Of course there’s a lot more to south Florida than spring break and stag parties. The long beaches, warm winters, multicultural vibe and glorious Art Deco architecture of Miami Beach have an appeal that needs no justification. But still, a lot of us think of it as a party town.
That’s selling the place short. A sophisticated side to the Magic City is sprouting. While it’s still possible (and often fun) to spend days on the beach and nights at throbbing clubs, new establishments—many of them imported from cities more known for their cosmopolitanism—and some older ones are catering to people who want to enjoy themselves but not mindlessly party. (Disclosure: I did so on a trip supported by the city.) The Bass Museum of Art—a big dose of culture since the 1960s—is about to emerge from a transformation by noted architects to Arata Isozaki and David Gault. In the meantime, here are ten more reasons to give the city a second look.
This nature-forward hotel has been promoting wellness since it opened a couple years ago. It’s grown into a full-on wellness hub, with a SoulCycle and huge Spartan gym and now a vegan restaurant, PLNTHOUSE, by star chef Matthew Kenney and a beautiful spa from the cult-favorite natural brand Bamford.
Argentine impresario Alan Faena upped the city's artistic ante when he created a district that includes not just a luxury hotel (with outstanding restaurants by Argentine chef Francis Mallmann and Austin’s Paul Qui) but also a second inn, a cabaret, a Rem Koolhaas–designed forum for large performance art gatherings and a bazaar to house pop-up shops from carefully curated fashion brands.
Embracing the local, seasonal thing since before it became de rigueur, this restaurant runs the gamut from the virtuous (avocado and seed salad, cauliflower rice) to the decadent (pork belly sliders, bacon cheddar biscuits). It’s also one of few places you can get a great brunch at an a.m. hour.
Miami Beach’s craft cocktail scene is blossoming. The beloved Broken Shaker was joined in 2015 by Sweet Liberty, which has the nifty element of a table behind the bar (somewhat like a chef’s table in a restaurant), cheeky drink names like Basic Bitch and She Said Yes, and outstanding cocktails.
Miami isn’t particularly known as a scuba diving destination. But this family-run dive shop (my dive leader was the founder’s grandson) changed my mind when it took me to the wonderfully weird Neptune Memorial Reef, built as an artistic interpretation of the lost city of Atlantis and now a burial ground for cremated remains, with memorial markers among the corals.
It’s uncanny how much the interior of this craft cocktail bar at the Washington Park Hotel (an example of Deco so gorgeous that it’s a major stop on tours led by the Miami Design Preservation League) resembles the New York original. What’s different: a greater emphasis on food as well as drink.
Jaya at the Setai
When it debuted in 2015, this pan-Asian restaurant was named to honor the outstanding hotel’s first ten years of Asian-style hospitality. Chopped champion chef Mathias Gervais shows an equally good hand with Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisine. And the outdoor dining area is in the hotel’s courtyard, one of the most tranquil oases in the city.
Another faithful re-creation of a New York darling (whose chef, Justin Simile, was called a “pasta savant” and “vegetable sage” in a New York Times review), this restaurant opened last year in a bistro-style setting with a menu of California-inspired dishes like pappardelle ragú with kale.
The Doheny Room at the Delano
The “anti-club” (and pro-nostalgic) playlist at this discreet new hotel bar—a spinoff of the Los Angeles classic—says a lot about the way it’s designed to cater to “those looking for an experience that’s a bit more cultured” and the usual thumpa-thumpa nightclub. The room is intimate and low-key.
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Even Ocean Drive is growing up
The most “South Beach” part of South Beach, Ocean Drive will probably always have plenty of places to consume neon-colored cocktails from glasses as big as your head. But an ambitious ten-point plan is under way to make the strip more dignified and appealing to locals (for instance, establishing wide pedestrian pathways and prohibiting hawking by employees trying to get you to eat at their restaurant). It’s getting a new full-on luxury hotel when the Celino opens (in the former Park Central Hotel) this winter, and it already has a destination restaurant in Lolo’s Surf Cantina, named for the grandmother of the Mexico City-born chef, Richard Ampudia, who put Mexican street food on the New York map with Cafe Habana and La Esquina.
