Why Florida is more than Trump: where to eat, drink and stay in Miami
Despite being the home state of the new President, Miami is actually a hotbed of different cultures, architecture and food. Here is where to eat, drink and stay.
Every balmy evening, when I walk back to Esme hotel along Espanola Way, I am transported from Miami to the Mediterranean. The continental shift comes not just from the warm weather and Spanish-speaking locals; it’s the wall-to-wall peach stucco Greek, Italian and tapas restaurants with string lights and outdoor seating. Touristy, no doubt, yet the surefire buzz of this pedestrian-only strip ignites a European holiday mood, albeit in the Trumpian heartland of Florida.
The century-old street was envisioned as a bohemian artists’ colony, until it became a haven for celebrities and mobsters. My hotel building was used as a base for Al Capone’s underground gambling ring and musician Desi Arnaz’s rumba nights.
A five-year, $US40m ($63m) renovation tapped its creative roots to recreate this Art Deco-inspired property. Connected by narrow, whitewashed passageways, the accommodation spreads across two buildings – the 145-room Esme Village and the 42-room Casa Matanza. Hidden from view are various bars, restaurants, a 24-hour gym, and a “rooftop” pool and lounge on the third floor. It’s like a commune within a tiny town within the city: a mini Med-Miami hideaway.
Most of the action happens at The Roof, which hosts complimentary pilates classes, happy hours and live jazz sessions. The sexier hotspot is Bamboo Room, a dimly lit lair of secluded booths, scattered with vintage artefacts from the designer’s travels around the world, and a potent cocktail list that includes creations such as Navy Grog, Zombie and Suffering Bastard. The Drexel, the hotel’s streetside cafe for breakfast, also serves dinner from its charcoal grill and wood-fired oven, specialising in pizza, pasta, and wine-and-cheese nights.
The Mediterranean vibe fits in with recent restaurant openings in surrounding South Beach, from the Ritz-Carlton’s Zaytinya (Turkish, Greek and Lebanese) to the lively Babylon, which makes a mean Turkish coffee negroni. At the new Motek, patio diners sit beneath a large tree adorned with lanterns, choosing from 18 hot and cold mezzes or heartier Israeli dishes.
Of course, the multicultural dining is much more diverse – everything from Cuban sandwiches to the two-starred L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Six new Miami restaurants were added to this year’s Florida Michelin Guide: Itamae Ao, a 10-seat Peruvian-Japanese counter that earned its first star last month; Torno Subito, owned by triple-starred chef Massimo Bottura; Cotoa, specialising in Ecuadorean cuisine; Palma, offering a contemporary eight-course tasting menu; Grand Central, serving bistro fare with a French touch, and; Sereia, renowned for Portuguese-style seafood.
August and September are ideal times to savour the scene, during the Miami Spice two-month culinary promotion. At participating restaurants, three-course meals are specially priced at $US35 for lunch and $US45-$60 for dinner.
Australian chefs have opened casual venues around town. Perth-born Janine Booth and fellow Top Chef alum Jeff McInnis run Stiltsville Fish Bar, where you can watch the sunset from a hammock chair. I devour the Buffalo fish wings with hot sauce and the sweet tea-brined fried chicken served with watermelon salad.
My most memorable meal is the legendary Sunday brunch at The Biltmore, one of those bottomless bubbly and buffet oblivions. Set in a glamorous courtyard, the food stations sprawl indoors across several rooms. I waddle from tables of lobster, oysters and ceviche, to carved meats and paella, a caviar bar where an attendant customises plates of American hackleback, salmon roe and wasabi tobiko, and a Willy Wonka-level trove of desserts. Afterwards, I am beached on a cabana, swimming off a measly few calories in one of the biggest hotel pools in the US (more than 2000sqm).
Miami is best known for its Cuban culture, largely contained in the enclave of Little Havana. A useful introduction is the Little Havana Food and Cultural Tour (not recommended after the Biltmore brunch).
Among our walking group are five young Californians on a girls’ weekend, an Australian couple who disembarked a cruise yesterday, and a hedge fund manager “blowing off steam after a tough week at work”.
The guided tour stops for snacks and drinks at a deli, coffee shop, mojito bar, cigar store and historical landmarks. Our last stop is Maximo Gomez Park, known by locals as Domino Park. Four tables of regulars are playing dominoes; their friendly banter and laughter softening the clacking of the tiles. Mostly aged in their 60s and 70s, they seem happy to have an audience.
One of the men is wearing a red MAGA hat, and it strikes me that this is the only time I have spotted any trace of Donald Trump, whose Palm Beach residence is an hour’s drive away. Nobody is talking about politics or the President, at least not when the tourists are within earshot. Just like my entry into the US at LAX, my week in Miami has been relaxed and happily uneventful.
When to visit
The best time to visit (or avoid) Miami is during popular events such as the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in February, the Miami Open tennis tournament in March, the Formula One Grand Prix in May, or Art Basel in December. Next year, the city will host seven games of the FIFA World Cup to be held across the US, Canada and Mexico in June and July 2026.
Where to stay
Esme is a boutique hotel with several bars and restaurants and a stylish pool and lounge. Rates include wi-fi, bicycle rental, weekend yoga and pilates, gym access, and use of towels and loungers at a reserved section of Miami Beach. Located at 1438 Washington Avenue, rooms start at $US145 ($228) a night.
The Biltmore is a 30-minute drive from South Beach to the upscale Coral Gables neighbourhood. Brunch costs $US120 a person. Day visitors can rent a cabana from $US240.
Go on a tour
Miami Culinary Tours’ 2½ -hour Little Havana Food and Cultural Tour costs $US70 a person.
Louise Goldsbury was a guest of Visit the USA and the Greater Miami Visitors and Convention Bureau.
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