Ogawa   |  7223 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33150

An intimate omakase counter hidden in Little River, and the closest Michelin-starred restaurant to The Vagabond.

Reservations can be tough to come by, and after one meal you'll understand why. Chef Masayuki Komatsu serves a Kappo-style omakase, preparing each course right in front of you using fish flown in from Tokyo's Toyosu Market and seasonal ingredients sourced from Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture. The menu changes nightly, but MICHELIN singles out the nigiri, Japanese-style herring roe, and squid topped with osetra caviar. With just a dozen seats, every dinner feels personal. Between the sake list, the rare Japanese whiskies, and the food itself, reservations don't stay available for long. $$$$$

Neighborhood |  Little River
Ogawamiami.com |  

Photo Credit  | Ogawa Little River

Boia De  |  5205 NE Second Ave.Miami, FL

Italian-American small plates with big flavor, tucked behind a npink eon exclamation point.

Locals have been trying to keep this place a secret for years. Hidden in a BBuena Vistastrip mall between a laundromat and a medical center, this tiny 27-seat restaurant serves some of the most memorable food in Miami. The room is lively, the staff are welcoming, and choosing what to order can be the hardest part of the evening.

Our advice? Start with the crispy potato skins topped with stracciatella, order the rabbit pappardelle, and save room for the crispy tiramisu. Trust us on that last one.

Neighborhood | Buena Vista
boiaderestaurant.com |  305 967-8866

Photo credit | Boia De

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon | 151 NE 41st St, Miami, FL 33137

The only two-star Michelin restaurant in Miami, just up the road in the Design District.

Named for the late Joël Robuchon, the chef who earned more stars than anyone else in history, L'Atelier has become one of Miami's toughest reservations. If you've never sat at the 34-seat counter, do it. Half the fun is watching the kitchen work. The chefs move with the precision of a Swiss watch while somehow making it all look effortless.

The tasting menu is the main event, but if you're ordering à la carte, don't miss the foie gras, scallops, halibut, or the famous Le Burger, a beef and foie gras burger that has developed a following of its own. Yes, ordering a burger in a two-star Michelin restaurant feels slightly ridiculous. Yes, you should do it anyway.

Neighborhood | Design District
latelier-miami.com |  305-402-9070

Photo Credit |  L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami 

Le Jardinier Miami    |   151 NE. 41st St., Miami, 33137

Contemporary French cooking with a serious appreciation for vegetables.

Its two-star neighbor upstairs, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, gets most of the attention, but Le Jardinier has quietly built a loyal following of its own. More relaxed than its famous sibling, it's the sort of place where a vegetable dish can become the highlight of the meal and lunch can stretch comfortably into the afternoon.

The menu changes throughout the year, the bread is baked in-house daily, and the kitchen comes from the same team behind L'Atelier. If you're looking for a Michelin-starred meal that feels a little less formal and a little more approachable, this is a very good place to start.

Neighborhood | Design District

Neighborhood  | Design District 
lejardinier-miami.com   |  305-402-9060

Photo Credit | Le Jardinier Miami

Cote Miami  | 3900 NE. 2nd Ave., Miami. 33137

Korean steakhouse theatrics meet Michelin-level refinement in the heart of Design District.

Part Korean barbecue, part classic American steakhouse, Cote is proof that Michelin-starred dining doesn't have to be quiet. The room buzzes from the moment you walk in, and every table gets its own smokeless grill, turning dinner into something far more interactive than the average tasting menu.

Most first-timers go for the Butcher's Feast, but if you're celebrating, the Steak Omakase is the move. Seven cuts, including American Black Angus, Japanese Wagyu, dry-aged ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, skirt steak, and marinated short rib, arrive throughout the meal. Come hungry. Seriously hungry.

Neighborhood | Design District
cotemiami.com    |  305 434-4668

Photo Credit | Cote Miami 

Hiden  |  313 NW. 25th St., Miami, 33127

A secret-code omakase hidden behind a Wynwood taco shop.

If a restaurant requires a secret code to get in, expectations are understandably high. Fortunately, Hiden delivers. Hidden behind an unmarked door at the back of a Wynwood taco shop, this eight-seat omakase counter is one of Miami's most exclusive dining experiences. A few hours before your reservation, you're sent a passcode. When you arrive, you punch it in and the door quietly slides open. All very cloak-and-Miami-dagger.

The menu runs around 16 to 18 courses, each prepared right in front of you using fish flown in from Japan. Reservations disappear quickly and this isn't an everyday dinner, but if you love sushi and the theater of a truly special meal, it's hard to think of a better splurge.

The door is the gimmick. The omakase is the reason people come back.

Neighborhood  | Wynwood
Hiddenmiami.com   |  619 288-2853

Photo Credit  |. Hidden

Mutra | 2188 NE 123rd St.North Miami,Fl 33181

The first kosher restaurant to earn a Michelin star, and one of Miami's most interesting new reservations.

Chef Raz Shabtai draws on Jerusalem, North Africa, and the wider Middle East, turning out dishes that feel both familiar and completely unexpected. The menu rotates every few months, but look for the playful dishes the kitchen has become known for, including the One Perfect Falafel and the chicken liver pâté that, in Shabtai's words, dreams of being foie gras. It's all served at an intimate chef's counter, which makes the drive north worth it.

Unlike some of Miami's tougher reservations, Mutra still feels like a neighborhood discovery. The sort of place people tell their friends about quietly. We'd enjoy that while it lasts.

