche at Itamae on an everyday basis. I still get my share of my EL Bagels - that's like my essential breakfast and brunch item. I still eat a ton of Stanzione's pizzas. I had an amazing lobster roll from Justin Flit and Mike Beltran at Nave. They're doing a New England style clam shack menu on the weekends. Aaron Brooks is doing a pop up at Stanzione 87. It's like a Turkish inspired pide and lahmacun. Aaron is supremely underrated. His food is incredible. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is all the creativity that's coming out of it. I've also had some random homemade things. There's a nice girl, that I met through the Miami food community, that's making homemade Armenian food every weekend. People are signing up and she's selling out every weekend. Her name is The Spicy Dolma. The guys from Kyu, Chef Raheem and his crew, are doing amazing barbecue right out of their front yard. It's impossible to list everyone. Jaguar Sun is doing amazing things right now in Little River. People are finding ways to survive. They're finding ways to thrive. They're finding ways to support their teams and to support their families. All of that is really amazing.
Pedro
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We travel up and down Krome Avenue a lot. So, we like to frequent the nurseries and the natural fruit stands around that area. I like the Last Carrot in Coconut Grove. I've been going there since I was a teenager. It's funny that question brought me to realize how long I've been here at home and not going anywhere.