Miami

City Guide

An opinionated short list of what to eat, where to drink, what to see, and what to actually do with a free afternoon between plane and party.

Eat

Mandolin Aegean Bistro's blue-doored white facade

Mandolin Aegean Bistro

Greek & Turkish · Design District

A blue-and-white garden courtyard that feels lifted from a Greek island. Mezze, grilled fish, and a long lunch under the trees. The prettiest table in the neighborhood.

Price$$$
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El Bagel storefront at dusk

El Bagel

Breakfast · MiMo / Upper Eastside

What started as a parking-lot pop-up is now Miami’s cult bagel shop. Get there early for a wood-fired bagel sandwich and a proper coffee.

Price$$
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Contessa's green-awning facade at dusk

Contessa

Italian · Design District

A grand, theatrical northern-Italian room in the Design District, soaring and very Miami.

Price$$$$
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The River Oyster Bar interior with bar seating

The River Oyster Bar

Seafood · Brickell / Miami River

A snug, long-running seafood spot for a dozen on the half shell and a cold glass of something white. Unfussy and expertly done.

Price$$$
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Amara at Paraiso's waterfront dining room

Amara at Paraiso

Latin American · Edgewater

A bayfront room with open-air tables right on Biscayne Bay serving wood-grilled Latin American plates.

Price$$$
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Drink

Lagniappe's candlelit backyard with string lights

Lagniappe

Wine & jazz garden · Midtown

Bring a group of friends, pick a bottle of wine, and find a seat in the candlelit backyard. There’s live music most nights.

Price$$–$$$
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Dante's HiFi vinyl listening bar, record-lined walls

Dante’s HiFi

Vinyl listening bar · Wynwood

Miami’s first proper hi-fi listening bar, with a vintage sound system, a resident selector spinning records, and cocktails made with real care.

Price$$$
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Visit

The Standard Spa's curved marble hammam

The Standard Hotel

Spa & Hammam · Miami Beach

A hammam, a cold plunge, and a bayside hot tub on Belle Isle at one of Miami’s best hotels.

Cost$$$$
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The Fly's Eye Dome sculpture in the Miami Design District

Miami Design District

Shops & galleries · Design District

Flagship boutiques, public art, and architecture make the visit alone worth it.

CostFree
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Pérez Art Museum Miami

Pérez Art Museum Miami

Museum · Downtown / Biscayne Bay

A stunning Herzog & de Meuron building on the bay, hanging gardens and all. Strong contemporary collection and a terrace café with one of the best views in the city.

Cost$16
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South Beach, Ocean Drive at sunset

South Beach

Walking & Swimming · Miami Beach

The classic. Wide sand, warm water, and the pastel Art Deco strip along Ocean Drive just behind it. Go in the morning for an empty beach, or wander Lincoln Road in the afternoon.

CostFree
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Vizcaya Museum & Gardens villa and formal gardens

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

Historic estate · Coconut Grove

A 1916 Italianate villa on the bay, with formal gardens that run down to the water. One of the most picturesque locations in Miami.

Cost$25
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