Why Miami Matters in Michelin’s World

Since Michelin began awarding Florida stars in 2022, Miami has emerged as the state’s undisputed culinary capital. The 2025 guide boasts one two-star temple and fourteen one-star gems, spanning French haute cuisine, Korean steakhouse theatrics, Nikkei counters, and sustainability-driven Mexican milpa cooking. With warm weather year-round, ocean views, and direct flights from every continent, Miami now rivals Las Vegas and New York for destination dining—and its restaurants book out just as fast.

Best Time to Book & Insider Tips

• January – March: Art-Basel echoes linger; coolest evenings, toughest tables (book 60–90 days ahead).
• April – June: Shoulder season brings chef collabs and easier primetime reservations.
• July – August: Miami Spice promos offer prix-fixe deals—but headline stars often opt out.
• September – October: Hurricane lull = lighter tourist traffic; perfect for last-minute foodie getaways.
• November – December: Peak event season (F1, Art Basel, Boat Show)—reserve as soon as ticket dates drop.

Quick Look: Miami’s Michelin Stars 2025

Pricing reflects 2025 tasting menus (excluding wine & service). Star data from the 2025 Michelin Guide Florida announcement.

In-Depth Michelin Restaurant Reviews

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (★★) | Design District

Florida’s only two-star venue channels Chef Joël Robuchon’s famous “workshop” DNA: a 34-seat crimson counter wrapped around an open kitchen where tweezers fly and beurre monté perfumes the air. Chef James Friedberg’s Saison Évolution menu (seven courses, $295) riffs on classics—think tuna “Niçoise” tartare crowned with Ossetra—and introduces Miami flair via spiny-lobster ravioli in a kaffir-lime nage. A shorter four-course tasting ($195) runs at Saturday lunch. Reserve counter seats for full theatre, or book the four-top alcove for privacy. Pro tip: pair the Robuchon-Blend Champagne with the signature foie-gras sliders. Dress code is smart-elegant—no shorts after 6 p.m.

Ariete (★) | Coconut Grove

Chef Michael Beltrán’s flagship marries Cuban soul, French technique, and Miami swagger inside a lantern-lit bungalow. Opt for the “Versos” tasting ($225) to watch lechón medianoche carved table-side, followed by foie-gras piña colada. Seasonal à la carte favourites include rabbit en croute and wood-grilled oysters in sour-orange butter. Beverage director Adrián Lopez’s cellar tilts Burgundy and small-parcel Spanish—splurge on a 2018 Comtes Lafon Meursault for seafood courses. Patio seats under banyan shade shine in winter; choose air-conditioned interiors come July humidity.

Boia De (★) | Little Haiti

A glowing pink exclamation-mark sign over a strip-mall door hides Miami’s quirkiest 30-seat star. Chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer send out Italian-ish hits: crispy polenta with marinated egg yolk, beef tartare on latke, and cult-favorite “Reubens in a bowl.” Menus change weekly; dishes seldom pass $30, making Boia De the city’s best star-value. Walk-ins can snag bar stools after 9 p.m., but prime-time Resy drops open at midnight 30 days out. Wine list skews funky—try Sicilian skin-contact grillo with lamb ribs fra diavola.

COTE Miami (★) | Design District

Steakhouse meets K-BBQ under violet neon and thumping ’80s synth. The signature Butcher’s Feast (four cuts, banchan, egg soufflé, two stews; $78) is a masterclass in USDA Prime dry-aging. True ballers opt for the Steak Omakase: ten courses of A5 Miyazaki, rib-eye cap, and caviar-topped tartare ($225). Grill masters swap cast-iron grates between cuts, searing each at 1,500 °F while sommeliers pour Krug from gold livery. End with soy-caramel soft-serve. Insider tip: ask for the hidden Millim Bar whisky list.

Elcielo Miami (★) | Downtown Riverfront

Chef Juan Manuel Barrera brings Bogotá’s theatrics to a breezy space along the Miami River. The 17-course “Experience” menu ($265) opens with The Chocotherapy—warm melted chocolate poured over your hands—before snow-like Amazonian clouds of dry-ice cinnamon fill the room. Later, Tree of Life bread arrives smoking inside a miniature forest. Colombian cacao, aji amarillo, and panela star throughout. Terrace tables offer yacht views; interior booths frame an open pastry lab. Arrive early for a guava pisco sour at the marble bar.

