Updated: Oct. 22, 2020
Miami is a destination getaway all year round. But it’s even more appealing in the cooler months, as the summer’s notoriously stifling heat retreats to comfortably warm and welcoming weather. For the visiting food and wine lover, the restaurants below offer a mix of indoor and outdoor dining options and a range of dining experiences in both cuisine and atmosphere. From fine-dining fusion to pizzas and pastas, these Restaurant Award–winning eateries showcase stellar wine lists in sunny settings.
For more Miami wine destinations, browse all of the city’s Restaurant Award winners. To check out more wine-and-food destinations around the world, see Wine Spectator’s nearly 3,800 Restaurant Award–winning picks, including the 100 Grand Award recipients worldwide that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Note: Opening hours and menus are subject to change as the industry continues to adjust to evolving regulations.
Le Jardinier
151 N.E. 41st St., Miami, Fla.
Telephone (305) 402-9060
Website www.lejardinier-miami.com
Best of Award of Excellence
The death of legendary chef Joël Robuchon was a giant loss for the culinary world, but the icon of modern French cuisine is survived by a prolific restaurant group with locations around the world. Sharing the space with an outpost of his renowned L’Atelier chain, Le Jardinier showcases Robuchon’s perspective on French cuisine, but through a vegetable-focused menu. Expect innovative, plant-based options like avocado fondant with eggplant, grilled kampachi and chile oil, and farro risotto with parsnip and mushroom ragout. Like many of the chef’s restaurants, there’s a superior wine focus. The Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine program is managed by wine director Juan Carlos Santana and features more than 500 picks emphasizing France and California. The restaurant is located in the heart of Miami’s Design District, with a spacious patio for outdoor dining.
Stripsteak
Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, Fla.
Telephone (305) 674-4780
Website www.stripsteakmb.com/
Best of Award of Excellence
Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau hotel is home to three Best of Award of Excellence–winning restaurants: Stripsteak, Hakkasan Miami and Scarpetta, though the latter is still closed for the time being. Stripsteak, which is open for indoor dining and has two other Restaurant Award–winning outposts, serves chef Michael Mina’s take on steak-house cuisine, with an array of meats cooked on a wood-burning grill and vibrant accompaniments like black truffle butter and chimichurri. Meatless entrées go beyond the traditional steak-house alternatives, including dishes such as sea bass with coconut and Japanese mushrooms, and crispy salmon with fregola and charred tomatoes. Wine director John Riccardo oversees the list of nearly 1,000 selections excelling in California, France (especially Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne), and Italy.
Cibo Wine Bar
45 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, Fla.
Telephone (305) 442-4925
Website www.cibowinebar.com
Award of Excellence
In Miami’s Coral Gables suburb, Cibo Wine Bar serves approachable Italian cuisine and an Award of Excellence–winning wine list. The 235 selections are under the direction of general manager Tullio Calvello, with a strong showing of wines from Italy and California. Executive chef Massimo Giannattasio creates authentic antipasti, risottos, pastas and pizzas, plus entrées like seared ahi tuna, grilled sirloin steak and Chianti-braised beef short ribs. In addition to offering delivery and takeout, Cibo is also inviting guests to enjoy these dishes on the restaurant’s outdoor patio. This is not the only Cibo location to achieve note for its wine program; three of the restaurant’s sister locations, all located in Toronto, also hold Awards of Excellence.
Council Oak Steaks & Seafood
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, Fla.
Telephone (954) 327-7625
Website www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com
Award of Excellence
Award of Excellence winner Council Oak Steaks & Seafood features a classic steak-house menu and a wine program of 440 selections in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. To complement chef James Stout’s dry-aged cuts, sommelier Juan Horta has built a list of mostly reds that excels in California Cabernets and Pinots, rounded out by myriad Tempranillos and super Tuscans. The program includes a horizontal from top Napa winery Bond, as well as trophy bottles like premier cru Bordeaux from classic vintages. There are also plenty of Champagne options from Krug, Armand de Brignac, Perrier-Jouët and more, plus top California Chardonnay and whites from New Zealand and Germany. These sips can be enjoyed alongside the restaurant’s hallmark steaks in a space that saw significant renovation in 2019.
