Luis and Natalia
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
For Thai:Bangkok City – everything is good. Especially the fried rice and the peanut sauce. The peanut salad is incredible. Origins on the Key is also great. They have a bunch of different cuisines - Thai, Malaysian, Japanese – but it’s not fusion. They have different dishes from each style. The Malaysian roti is really good. For Tacos: El Toro Taco – we get everything, it’s all well made, and you can’t go wrong. Las Carnitas – the mole is real. You would never pull over and think to eat there. It is a little window with seating on 8th street. You need to be taken there.
Saul
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
My family, for years, has been going to LAN PAN Asian. It's solid, consistent, and great. Right now, my wife and I like The Salty Donut in South Miami for coffee and donuts. Their cold brew is fantastic. We like Tigertail and Mary, for something a little hip.
Don
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We just went to Peacock Garden in Coconut Grove. That was really good. Laura loved it. We went to Bakan in Wynwood, I enjoyed that. We always like Steve's Pizza. I'm kind of a pizza snob being from New York. That's the closest we've come to finding good New York pizza.
Ariel
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Alaines Osteria for Italian. There's 1111 Bistro in Palmetto Bay. We used to live in Brickell and we used to go to 1111 Brickell. We moved because of the pandemic and everything that was happening during that time and coincidentally so did 1111. We don't know if they followed us or if we followed them. It's very well run. It's Peruvian with an Asian twist. You get really good service and really good food. Also, Pig Floyd for BBQ.
Dan
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
My wife’s favorites are Zuma and Petite Mason. Also, we love Bazaar Seafood at the SLS. Sakura on Le June always has high quality sushi and the chef has been there for 35 years. For Valentines dinner, I blind folded my wife and drove her around the city and then came back home. As she opened her eyes, our boys were the host, waiter and cooks. They had the table set for two with a menu they prepared. She cried all night and said it was the best dinner ever.
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.
Prashant
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
We like places that have healthy options on the menu. We like Bolay, Grown, and Diced - they have several locations. Then, we like to go to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for vegan or vegetarian options that we can make at home.
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.
Kevens (round 2)
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
If you are in Fort Lauderdale, there is a place called Green Bar. They have great vegan food. I am vegan, but once a year I have poke in Hawaii. For a good bottle of wine, go to Happy Wine in Coconut Grove. You are surrounded by wine and can sit in the middle and order some food. If you eat seafood – they have a great grilled octopus.
Kate
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Right now, my favorite restaurant and the only restaurant we've been going to right now, is La Natural. They have a sourdough made with a really old starter and they make amazing pizza. When I first started going, they had this grilled pineapple, and it was so good. It was seasonal, but now they have these mushrooms with green sauce. My husband and I are both very particular about food and there's certain places where it might taste good, but you don't feel good afterwards, so you don't end up going back. But I feel great after I eat at La Natural. There's another little place that I really love that my husband has been going to since he was a teenager, called Tarragon Middle East Market. It's owned by two Lebanese brothers who are twins and they're just so kind and so nice. The dates they sell are like no other date I have ever tasted in my life. They just melt in your mouth. All their food is really good.