Our Miami, Unfiltered
A Baker's Dozen from The Meridian Advisors
Miami has plenty of lists. This isn't one of them.
These are the places we actually go, the things we actually order, the views we never tire of, and a few pieces of advice we've learned from living, working, eating, drinking, buying, selling and occasionally getting stuck in traffic here.
Some are glamorous. Some aren't.
All of them are Miami.
The Drink Deep Sea Kraken · Doya
Forget the martini.
Our drink is the Deep Sea Kraken at Doya in Wynwood.
Dark. Complicated. Slightly dangerous-looking. And considerably more interesting than another vodka martini.
Doya itself is worth knowing — a modern Aegean restaurant where the food is meant to be shared and the bar deserves as much attention as the kitchen.
Meridian Tip: Order the Kraken. Then start ordering things for the table. This is not the place to be territorial about your dinner.
Visit DoyaThe Power Breakfast Los Fuegos · Faena Hotel Miami Beach
There are breakfasts.
And then there is breakfast at Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann at Faena.
It's one of our favourite places to meet someone important because it accomplishes something surprisingly difficult: it feels unmistakably Miami without trying too hard to prove it.
Beautiful room. Beautiful hotel. Great energy.
And if the conversation goes well, nobody is exactly rushing you back to the office.
Meridian Tip: Give yourself time to wander through Faena afterward. Breakfast may be the meeting. The hotel is part of the experience.
The Boat-Day Lunch Seaspice · Miami River
Pulling up to lunch by boat is one of those things that sounds ridiculous until you've lived in Miami long enough.
Then it simply makes sense.
For us, Seaspice is a weekday move — Tuesday through Friday.
Boats passing. Miami River moving around you. Long lunch. Absolutely no compelling reason to hurry.
Meridian Tip: Save Saturday and Sunday for people who enjoy their lunch with considerably more… enthusiasm.
When the Table Matters The Surf Club Restaurant · Surfside
Some dinners are about what's on the table.
Others are about the table itself.
The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller is where we go when the evening needs to feel like an occasion before anyone has ordered a thing.
Classic. Glamorous. Impeccably done.
It doesn't scream for attention.
It never needed to.
Meridian Tip: Dress for dinner. Not because somebody told you to. Because places like this are more fun when you do.
Where We Actually Eat Semilla · Miami Beach
Miami has no shortage of restaurants designed to impress you.
Semilla isn't trying quite so hard.
And that's precisely why we like it.
A warm, locally owned French restaurant on Alton Road with really good food, familiar faces and the increasingly rare sensation that you've discovered a neighbourhood restaurant rather than entered a production.
Come hungry.
Come back often.
The People-Watching Smith & Wollensky · South Pointe
Sit outside.
That's really the most important instruction.
At the edge of South Pointe Park, the outdoor tables at Smith & Wollensky give you Government Cut, passing cruise ships, yachts, Fisher Island, the skyline — and an almost uninterrupted parade of Miami.
It's a constant feast for the eyes.
Whatever you happen to fancy.
We did say this was unfiltered.
The Two-Hour Disappearance South Pointe Park
There are times when the best thing to do in Miami is absolutely nothing.
Walk to South Pointe. Put the phone away. Watch the ships go through Government Cut. Sit by the water. Keep walking. Don't keep walking.
Nobody cares.
That's the point.
Meridian Tip: Go late in the afternoon. Stay through sunset. Cancel whatever you scheduled immediately afterward.
The View Five Park · 03 Line
We've seen Miami from almost every conceivable angle.
The 03 line on the higher floors of Five Park still stops us.
Water, city, islands, skyline — Miami seems to unfold in front of you rather than simply appear outside a window.
It's one of those views that reminds you why people move here.
Heights Not Your Thing?
Walk the bayfront along West Avenue at sunset.
Different altitude.
Same magic.
And considerably less vertigo.
Explore Five Park
The Miami Beach Field Trip End at Joe's.
If we have an out-of-town Compass friend with us, we're showing them Miami Beach rather than simply telling them about it.
And sooner or later, we're ending up at Joe's Stone Crab.