Ferraro’s Kitchen
1099 N.E. 79th St., Miami, Fla.
Telephone (786) 534-2136
Website www.ferraroskitchen.com
Award of Excellence
Igor Ferraro has been serving Miami the flavors of northern Italy since 2013, when he opened his first restaurant in the Magic City. In central Miami’s MiMo District, Ferraro's Kitchen continues the chef’s legacy of top dining in a relaxed setting, with an impressive wine list to match. Arranged by Ferraro himself, the restaurant’s list received its first Award of Excellence in 2020, recognizing the strengths of its 310-label selection. Largely centered on Italian picks, the 2,000 bottles in Ferraro’s Kitchen’s cellar cover a range of styles, including whites from Campania, Friuli and Ferraro’s native Veneto. Red options cover top wineries and regions throughout Italy, with additional picks from noted vintners in France and California. Not only do the Italian reds include several Barolo and Brunello verticals, but the list also offers an impressive vertical of Merlot super Tuscan Masseto. These bottles are accompanied by a wide-ranging menu of Italian dishes like red tuna carpaccio, burrata and prosciutto, fettuccine al tartufo and lobster ravioli.
Komodo Miami
801 Brickell Ave., Miami, Fla.
Telephone (305) 534-2211
Website www.komodomiami.com
Award of Excellence
For those seeking a quintessential Miami dining experience, Komodo is the place to be. A buzzy hot spot in the neighborhood of Brickell, the restaurant draws everyone from locals to celebrities for its upscale Asian cuisine and enchanting outdoor garden seating. Dine on small dishes like shrimp toast, grilled shishito peppers and Thai beef jerky, plus a selection of dumplings, sushi, large plates and more. The 400-wine list is run by wine director Collin Bleess and offers an Award of Excellence–winning collection of bottlings from around the world, with strengths in California, France and Italy. Owner David Grutman, a local nightlife guru, is also the restaurateur behind Award of Excellence winners Swan and Papi Steak.
Macchialina
820 Alton Road, Miami Beach, Fla.
Telephone (305) 534-2124
Website www.macchialina.com
Award of Excellence
Adding to the reputation it’s built since opening in 2012, Macchialina recently brought the garden to the beach, so to speak. With the Miami Beach restaurant’s “giardino” seating, guests can comfortably enjoy Macchialina’s 90-label, Award of Excellence-winning wine list at outdoor tables. Overseen by wine director Jacqueline Pirolo, the restaurant’s 600-bottle cellar is Italy-focused, with a wide range of options stretching from sparkling picks like Prosecco, Franciacorta and a pét-nat to orange wines from northern Italy and Sicily. In addition to several Brunellos and top bottles from Piedmont and Umbria, there are a few Slovenian and Champagne options, too. These wines are joined by chef Michael Pirolo’s menu of traditional Italian dishes like gnocco fritto, burrata and polenta, as well as heartier mains like tagliatelle, branzino and spaghetti with seafood.
Pascal’s on Ponce
2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Miami, Fla.
Telephone (305) 444-2024
Website www.pascalmiami.com
Award of Excellence
A few blocks off the popular shopping stretch of Miracle Mile, Pascal’s on Ponce is a local favorite with an Award of Excellence–winning wine list. The 150-selection list includes wines from France, North America, Spain, Chile and Argentina, but it’s strongest in France and California. France-born wine director and chef Pascal Oudin is known for his bold, contemporary dishes like twice-baked, upside-down Gruyere soufflé and olive oil–poached salmon with pappardelle and caramelized cauliflower. In addition to indoor dining, there is outdoor seating in front of the restaurant and more tables in a tented backyard patio space, decorated with string lights and plants.
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