Matthew
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
I'm more of a classic guy. I like the mainstay type restaurants, like Caffe Abbracci or Christys , or even Garcia's Seafood Market, or Captain's Tavern. These local gems have really good food and they're not touristy.
Kim
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We love, Ghee. But, our go to is LAN. They are under Target near Dadeland. It's quick, with easy parking and my girls are vegetarians and it's easy for them to find food they love. It's easy for the rest of us too, who are not vegetarians. Ghee is good for a special occasion. I also like Seasons 52. I know it's a big chain, but it has a nice feeling. There's a middle eastern place in the Royal Palm Hotel, at the end of Lincoln road, called Byblos that transported me. We went for Miami Spice.
Samuel And Kristina
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Mandolin. The Mediterranean food is fresh and we love the vibe especially the outdoor ambiance. Bombay Darbar in Coconut Grove deserves a shout out too. Owner Danny worked on a cruise ship before he seamlessly turned his hole in the wall off Grand Street into one of Miami's top Indian restaurants.
Robbie
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
People always ask us and it's a tough one. Boia De for sure. It's such a memorable experience because they actually care. The servers take time to know you and they're not trying to just pump you through. That was the last restaurant we ate at. We like getting takeout from Lobster Shack, south of fifth. One of our perfect afternoons is getting lobster roll takeouts, bringing a bottle of wine, and going to sit in the park with the kids. And, Michael's Genuine is always a crowd pleaser for us.
Karina
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
It's one of our favorite questions, and one of the reasons why I read your newsletters. Although we haven't been to restaurants forever, my oldest really likes Los Ranchos at the Falls. Also Sapore Di Mare in the Grove. It's a tiny restaurant, and sometime we'll pick it up and bring it home. We've been very cautious and avoiding crowds. So, we go a lot to outside places. We go to Matheson Hammock and Fairchild, and Coral Reef Park a lot.
Joe
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
I'm not a big restaurant kind of guy. I always recommend Flanigan's to everybody. Up north there's a place called Izziban that's good for Korean barbecue.
Chris
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Hate Mondays. I just ask Carl every time I go there, ‘what do you think I should get today?’ He gives me a recommendation, and if it doesn't sound appealing to me, he says how he can switch it up with this or that. He really goes the extra mile to make sure you're eating what you like. I like Kampai on Sunset and 87th avenue. Even their Thai food is amazing. But, The Biltmore brunch is hands down my number one recommendation. It's not your regular buffet.
Andrew And Ellie
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Recently, we went to Golden Rule with some friends. They have a new outdoor dining area. The blackened fish tacos were great. Sushi Rock in Suniland is also a regular. We order in a lot too. Big Tomato is good. You can get a whole wheat crust and the salads are good.
Fernando
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Dragonfly is one of our favorites. They started in Gainesville, and then they got so big that they moved to Orlando and then finally moved to Miami. Also, Houston's and Capital Grille are just classic good staple restaurants.
Sandy
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Seasons 52. They always have stuff I can eat there. And Matsuri for Japanese - I avoid the rice and get sashimi and vegetable soup. They have a great conch that's sautéed with what seems to be green beans or maybe it's cactus.