Ariete

Joe's Stone Crab

Open since 1913 and still the most essential meal in Miami. The stone crabs arrive cracked, chilled, and served with Joe's legendary mustard sauce that no one has successfully replicated in over a century. The line is absurd and reservations are only for dinner, but that's because everyone in this city knows: this is the real thing.

The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller took over the dining room of a 1930s members-only beach club in Surfside, and the result is transportive. The room is all terrazzo floors, arched windows, and ocean light. The food is classic American-French — roast chicken, Dover sole, pristine salads — executed with the precision you'd expect from the man behind The French Laundry.

Versailles

The cathedral of Cuban-American cuisine. Versailles has been the political, social, and culinary heart of Miami's exile community since 1971. The food is comfort in its purest form — ropa vieja, vaca frita, platanos maduros — and the ventanita window for cafecito is a daily ritual for half the city. Skip the trendy spots. This is Miami's soul on a plate.