The Best Restaurants For Outdoor Dining In Miami

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Bringing a winning formula from their exceptional lounges in Cannes, France, The Bâoli Group thrills South Beach daily with their new venue on Collins Avenue. Bâoli’s outdoor space offers sophistication and modern Mediterranean-Asian cuisine, with Chef Gustavo Vertone combining fresh, local ingredients with Omakase (chef’s choice) style dining.

Miami Beach is all about swimming pools, sunshine, and glitzy parties. Terrazza offers all this plus casual al fresco dining overlooking the Shore Club’s infinity edge pool. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the stunner is their Ladies Who Brunch event on Sundays from 11am-4pm. The brunch menu offers great flavours, from lemon ricotta pancakes and French toast to Tuscan beef stew and spaghetti bolognese. For $44 USD, ladies (and men for $20 extra) can indulge in brunch, including unlimited mimosas, bellinis and Bloody Marys.

Seasalt and Pepper is a new dining addition to Miami’s up-and-coming riverfront neighbourhood, offering creative and signature gastronomy classics with an emphasis on freshly sourced produce, flavor pairings and thoughtful presentation. The menu at Seasalt and Pepper features items from wood-burning ovens, which deliver roasted casseroles of seafood and vegetables along with grass-fed rib-eye. There is also a carefully-curated raw bar, plus a range of pastas and risottos. Art installations from local artist Carlos Betancourt fill the interior, while outdoor seating has a relaxing view of the Miami River.

LuLu is a dog-friendly, funky neighbourhood restaurant with a sophisticated yet personable vibe. Located on the corner of Coconut Grove’s Commodore Plaza, LuLu is a great place to sit back and people watch while enjoying the extensive menu options from tapas-style plates to classic American entrees. Local favorites include shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes and the green tomato BLT. The bacon-infused Bloody Mary and the house sangria are also popular go-to menu items.

Sunset Lounge at Mondrian South Beach is one piece of the giant, iconic puzzle put together by the magical mind of Marcel Wanders. The multi-space restaurant includes a lobby bar, lounge, and poolside area with private cabanas. The menu offers food that caters to every mood and palate, including but not limited to kale, brussels sprouts, salads, chipotle-lime chicken and carne asada skirt steak tacos. Sunset Lounge is open from 7-11pm every night and even later, on Thursdays and Saturdays. This space is poised for a romantic night or an evening with friends. Sunset Lounge offers an inspired and relaxing space to enjoy the setting sun Miami-style, starting with a happy hour cocktail and ending with a meal and music.

Located in the heart of downtown Miami, Soya e Pomodoro is an off-the-beaten-path bohemian spot that even Miami locals barely know. This Italian restaurant is owned-and-operated by a tightly knit group of Italians who close the restaurant every August to trek back to Italy. Offering classic Italian dishes and live music on Friday nights, Soya e Pomodoro offers an ambience like nothing else in Miami. With an eclectic array of paintings, plants, wrought iron, old furniture and bookshelves, Soya e Pomodoro feels more like a living room in Florence than an Italian restaurant in Miami. The eggplant parmesan reigns supreme here.

Juvia is located in the penthouse of the Herzog & de Mueron parking building on Lincoln Avenue, and accessible only by a private elevator. Guests get a 360-degree unobstructed view of the Atlantic ocean and South Beach’s famed Art Deco District from its patio, which also has a vertical garden designed by botanist, Patrick Blanc. Juvia’s menu offers Euro-Asian-Latin cuisine with an abundant selection of ceviches, tiraditos, fresh seafood and prime meats served both tapas-style and as main plates.

The brainchild of Chef Rainer Becker, ZUMA has a string of accolades, from Wine Spectator Awards to Open Table merits. Focused on authentic, nontraditional Japanese cuisine, ZUMA Miami opened its doors in 2010, emulating the success of its London restaurant. Tokyo-based Noriyoshi Muramatsu designed the restaurant’s granite-laid structure using neutral tones that accent Japanese rice paper panels extending from the ceiling. Set at the base of the Epic hotel on the Miami River, ZUMA’s environment resembles that of Izakaya style dining and is one of the only restaurants in Miami with boat accessibility and private marina dockage while dining. Signature dishes include spicy beef tenderloin, seabass sashimi, kurobutu pork belly skewers, black cod, king crab and the arjun negi toro roll.

Known for premium quality dry-aged meats, the elegant but unpretentious, Smith & Wollensky offers the best al fresco dining for a USDA Prime steak and glass of wine. Located at the southernmost point of South Beach where the cruise port and Miami skyline meet, guests of Smith & Wollensky can relax on a beautiful patio while savoring the restaurant’s lobster mango salad or rib eye carpaccio.

Located in the Delano, one of Miami’s chic Art Deco hotels, Bianca offers a classic and eclectic mix of dining options and atmosphere. Executive Chef Brian Massie showcases his culinary talent through dishes such as seared swordfish, handmade pomodoro, squid ink tagliolini and tuna pizza. The outdoor patio at Bianca is stylish and sophisticated. Tables overlook a grand courtyard centered around a large rectangular pool lined by white cabanas and trees decorated with glowing lanterns An over-sized chess board can also be seen adding to a slight Alice in Wonderland vibe.