International Cuisine in Miami

Greater Miami & Miami Beach is a vibrant, international area with cuisine to match. Thriving Cuban and Haitian communities make their homes here, and you’ll find a range of cuisine hailing from the Caribbean, Central and South America. It doesn’t stop there. Increasingly, Miami is also earning a reputation for its exciting Asian fusion and Mediterranean restaurant scenes, with a host of establishments earning a spot in Miami’s inaugural MICHELIN Guide. You’ll also find sumptuous Italian and French mainstays as well as new concepts across the destination. Here’s your primer on Miami’s cosmopolitan international dining scene.

Cuban & Latin American

Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann at Faena, Miami Beach

North America’s first outpost from legendary Argentinian chef and asado grill master Francis Mallmann, Los Fuegos is dedicated to this cuisine, which is cooked over an open flame. Set inside the flashy Faena Miami Beach hotel in Miami Beach, the dining room is crowned with a cascading golden chandelier and outfitted in lush red and tiger-print upholstery. The prime ribeye a la parilla will make any carnivore’s eyes light up – it’s the dish that earned the restaurant a MICHELIN recommendation.

Versailles, Little Havana

Since 1971, Versailles Restaurant has been a Little Havana gathering spot for the Cuban diaspora and one of Calle Ocho’s most iconic restaurants. You’ll find every staple of Cuban cuisine on the menu here, from ham croquetas to Cuban sandwiches, cafecito and heaping portions of ropa vieja with yellow rice, black beans and fried plantains. Despite its golden chandeliers and cut-glass mirrors, which reference its French palace namesake, Versailles is a decidedly casual restaurant with a bustling diner vibe. For a quick bite, stop by the ventanita window for empanadas, pastelitos and café con leche on the go.

Read more about Miami’s Cuban cuisine and Cuban coffee culture.

Haitian, Bahamian & Caribbean

Chef Creole, various locations

Helmed by beloved chef-owner Wilkinson Sejour, Chef Creole is a Miami institution that serves up authentic Haitian and Caribbean cuisine with a focus on seafood. Favorite dishes include whole fish, seafood criollo stew and platters of fried lobster, shrimp and fish, as well as classic Haitian dishes like fried pork griot and oxtail with rice and beans. You can take home a bottle of Chef Creole’s signature marinades and pikliz hot sauce for a taste of the Caribbean at home.

Chez Le Bebe, Little Haiti

Behind an unassuming red façade on Northeast 54th Street in Little Haiti, Chez Le Bebe is a no-frills, cash-only eatery dedicated to down-home Haitian cooking. At this hidden gem, you can pull up a chair and dig into the famous fried pork griot and slow-cooked oxtail, served with heaping portions of rice and beans that can easily serve two.

Clive's Cafe, Little Haiti

Have your chicken prepared in any one of a number of ways – opt for jerk, curry, baked, barbecued, brown stew or fried – at Clive’s Cafe, an outpost for authentic Jamaican classics. While the ambiance may be unassuming, the cooking transports you to the islands, with dishes that range from oxtail to curry goat, conch, shrimp and all manner of Jamaican patties.

Pan-Asian

KYU, Wynwood

A hit from the moment it opened its doors in the Wynwood neighborhood, KYU has earned accolades from the James Beard Foundation and the MICHELIN Guide. This buzzy and sophisticated spot, with a vertical garden exterior wall and a minimalist-chic industrial interior, is dedicated to pan-Asian, wood-fired cuisine. Menu highlights include cauliflower drenched in shishito-herb vinaigrette and goat cheese, hamachi with white ponzu, Thai fried rice stone pot and Korean fried chicken.

Pubbelly Sushi, various locations

Here’s your cheat sheet for the perfect order at Pubbelly Sushi: a bigeye tuna roll on a crispy, sticky rice cake with truffle oil, a snow crab roll with clarified butter, a wagyu beef tartare roll, rock shrimp tempura and shishito peppers. You’re welcome. Pair that with a bottle of sake, and you're all set. The success of this local restaurant group’s original South Beach location in Sunset Harbour has led to outposts across Greater Miami & Miami Beach, where locals flock for their crave-worthy deconstructed sushi with a Latin twist.

Read more about pan-Asian cuisine in Miami.

El Turco, Buena Vista

Set on a breezy patio in the Upper Buena Vista shopping center, El Turco transports diners to the Mediterranean with its bright Turkish cuisine, with an emphasis on breakfast. The Turkish breakfast tray comes with an assortment of blue and white porcelain dishes and silver platters filled with eggs, fresh beefsteak tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, feta cheese, kashkaval cheese, black and green olives, freshly baked bread and a glass of tea. Chef Vural Aydoğan’s menu drew the attention of the MICHELIN Guide, which bestowed El Turco with its Bib Gourmand distinction.

Italian

Navé, Coconut Grove

With a slew of acclaimed eateries under his belt, from the MICHELIN-starred Ariete to the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand-recognized Chug’s Diner, Chef Michael Beltran’s Navé, also in Coconut Grove, focuses on a creative take on New American cuisine, with an emphasis on a raw bar, fresh pastas and wood-fired pizza. In its sleek dining room and on its leafy patio, dine on roasted oysters with 'nduja butter or broccoli rabe gratin, summer squash pizza and a fusilli pasta with crab, arugula and almonds. Navé has earned Chef Beltran yet another feather in his cap – a MICHELIN recommendation.

Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante, Miami Beach

A South Beach mainstay in Sunset Harbour overlooking Biscayne Bay, Sardinia serves Italian cuisine rooted in its namesake Mediterranean island’s traditions. Start with options from the mozzarella bar, salumeria and formaggi menu, then move on to sumptuous pastas and other secondis, such as the buccatini all’amatriciana or the bone-in chicken parmesan. The setting is relaxed yet sophisticated, and the wine list is excellent.

Explore more delicious Italian restaurants in Miami.

French

LPM Restaurant & Bar, Brickell

An abbreviation for “Le Petit Maison,” LPM Restaurant & Bar has swiftly become Brickell’s go-to destination for upscale French cuisine. The bright and airy dining room is clad in gleaming white tile, with copper chef’s racks and an open kitchen where tubs of fresh, colorful produce are proudly displayed. All your favorite classics are here, from escargots to haricots verts and steak frites, as well as a selection of pastas and Miami-inflected dishes such as whitefish ceviche and yellowtail carpaccio.

Sérêvène Miami, Miami Beach

Set in the lobby of the Hotel Greystone on Collins Avenue in the heart of South Beach, Sérêvène blends French rotisserie traditions with Japanese izakaya cuisine for a playful, creative menu. Order chicken poularde teriyaki, seared foie gras with toasted sesame and the decadent butter-poached lobster atop a bed of uni alfredo bucatini and a dollop of caviar. After dinner, swing by the hotel’s Greystone Jazz Bar for a nightcap with live music.

Want more dining options? Check out these restaurants.