The best restaurants in Downtown Miami promise delicious food, reasonable prices and cool, urban settings.
Little more than a decade ago, if you were to ask a Miami local for a Downtown restaurant recommendation, they’d probably have to think a while before remembering some halfway decent Cuban ventanita in the Diamond District. Likely, it closed before dark, when most shop owners pulled down heavy metal shutters and left the entire neighborhood looking abandoned. Now—well, yeah, some sections of Downtown still look that way.
But Downtown has also seen an influx of younger residents recently thanks to a slew of new condo buildings. They’re helping fuel a thriving restaurant and bar scene, with bold chefs and restaurateurs willing to take risks in a part of town that’s been up-and-coming since the Crockett and Tubbs days (that’s a Miami Vice reference, for said younger residents). Our favorite Downtown Miami restaurants these days? There are so many great choices, from Vietnamese to Mexican to Spanish tapas and much more, as you’ll find from our deep list below.
10. Motek Café
Motek rivals the hip cafés of Tel Aviv with its stacked menu of authentic Israeli delights. From crispy falafel and juicy schnitzel to fresh salad and creamy house-made hummus, the fast-casual spot does street food with care, leaning into the spice-driven cuisine for simple, flavorful dishes you can enjoy at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The arayes burger can be found on many lists of Miami’s best burgers. This brilliant cross-cultural dish combines a burger with Middle Eastern spices, stuffed in a pita and baked until the whole thing becomes a little burger package.
