For years we spent a week at South Beach Miami(SOBE) even attending the SOBE wine and food festival. But age has not been nice to us and we can no longer tolerate the heat, late nights, and the wine and culinary Olympics we used to attend. One year we had two dinners, one at 6 PM at Emeril’s and a second dinner at Opium at midnight, then drinking and dancing until 6 AM where we had breakfast at the News Cafe. We just cannot do it anymore, and besides all of those places are closed. So after a decade since our last trip, it was time to take a short trip during the week as hotel prices are a steal mid-week, and check out the new culinary and nightclub scene as best we could tolerate it. We did not do a lot but it was a nice trip and we were glad to return and hope to return in the future. On our latest night, we got in at 11 PM. During the day there is plenty of shopping on Lincoln Road Mall. Below are our recommendations.
Hotel Lord Balfour https://www.thebalfourmiamibeach.com 305-538-1055
The Lord Balfour at the south end of ocean drive a couple of blocks south of 5th street on ocean drive is a gem. We stayed there on a travel zoo promotion at a very reasonable price and we were very pleased. I'm happy to recommend the hotel to those who want to go to South Beach. It has one major advantage in that it is very quiet at night. You are only 2 blocks from the noisy action but when you go to bed you sleep well. The hotel is a little dated and traditional even though it was remodeled 3 years ago. It could use some touch-up paint here and there but the rooms though small are very comfortable, clean, and have all the basics you need including in-room coffee. I can also recommend the restaurant. We had breakfast every morning and frankly it was one of the best restaurant breakfasts we have enjoyed. For those who know it feels like a typical European boutique hotel. Management is very involved and allowed me to make suggestions to them. The staff was helpful and professional. We hope to return soon.
Red Steakhouse
Red Steakhouse what a disappointment they've been around for years. A few years ago they moved to their new location and the decor is impressive. The food was good and the service was OK but the prices were completely unreasonable for what you received. They have an extensive wine list but their wine prices were over 5 times retail which in my opinion is unforgivable and just pure greed. Food prices are going up everywhere, I understand that, but here they really didn't match the quality of the food. Everything that was served was good but it was nothing but basic food. I had a pound and a 1/2 of king crab legs that obviously were the weight with the shell and they were kind enough to shell them for me but I only ended up with the meat of 4 medium size legs the price was $129 which to me was way beyond what an entree should be. The sides were again OK but nothing to write home about and certainly not worth the cost. Overall very overpriced for what you get and we will not be going back.
Osteria del Teatro http://osteriadelteatro.miami/ 305-538-7850
What a joy! They have been here for at least 40 years we've eaten there many times and they haven't dropped a beat. It's one of the best places to eat in South Beach. They moved to their new facility about 6 years ago and it is twice the size of the old one and a lot more opulent. But the friendly professional staff and the high-quality northern Italian cuisine have not changed a bit. They are known for their prawns in that they actually serve U2 prawns the size of your hand cooked to perfection. I have only seen these prawns this size here. With no prompting, they were prepared to serve me Italian Zabion and berry's for dessert which is a huge plus. They also had other selections of desserts which were excellent. I just cannot say enough good about this restaurant. They clearly demonstrate what a great restaurant should be and I can't wait to return.
Time Out Market https://www.timeoutmarket.com/miami/
Time out market is a very interesting facility one block off the Lincoln road mall. Basically, it's 21 small restaurants featuring some of the top Chefs in the Miami area. Anything from burgers to Sushi to Mexican, you name it. It's very casual and the food we had there was excellent. It's a good place to go and get a variety of Miami cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. They have a full bar in the middle of the building and all the staff were helpful and friendly and accommodating.
Uber in South Beach
Uber is wonderful here and we have never had a problem. We only had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes once and all of the drivers were friendly and professional, and the cars were comfortable and clean. You really cannot drive a car around SOBE, especially at night and especially on ocean drive. In the fact, the city of Miami requires that the Ubers pick you up on Collins which is one block from ocean drive because it's basically bumper-to-bumper on Ocean Drive, especially on weekends. We basically park our car leave it at the hotel and take Uber.
Safron Mediterranean Grill https://safron-grill.business.site/ 305-397-8118
Safron grill at the intersection of Washington Street and 11th street was recommended by our good friend Luis. It is a great Mediterranean restaurant to go to for lunch. It's listed as a Turkish restaurant but in reality, it's Eastern Mediterranean with food from Turkey, Cyprus, and Lebanon. The food was excellent as was the service. They had all of your favorite eastern Mediterranean delicacies such as Tabbuli, and Babaganush, and theirs is primo, lamb, and Falafels. I don't even like Falafel but there's was probably the best I've ever had. All of the food was freshly made in-house and about his authentic, as you can get. We had the salad platter and a lamb gyro and were very pleased. I also had homemade baklava which I haven't had in years. I highly recommend this restaurant if you like Eastern Mediterranean delicacies.
Stiltsville Fish Bar www.stiltsvillefishbar.com 786-655-4365
This is a small place a little north of Lincoln Road Mall. Their claim to fame is fresh seafood off the docks and to us it was true. We saw a lot of locals eating here and the place was full by 7 PM so it must be good if locals flock to it. Interestingly we ended up eating something different from fresh seafood. They had a surf and turf burger which was basically a lobster roll sandwich combined with a burger. I was intrigued so I had it and it was a unique experience. The burger and meat were actually very tasty and good and one of the better burgers I have had recently. So go figure. We had a nice meal. We met the owner who was gracious and involved. Of interest, I accidentally spilled a fairly expensive glass of bourbon and the owner topped it off for me. Our server was knowledgeable and friendly and overall it was a good experience and I recommend them.
Kanoli https://puff-hookah.com/ 305-981-6688
Located at 1236 Ocean Drive this is the place to go for dinner and a show. The owner is committed to great food, service, and entertainment, and each evening there are some of the best musicians in Miami playing, one of whom is my good friend Luis Mejia from Columbia who is a classical trained Flamenco guitar player who has performed all over the world. He has settled down for the most part with his family in Miami and plays mostly on weeknights which worked well for us as we are less enthusiastic with crowds anymore. The restaurant has an extensive food and drink menu and great friendly service. We were able to a couple of nights in a row for dessert, coffee, and drinks, and very much enjoyed Luis’s multimedia show. And for those of you who are into it they also are a Hookah bar to enjoy with the show. To me, Kanoli offers the best of SOBE.
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