The Best Restaurant Openings in Miami - May 2026

Chef Eyal Shani is giving tomatoes a main character moment with his newest restaurant, Naked Tomato, inside the Moxy South Beach. Stepping inside feels like being invited to a cool dinner party in Tel Aviv, complete with fire-kissed shipudim, fluffy laffa, deeply scoopable dips, and chalkboard menus scribbled with Shani’s writing. While the focus is on tomatoes, you’ll also find standout lamb kebabs and what some are calling life-changing branzino.

The Delano is back, and so is Miami’s appetite for glamorous Italian excess. Gigi Rigolatto arrives from Dubai and Saint-Tropez with a full Riviera fantasy complete with yellow-striped cabanas, Bellinis flowing by the pool, giant prawns, and enough pistachio gelato to derail even the strongest post-beach discipline. It’s the kind of place where lunch accidentally turns into sunset cocktails, whether you’re dining indoors, poolside, or in one of the beach cabanas.

Hidden upstairs inside the Delano, Mimi Kakushi leans hard into moody Osaka jazz-club energy with bone marrow, foie gras gyoza, stellar cocktails, and just enough exclusivity to make everyone suddenly consider booking a staycation. The dimly lit room and luxe small plates tap into a seductive members-only atmosphere.

Perched above Brickell inside the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, Séptimo channels old-school cocktail glamour with a Miami accent. There’s velvet, live music, tableside crêpes, and what might become one of the city’s most Instagrammed orders: chicken nuggets topped with caviar. The drinks, courtesy of acclaimed beverage director Jacopo Rosito, skew polished and pretty, particularly the freezing cold martinis that make you instantly want a second one.

Coconut Grove’s newest steakhouse, 1986 Steak House, is all about live-fire Argentine cooking with raw bar towers, caviar service, and cocktails from Buenos Aires’ legendary Tres Monos team. While it could easily feel like a flashy scene, the restaurant is surprisingly relaxed and the kind of place where you can have a casual but delicious meal any day of the week.

Palm Beach cult favorite Buccan Sandwich Shop has finally crossed county lines, and Miami immediately lost its mind over it. The Coral Gables outpost is already drawing crowds for chef Clay Conley’s famously over-the-top sandwiches, including the beloved beef carpaccio baguette and the gloriously messy Beef Steak Bomb.

Casa Tua Cucina’s Wynwood expansion takes the Italian food hall formula that Brickell couldn’t get enough of and drops it into one of Miami’s buzziest neighborhoods. The sprawling space is built for wandering, with fresh pasta here, crudo there, and maybe a scoop of gelato on the way out. It’s polished and chaotic in the best way.

Dubai import Gaia arrived in South of Fifth this month and has already attracted a wave of celebrity clientele calling it the best new restaurant in Miami. The Greek-Mediterranean restaurant is all Cycladic curves, pristine seafood displays, and “giant fish for the table” energy. The baked Barrel-Aged Feta wrapped in honey, nuts, and filo pastry, classic moussaka, and wood oven prawns with harissa, rosemary, and chili are must-orders.

Leonardo feels delightfully committed to the art of old-school dining theatrics, channeling late-night dinner party vibes. There’s lobster linguine, pancetta-washed cocktails, cabaret performances, and a whole branzino flambéed tableside. The Collins Avenue newcomer fully embraces maximalist Italian-American glamour.

Sitting waterfront on Brickell Key, The Mexican is a Dallas import that’s already living up to the hype. The sprawling restaurant pairs dramatic design with fire-driven Northern Mexican cooking that goes far beyond standard Tex-Mex territory. Highlights include the Lobster Elote, street corn layered with Maine lobster, Mexican crema, and Oaxacan cheese, along with the Miami-exclusive Tuna Tomahawk served with roasted baby corn and pasilla soy vinaigrette.

Grand Public is Coconut Grove’s newest restaurant. Polished but not pretentious, lively without trying too hard, it’s ideal for the local crowd it’s catering to. The massive indoor/outdoor space is built for lingering over leisurely lunches or happy hours that turn into dinner. The menu covers a little bit of everything, from mezze spreads and sushi to pastas, steaks, and even a club sandwich. We’ve got our eye on the Ferrero Rocher espresso martini and the photo booth near the exit, both of which feel destined to become Miami’s next viral moment.