Unlike some of Miami's harder-to-crack dining rooms, Mutra still feels like a neighborhood discovery. We'd enjoy that while it lasts.

Neighborhood | North Miami
mutramiami.com | 786-860-1213

Elcielo |  31 SE. 5th St., Miami

One of Miami's most theatrical dining experiences, where dinner often feels part meal, part performance.

Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos' 18-course Experience menu is full of surprises, but most guests leave talking about Chocotherapy, a signature ritual that's become one of the restaurant's defining moments. It's also the only Colombian restaurant in Florida with a Michelin star.

Trying to explain Elcielo is a little like trying to explain a magic trick. It's better experienced than described. If you're celebrating something special or simply want a dinner you'll still be talking about the next day, this is a very good place to start. Half the fun is never quite knowing what's coming next.

Neighborhood | Brickell
elcielorestaurant.com | 305-874-7867

Photo Credit  | Elcielo

The Tambourine Room   |  6801 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141 

A Michelin-starred tasting menu hidden inside a wellness resort. Because this is Miami.

You wouldn't expect one of Miami's most sought-after reservations to be tucked inside a hotel lobby on Collins, but here we are. The evening starts with drinks in a lounge before moving into a twelve-seat dining room, where each course arrives with the chef explaining the idea behind it. If the porcelet with caviar is on the menu, order it.

Behind it is Tristan Brandt, the youngest chef ever to earn two Michelin stars in Germany, now cooking for just twelve guests at a time in a room that began life as a jazz lounge back in 1958. Reservations disappear quickly, and somehow the whole thing works far better than it has any right to.

On paper, it shouldn't work. In practice, it really does.

Neighborhood | Miami Beach
Thetambourineroom.com |   305-867-6555

Photo Credit  | The Tambourine Room 

The Surf Club Restaurant   |  9011 Collins Ave, Surfside, FL 33154 

Classic continental cooking with just enough old-school glamour to remind you you're in the former Surf Club.

Chef Thomas Keller's Michelin-starred restaurant feels like a throwback to a different era of dining, in the best possible way. Tucked inside the Four Seasons at The Surf Club, it's the kind of place where martinis arrive ice cold, jackets don't feel out of place, and Beef Wellington still earns a place on the menu. If you're celebrating something, this is the reservation to make.

The grilled Elysian Fields lamb chops, deviled eggs, and Beef Wellington are all worth considering, but don't skip the cocktail bar. And whatever you do, ask them to show you the butter plate. Watching five perfect curls of butter appear from what looks like an empty metal stand is one of those small moments you'll end up talking about long after dinner is over.

Neighborhood | Surfside/Bal Harbor/Bay Harbor Islands
surfclubrestaurant.com   |   305-768-9440,

Photo Credit  | The Surf Club Restaurant 

Stubborn Seed  |  101 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 33139,

With an ever-evolving menu, Stubborn Seed is one of those places you can go back to again and again and never get bored. With only a dozen dishes available at any given time, the food is as much an art form as a  culinary masterpiece.  As proof, we offer you the Yellowfin Crudo sided with tangy Asian pear slices topped off by a creamy buttermilk sauce! Other highlights include (If you can get them) the delicious Kusshi oysters and Gooey Jalapeño Fritters. Quick tip - make sure to be the first one to the fritters with the shaved wagyu and single truffle shaving - it takes this dish to a whole other level.

Neighborhood | Miami Beach 
stubbornseed.com |   786- 322-5211

Photo Credit | Stubborn Seed 

Shingo   |  La Palma Building, 112 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, FL 33134

Meet Sushi Chef Shingo Akikuni, a pro when it comes to MICHELIN-starred cuisine. He's now working his magic at the historic La Palma Building in Coral Gables. At Shingo, you'll find an intimate 14-seat counter and an 18-course menu that showcases the best seasonal ingredients from Florida and Japan.

MICHELIN raves about the restaurant's fish, mostly sourced directly from Japan and served with a touch of nikiri. A recent standout special included top-quality tuna from Aomori, Japan, and luxurious chawanmushi with matsutake mushrooms. $$$$

Neighborhood |  Coral Gables
shingomiami.com  

Photo Credit  | Shingo 

Los Felix |  3413 Main Hwy., Miami, 33133,

A Michelin-starred restaurant where corn gets treated with the kind of respect most places reserve for caviar.

Everything starts with heirloom corn, milled in-house daily and transformed into tortillas that have developed something of a cult following in their own right. It sounds unlikely, but somewhere between the first bite and the last course you'll understand why.

The room is lively, the cooking is rooted in Mexico and the Americas, and the menu changes with the seasons. Just don't be surprised if the tortilla ends up being the thing you remember most.

Neighborhood | Cocnut Grove
losfelixmiami.com   |  305-640-5013

Photo Credit |  Los Felix

Ariete  |  3540 Main Hwy., Miami, 33133

Elevated New American cuisine that blurs the line between fine dining and nostalgia.

As full of energy as it is sophistication, Ariete in Coconut Grove will take you on a trip around the globe with its diverse menu. Focused on local and seasonal ingredients, if you have the ceviche (which we recommend you do!), it will have come fresh from the ocean just a few blocks away. The caviar with citrus churros and grilled oysters doused in sea urchin buttons are a luxurious delight, but if you want something inspiring - we suggest going for the monkfish wellington or the canard a la pressed. ($120 - $150) 

Neighborhood | Coconut Grove
arietecoconutgrove.com  |  786- 615-3747

Photo Credit | Ariete