The Best Restaurant Openings in Miami – September 2026

Gioia Hospitality Group, the team behind Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse and Daniel’s Miami, has opened La Sponda at Vita at Grove Isle. The waterfront restaurant draws on founders Thomas and Kassidy Angelo’s family roots in Puglia and their travels throughout Italy. Led by culinary director Danny Ganem, La Sponda serves house-made pasta, crudo, seafood, and the serious steaks for which the group has become known. Look for spaghetti alla chitarra with Burgundy truffles and Parmigiano foam, linguine with Maine lobster, and a 42-ounce Australian Wagyu bistecca Fiorentina.

One late-August opening worth catching up on is Pizza Bear in Coral Gables, our latest obsession in Miami’s ongoing pizza boom. Industry veteran Ezra Pattek has finally given his longtime sourdough pizza project a permanent home. The kitchen bakes extra dough into focaccia, while meatballs, salads, and limited-edition dishes round out the compact menu. If the wings are available, order them.

Tam Pham and Harrison Ramhofer, the duo behind Tâm Tâm, have opened Phở Nam on Flagler Street, inspired by the old-school noodle shops of Saigon. Phở is naturally the main event, but the menu reaches beyond steaming bowls of noodles with bánh xèo, brisket-topped bánh tráng nướng, and whole fried fish served with lettuce wraps.

Delray Beach-born Alma has expanded south to Wynwood under chef Coton Stine. On Stine’s shareable modern American menu, cashew pâté and gochujang-glazed local shrimp sit alongside scallops, lamb chops, and Burgundy-braised short rib with brown-butter parsnip purée and Vichy carrots.

Wynwood’s newest caffeine fix is MINS Coffeehouse, a trailer parked on Northwest 24th Street. It specializes in phin-dripped robusta from Buôn Ma Thuột and hand-whisked matcha from Uji. Try the Phê Mê, which combines coffee, condensed milk, and salted black sesame foam, or cool down with an iced jasmine tea flavored with lemongrass, pandan, peach, and orange.

Hidden on the third floor of RIVANI in Miami Beach, Bar Shishi pairs Japanese-inspired cocktails with a vinyl-only soundtrack. Senior bar manager and certified Japanese Ice Master Kevin Lee builds the cocktail program around hand-carved ice and techniques such as kakigōri, Japanese cobbler shaking, and cocktail throwing. Hamachi crudo, chicken karaage, and A5 Wagyu katsu keep this from being strictly a drinking destination. The nearly 2,000-square-foot lounge is built around a 12-seat bar, with curved banquettes providing additional seating.