Hiden (★) | Wynwood

Ring a bell at a taquería back door, whisper a code, and you’re led to an eight-seat hinoki counter where Chef Tadashi Shiraishi serves a 15-course omakase ($325) in under two hours. Highlights: Hokkaido uni over toasted milk bread, hotate nigiri kissed with binchotan, and Miyazaki A5 wagyu on rice polished to order. Sake pairings lean junmai-daiginjo; a non-alc line-up features shiso-yuzu kombucha. Only 16 diners nightly—Tock releases seats at noon EST on the first of each month.

Le Jardinier (★) | Design District

The Bastion Collection’s veg-centric sibling to L’Atelier sports a Philippe Starck interior—sage banquettes, living-plant walls, sky-lights. Chef Alain Verzeroli’s six-course garden tasting ($195) layers chilled green-pea velouté with oscietra, slow-roasted sunchokes over celery-root purée, and Florida-strawberry vacherin. Carnivores fear not: a Wagyu strip-loin supplement beckons. Try lunch for a $65 prix fixe and people-watch fashion editors from Bal Harbour. Eighty percent of produce arrives from within 250 miles.

Los Félix (★ | Green Star) | Coconut Grove

Art-splashed walls, vinyl spinning cumbia, and the scent of nixtamal greet you at this milpa-to-mesa temple. Chefs Sébas La Rosa and Alejandro Kokenyesi grind Oaxacan heirloom corn daily, pressing tortillas for duck barbacoa tacos and tetela stuffed with huitlacoche. The tasting flight ($120) weaves through masa crisps and lionfish ceviche (an invasive species). Natural-wine list champions biodynamic Latin producers; ask for the carbonic malbec.

Itamae AO (★ NEW) | Midtown

The Chang family’s ten-seat Nikkei counter presents Peruvian-Japanese flavours: leche-de-tigre-marinated madai, king-crab causita, and wagyu quinotto finished with barrel-aged soy. The new digs tuck inside a mid-century building; hand-blown glass mimics ocean foam. Prix fixe $185, prepaid on Resy. Sake sommelier Michelle Alvarez pairs junmai with pisco-infused cocktails.

Stubborn Seed (★ | Green Star) | Miami Beach

Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford coats chicken-liver pâté in brûléed sugar, pipes caviar dip into waffle-cone tuile, and torches Wagyu over Florida oak at this 70-seat SoFi haunt. The $175 seasonal tasting hits ten courses; winter may bring celery-root cappuccino with truffle espuma, while summer leans tomato tartlet with banyuls gelée. Sustainability accolades stem from up-cycled oyster shells and citrus sourced from Ford’s Redland farm. Cocktails highlight a clarified piña colada garnished with dehydrated pineapple “snow.”

Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt (★) | Carillon Miami

Only 18 seats circle teal-velvet banquettes inside a 1950s jazz lounge reborn as a modern French showcase. Chef Tristan Brandt’s seven-course progression ($285) might feature ora-king salmon tartare under kaffir-lime snow and A5 wagyu glazed in miso-béarnaise. Every course lands on Limoges porcelain shaped like cymbals—a nod to the room’s musical past. Wine director Veronika Holman pours grower Champagne or a 2014 Keller Riesling GG. Bookings open 60 days out and sell in hours.

The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller (★) | Surfside

Inside the Art-Deco Four Seasons, white-jacketed servers wheel martini carts through a mint-green dining room overlooking the Atlantic. Chef Thomas Keller revives classic Continental fare: lobster thermidor, beef Wellington carved tableside, and coconut “bombe” flambé. The three-course prix fixe ($155) offers Dover sole Meunière filleted under silver cloches. Request the 9 p.m. seating to catch live jazz in the champagne bar afterwards. Dress code: jackets preferred, no beachwear.

Indicative Cost Breakdown (2025)

Reservation Hacks & Etiquette

• Drop Alerts: Boia De & Ariete release new tables at 12:00 a.m. exactly 30 days ahead.
• Pre-Pay Counters: Hiden & Itamae AO require full payment on booking (non-refundable).
• Dress Codes: L’Atelier & Surf Club enforce jackets; COTE and Stubborn Seed allow smart denim.
• Wine & Corkage: Miami stars average $55–$95 per bottle; Los Félix waives fee for natural Latin wines.
• Sustainability: Green-Star venues (Los Félix, Stubborn Seed) offer carbon-offset add-ons during checkout.

Final Thoughts

From a Paris-bred atelier to a secret eight-seat omakase, Miami’s Michelin map is as diverse as the city itself. Time reservations with art fairs or beach weekends, budget for splashy wine pairings, and use this guide to navigate a lineup that rivals any global food capital. Hungry for more luxe itineraries? Explore LuxuryVacations.net and start plotting your next star-studded feast.