1. The Globe Cafe And Bar
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 445-3555
Address: 377 Alhambra Circle
Description: Start with a one-of-a-kind cocktail like the Portrait of a Gentleman with Stoli blueberry, blue Curacao, lime juice, and white cranberry or the Dragon Berry Lemonade with Bacardi Dragon Berry, fresh lemonade, cranberry juice, simple syrup, and a splash of soda. Hand-tossed pizza, salads, and sandwiches are on the menu but the house specialties are really what sets the menu apart: Think grilled Argentine churrasco with Merlot wine demiglace and roasted red potatoes or Smithwick Irish Ale fish and chips made with New England cod and roasted red potatoes. WineOh! Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. each week features wine specials and snacks.
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 278 Miracle Mile
3. Charlotte Bistro
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 443-3003
Address: 264 Miracle Mile
Description: Mismatched chairs, black-and-white tiles, assorted mirrors, and funky wallpaper make up the decor of this quirky French restaurant. It’s the type of place one would imagine Alice ending up in if she were in the mood for French food in Wonderland. Chef Elida Villarroel has worked at three different Michelin-starred restaurants so she brings to her bistro some serious experience. Her menu is full of strikingly simple items like onion soup, pheasant terrine, and interesting twists such as a brie, apple, and fennel salad. There’s also a three-course dinner special for $35 that includes a glass of wine. Whatever you order, be sure to leave room for dessert. A chocolate soup, made with Venezuelan chocolate and served with a side of espresso ice cream, is every bit as divine as it sounds.
4. Palme D’Or
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 913-3201
Address: 1200 Anastasia Ave.
Description: Residing in the historic Biltmore Hotel, Palme d’Or manages to pull off upscale French without the slightest hint of condescension. The ostentatious decor may be a tad formal, but the modern menu, which changes seasonally, loosens things up. The focus on fresh, local ingredients translates into an impressive array of elegant seafood options such as cuttlefish with a bean ragout and wild bass with a tomato compote. There are also more traditional dishes like roasted squab and veal Provencal.
5. Pascal’S On Ponce
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 444-2024
Address: 2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Description: It’s not the restaurant’s catchy name that consistently earns it spots on top 10 lists. French-born chef and owner Pascal Oudin trained under the legendary Alain Ducasse and brings his classic technique and unwavering attention to detail to his namesake restaurant. What started out as a small, neighborhood bistro has come to set the standard for excellent French cuisine in Miami. A simple, refined menu ensures that every dish is prepared perfectly. The true standouts are slightly reinvented classics like a twice baked, upside-down Gruyere cheese soufflé or those that incorporate American ingredients like a creamy Maine lobster bisque. The wine list is, naturally, well researched.
6. Fritz & Franz Bierhaus
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 774-1883
Address: 60 Merrick Way
Description: Bavarian tapas give sausage lovers the opportunity to sample several flavors at a time. The restaurant has one of Miami’s best selections of German beer with dunkels, pilsners, and weisbiers on draft and kolsch and several lagers available in bottles. The waitstaff dresses in traditional Bavarian garb so expect to see lots of men in lederhosen and women in dirndls.
7. Caffe Abbracci
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 441-0700
Address: 318 Aragon Ave.
Description: Venetian Owner Nino Perneti has built a restaurant loved by locals and Zagat alike. The classic Italian menu is a go-to for many and the dishes reflect a traditional array that can please any taste. Appetizers include staples like caprese salad and beef carpaccio; pastas range from fettuccine Bolognese to black ravioli lobster and other seafood dishes.
8. Randazzo’S Little Italy
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 448-7002
Address: 385 Miracle Mile
Description: Owner and former boxer Marc Randazzo holds no delusions or grand notions of what his restaurant is and it’s exactly this no-nonsense approach to Italian-American food, along with a sense of humor, that makes his restaurant such a crowd pleaser. This is the type of joint that calls sauce gravy and serves meatballs the size of disco balls. The calamari, veal picatta, and spaghetti taste so good you’d swear there was a little Italian grandmother running the kitchen and not a former boxer. The decor with its checkered-cloth tables, religious memorabilia, and Godfather playing on television 9 times out of 10 is worthy of Rockwell. The meal is not quite finished until you’ve ordered a canoli.
9. Matsuri
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 663-1615
Address: 5759 Bird Rd.
Description: Tucked away in a nondescript strip mall, Matsuri is a local favorite for authentic Japanese without attitude or astronomical price tags. Although the 22-year-old restaurant never advertises, its tables are always packed with a good portion of clientele being Japanese (always a good omen in terms of sushi) and at least one acclaimed, Manhattan chef. From rare sushi cuts like otoro (the fattiest part of a tuna’s stomach) to ankimo ponzu (monkfish liver that is sometimes referred to as the Japanese foie gras), Matsuri is for the adventurous and those looking to explore authentic Japanese cuisine. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Tues through Sun. Call for exact hours.
10. Casola’S
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 858-0090
Address: 2437 SW 17th Ave.
Description: This local pizzeria is, unsurprisingly, known for its delicious pizza at $3.77 per slice. But there are other worthy options on the menu if you want a meal and not just a 5 a.m. snack. (Casola’s is open until 5 a.m. on weekends and 2 a.m. on weekdays.) A few favorites include submarine sandwiches and pasta. There are also healthier salads on the menu. Keep in mind that it’s a cash-only joint so come prepared.
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 65 Miracle Mile
12. Copas Y Tapas
City: Coral Gables, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (305) 774-0927
Address: 98 Miracle Mile
Description: Spanish tapas are their specialty and the wine list alone is another incentive to visit. Dishes include those such as the Bocata Especial with Serrano ham, tomatoes and manchego cheese in a baguette, or the Bocata Pirineo with sobreasada paprika spread and manchego cheese in gallega bread. Almost all tapas are under $10 and the wine list has bottles starting at $25 each from regions around Spain. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday is happy hour, which features free tapas and two-for-one wine and beer specials.