Yes, the stone crabs.
Yes, the Key lime pie.
But here's the part we're supposed to keep to ourselves:
Order the apple pie.
Joe's Key lime may be world famous.
We think the apple pie is even better.
Meridian Tip: Take one home if you can. You'll thank us tomorrow.
The Neighbourhood to Watch Collins Park
Remember this one.
The stretch around Collins Park is in the midst of a transformation that we believe will make it one of Miami Beach's most compelling concentrations of five-star hospitality and residential living.
This isn't simply about another new building.
It's about what happens when enough exceptional projects, restaurants, hotels, cultural institutions and people begin converging in the same few blocks.
We think Collins Park is about to have its moment.
And we're watching very closely.
The Hot Ticket Aman Miami Beach
There are projects people ask about.
And then there are projects people whisper about.
Aman Miami Beach is the latter.
For us, this is one of the most fascinating developments coming to Miami Beach — not simply because of the residences themselves, but because of the world surrounding the Aman name.
The doors it may open are unlike anything we've seen here yet.
And in Miami, doors matter.
Meridian Tip: This is one to discuss rather than simply Google. Call us.
Explore Aman ResidencesThe Thing People Get Wrong Miami Isn't Any One Thing. It's Everything.
People arrive with an idea of Miami already formed.
That's usually the first thing we'd change.
Miami isn't one lifestyle.
It can be peace and solitude.
Or adventure and absolute madness.
It can be ocean at sunrise, contemporary art in the afternoon and dinner at midnight. Museums. Boats. Architecture. Sports. Incredible food. International travel. A quiet house on the water. A condominium in the middle of everything.
You can disappear here.
You can also make quite an entrance.
That's the point.
The mistake is thinking Miami is one thing.
Whatever version of life you're looking for, there's a very good chance you'll find it here.
The trick is knowing where to look.
The Art Basel Miami Beach Survival Guide Have a Plan. Then Be Prepared to Ignore It.
Art Week can be one of the most extraordinary weeks of the year in Miami.
It can also make perfectly reasonable adults question every decision they've ever made.
If you can get VIP access to Art Basel Miami Beach, do it. It won't eliminate the chaos, but it will make navigating the week considerably easier — and a lot more fun.
Earlier previews generally give you more breathing room. Not to mention celebrity sightings, if that's your thing. If the VIP pass is not happening, we've found the final day can be a somewhat calmer way to see the fair.
But here's the bigger secret:
You will not see everything.
Stop trying.
Give Miami Beach a day.
Give Wynwood and the Design District another.
Decide which satellite fairs genuinely interest you instead of attempting to collect them all.
Traffic will happen. Crowds will happen. Plans will change.
Have a game plan.
Then let Miami mess with it a little.
Meridian Rule: Take things as they come. The world has a funny way of opening up when you do.
Two We Couldn't Leave Out
Because apparently thirteen wasn't enough.
The Lobster Reuben Joe's Stone Crab
You went to Joe's for stone crabs.
We understand.
Now order the Lobster Reuben.
It is excessive.
It is magnificent.
It is one of the best things you'll ever sink your teeth into.
Meridian Health Advisory: Share it with a friend or partner if health is your thing.
We won't judge either way.
The Coolest Bar Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery · Miami Beach
We're not going to hedge this one.
Coolest bar in Miami.
Bar none.
Swizzle is tucked into the bowels of The Stiles Hotel. Your first thought may be, “WTF did they send us here?” Ignore the impulse to turn around. Find the steps down, make a right, and if the door is closed — knock.
Go for a drink.
Stay because you're having another.
And One That Reminds Us Why We Live Here The Full Moon Drum Circle · North Beach
No maître d'.
No velvet rope.
No tasting menu.
No reservation.
Just the full moon, the ocean, drums, dancing, strangers, locals and people being people on the beach at night.
It's been part of North Beach life for years.
It's a little weird.
A little magical.
And very Miami.
Sometimes luxury is having access to the hardest reservation in town.
Sometimes it's standing barefoot in the sand under a full moon.
We recommend both.
Follow the Drum Circle