American restaurants in Florida
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A
Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theater
Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theater has three theaters, a full-service bar and spacious outdoor patio. Dinner party guests suss each other out at the table before finishing off the meal (and a guest), then put their best 'clue' efforts to work. There are 12 different shows, each about 2½ hours long.
reviewed
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B
Blue Heaven
Proof that location is nearly everything, this is one of the quirkiest venues on an island of oddities. Customers and a local chicken flock dine in the spacious courtyard where Hemingway once officiated boxing matches; restrooms are in the adjacent former brothel. This place gets packed with customers who wolf down Southern-fried takes on Keys cuisine – the barbecued shrimp, drunk in a spicy sauce, are gorgeous.
reviewed
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C
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
A 'drive-in' where you eat in abbreviated Cadillacs and watch classic sci-fi flicks. It's dark in here, and the sky twinkles with stars.
reviewed
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D
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink
The 'genuine' in Michael Schwartz' restaurant name refers to its use of locally sourced ingredients and healthy dose of innovation, moderated by its respect for the classics. Hence, the pork shoulder in parsley sauce and cheese grits that taste as though your grandma has just became a cordon-bleu chef. The chocolate-and-red interior feels cheerful and welcoming rather than snobbish and intimidating, and that goes for the attentive waitstaff as well.
reviewed
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E
State Farmers' Market
On Thursdays from 07:00 to 15:00, visit the colorful farmers' market underneath the entrance to the Caloosahatchee River Bridge in Centennial Park. This is not to be confused with the State Farmers' Market, which is a restaurant buyers' hangout with two retail produce stands and a simple restaurant specializing in Southern dishes like grits, fried chicken and barbecue.
reviewed
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Hemingway's
In addition to a couple of tiny balcony tables overlooking the action on St Armand's Key, Hemingway's also has lots of indoor seating. Good for families as well as couples, these well-served and well-prepared dishes range from salads and grilled chicken sandwiches to surf-and-turf specials. Nothing's going to knock your sandals off, but it's a pretty good place.
reviewed
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F
Wish
Lots of words like ‘aioli’ and ‘foam’ get thrown around at Wish, which likes to take run-of-the-mill classics and evolve them beyond all expectations. Aged-cheddar spaetzle mac ’n’ cheese and a ‘PB Jay’ of dark chocolate, raspberry jam and peanut-butter gelato make this a great place for the unadventurous to try some innovative (and delicious) haute cuisine.
reviewed
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Patrick's
Martinis and fat, juicy burgers are Patrick's stock in trade. A sports bar for the business set, this is a low-key place for a reliable, easy meal downtown.
reviewed
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G
News Cafe
News Cafe is an Ocean Dr landmark that attracts thousands of travelers. We find the food to be pretty uninspiring, but the people-watching is good, so take a perch, eat some over-the-average but not-too-special food and enjoy the anthropological study that is South Beach as she Rollerblades, salsas and otherwise shambles by.
reviewed
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H
Pirate's Dinner Adventure
Combine dinner with a show and you usually end up with some lesser version of both; however, a lot of people find the combination fun enough that they don't mind. (Hint: you probably already have a pretty good idea if you're a dinner show type of person or not.) Good choices include the rollicking Pirate's Dinner Adventure.
reviewed
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Michael’s on East
Within the Midtown Plaza, Michael’s serves exceptionally creative cuisine in elegant digs. The menu changes seasonally but patrons are loyal to Michael’s throughout the year. To experience Michael’s deservedly award-winning cuisine while still hanging on to your wallet, come for a fancy lunchtime sandwich or partake of the lighter bar menu.
reviewed
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I
Allen’s Drug Store
Don’t worry: they do diner in the Gables. In Allen’s case, they’ve just plopped one into a pharmacy. Don’t let the proximity of Pepto Bismo and retirees put you off the meatloaf, vinyl booths or the little jukeboxes, because this is Florida. You should be eating among a bunch of seniors with walkers. It’s called ‘cultural immersion.’
reviewed
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J
Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House
Wolfie’s is more than a deli: it’s also an icon. A serious battering from Hurricane Wilma in 2005 tore away one of the best roadside marquees in the USA, but the ’50s-era red-vinyl booths, warm and sassy service, and ginormous deli menu remain, encapsulating a bygone era of US highway culture. And the corned beef on rye is da bomb.
reviewed
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K
Green Street Cafe
Sidewalk spots don't get more popular (and many say more delicious) than Green Street, where the Grove's young and gorgeous congregate at sunset. There's an excellent mix of lamburgers with goat cheese, salmon salads, occasional art shows and general indie defiance of Grove gentrification, which makes for an idiosyncratic dining experience.
reviewed
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L
Himmarshee Bar & Grille
The Himmarshee modestly claims to be ‘the most dynamic restaurant in the city.’ We’ll leave the verdict on that claim to your judgment, but this joint does make a strong bid, with excellent creative American cuisine including monkfish in a beet ginger emulsion and chestnut honey-glazed duckling.
reviewed
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M
Flanigan’s
Flanigan’s claims to have the best ribs in Miami, and they are good, but we’re not giving more credit than that. Still, this is a pleasantly rowdy, all-American kind of joint tucked into a liquor store (bonus), and a great spot to drink beer, eat decent grub and yell at TV sports.
reviewed
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Fred’s
A neighborhood bistro (in Southside Village) with swanky outdoor seating, Fred’s draws an upscale young crowd to its happening setting. The Continental cuisine doesn’t win any awards but it will satisfy your appetite. Friday nights are particularly fun here.
reviewed
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N
Timo’s
When chef Tim Andriola left Mark’s South Beach in 2003, he opened this classy bistro and brought Sobe style into a Nobe (North Beach) setting. His legend grows through dishes such as porcini-dusted veal and cheese platters topped with shaved black truffles.
reviewed
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O
Mark’s Las Olas
The excellent menu here takes on a state-by-state theme, sampling high-end regional specialties from around the country: Minnesota elk, Florida pompano, that sort of thing, served in a surprisingly unstuffy, pumpkin-and-chocolate interior.
reviewed
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Banyan Bar & Grille
This historic house lavishes diners with a fancy, US bistro–style resplendency. Select from traditional fare with modern twists, such as blackened mahimahi with fruit salsa and lobster shepherd’s pie.
reviewed
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Farmers Market Restaurant
This restaurant's as fresh and hardy as the produce in the next-door farmers' market and its rural-worker clientele. It's a bit barebones on the inside, but the food will fill you up, and nicely too.
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Q
Hue
Another favorite with the 20-somethings of Thornton Park, with sidewalk seating and bustling weekend brunch. The name refers to hue of color, not the city in Vietnam.
reviewed
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Havana’s Café
One of the three mom-and-pop restaurants in the Vista Center strip mall which offers decent food and make a good choice for folks looking for a quiet meal without any fanfare.
reviewed
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R
Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant
The wait is long, the prices high. But if those aren't deal-breakers, queue up to don a bib in Miami's most famous restaurant and enjoy deliciously fresh stone crab claws.
reviewed
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Pit BBQ
The barbecue is decent and served on picnic tables with a side of country music and Confederate- flag accoutrement. It is as cheesy as a dairy, so if you can't arm yourself with irony, drive on.
reviewed