Best New Restaurants of 2022
The best places we ate in Miami this year
Dec
08
2022
These are the best new restaurants of 2022 by The Hungry Post team.
In 2022 The Hungry Post team did a lot of eating and drinking. We visited our neighborhood gems and, of course, we went to some new spots. Every year we ask our content creators and writers to share with us their favorite new restaurants of the year.
This year, the list includes a pizza parlor like no other, the most inventive restaurant in Coral Gables, a dry-aged steak and fresh seafood concept, an original sushi counter, delicious Lebanese eats, and some homemade Italian. These are the restaurants that made us think, “damn Miami, you continue to impress.”
To all the people behind these restaurants (and ALL restaurants): thank you for doing what you do every day. We’re so grateful.
MIAMI SLICE
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1335 NE Miami Ct
Cuisine: Pizza
In 2022 we almost saw as many new pizza concepts as we did omakase menus. However, there was one particular slice shop that had us questioning, does New York City really have the best pizza?! And before you come at us, have you tried Miami Slice!?”
This New York-style pizza shop, located in Downtown near the Arsht Center, is one of the best, if not the best pizza experiences you will have in Miami. Truly ahead of its time.
When you think of a slice shop, you may think of an NYC dollar slice shop (which has its purpose and of course no longer $1). However, you’ve never been to a slice shop, like Miami Slice. It’s elevated, yet informal. The best seat is at the front bar, where you can see all the pizzas being finished and topped with the highest quality ingredients.
Their operating hours are Thursday – Sunday from 5 PM – 9 PM with plans to stay open later. We recommend arriving at 4:45 to be the first one at the bar. Keep your party small, this will make the wait time less. They also have takeout available. You can order by the slice or a whole pie. Ask for the “kicks” which are “IYKYK” type of add-ons like stracciatella and other good stuff to pimp out your slice.
Our recommendations include La Salsera with a kick of stracciatella and the Leeks on Bacon. But they’re honestly all good, and you’ve never had a simple Margherita this good.
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LION & THE RAMBLER
Neighborhood: Coral Gables
Address: 804 Ponce de Leon
Cuisine: New American
Lion and the Rambler is the most exciting new restaurant we tried in Coral Gables this year. Chef Michael Bolen’s modern American concept opened in the former Eating House space. It offers an inventive a la carte menu focused on South Florida flavors, cultured butter, and homemade Koji – a Japanese fermentation starter used to make fresh miso plus produce from the best local farms in town.
Those that nerd out and get excited about sourdough and butter need to stop by Lion & the Rambler. The menu will change frequently. Must-orders include the yecora rojo focaccia with house-cultured butter; the steak tartare with green blueberry capers, Shelburne farms two-year aged cheddar; and grilled tiger prawn with Calabrian chile butter and lime. And of course, our favorite, the maitake mushrooms with escargot butter.
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KLAW
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Address: 1737 N Bayshore Dr
Cuisine: Seafood
Klaw is the newest restaurant and the only rooftop in Edgewater. The menu features a high-quality beef program and sea delicacies.
It’s rare to find a restaurant in Miami with views this nice and where the food is actually good. You have two dining options at Klaw. One is the main dining room, and then there’s the rooftop. We recommend you head to the roof. The menu is a more condensed version unless you really want the tableside Norweigan King crab legs and claws paired with a delicious garlic and lemon butter. In that case, head to the main dining room.
You can still get the black grouper crudo with caviar, yuzu kosho, finger lime, scallion, avocado, and leche de tigre; the baby-size crab tacos with spicy dashi butter, avocado, lime, and kimchi; and the stracciatella with grilled black mission fig, shaved speck ham, buttered croutons aged balsamic, toasted walnuts, basil oil, and herb salad at the rooftop and the main dining room. The Maine lobster roll and picanha are only available at the rooftop lounge.
If you’re drinking vino, they have over 250 labels of Old & New World wines. If you’re curious about their cocktails, we loved the mignonette martini, prepared with mignonette brine.
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PATIO ISOLA
Neighborhood: MiMo
Address: 6789 Biscayne Blvd
Cuisine: Italian
Sure you’ve had the best rigatoni alla vodka in Miami’s Casa Isola which opened last year in Miami Beach, but have you been to their new location in MiMo?! Lovers of Italian red sauce, add Patio Isola to your list of restaurants in Miami to check out.
Chefs Santo Agnello & Jose Mendin opened a second Casa Isola concept in the former La Placita space. They’ve changed the name to Patio Isola and added a roster of pizzas! We love their cheesy garlic bone marrow served with housemade focaccia and their Vecchia Signora Pizza with braised short rib, taleggio white sauce, truffle oil and pecorino. Pro tip: Make your pizza “ISOLA STYLE” this means they will brush the crust with garlic butter, add sesame seeds & serve your pizza with a cheese dipping sauce for your crust. We also had the dreamiest Meatball Salad with longhot peppers & a garlic dressing. And of course, they still have the best rigatoni alla vodka in Miami.
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BRANJA
Neighborhood: Upper Buena Vista
Address: 5010 NE 2nd Ave Unit 201
Cuisine: Israeli
From Tel Aviv to Miami, Masterchef winner Tom Aviv is bringing Israeli flavors to his new restaurant Branja in Upper Buena Vista. At Chef Tom’s first US restaurant, you’ll be transported to a 1970s Telavivian market surrounded by amazing flavors.
Our favorite dishes include the Bouillabaisse bucatini, Fish and Bread, a ceviche served on soft Pullman bread, and the star of the night, the surprising slow-cooked cabbage. Chef Tom Aviv has found a way to make a regular purple cabbage taste like short rib but vegan. Don’t ask us how, just go.
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SUSHI BY SCRATCH RESTAURANTS: MIAMI
Neighborhood: Coconut Grove
Address: 3242 Charles Ave
Cuisine: Japanese
If you love Omakase experiences, check out Sushi by Scratch. This highly creative restaurant concept from LA is now open at Coconut Grove’s historic Stirrup House. Think of it as a non-traditional Michelin-
Make sure to arrive 20 minutes before the scheduled seating time to enjoy your complimentary welcome cocktail before the full-on nigiri night. Flavor profiles won’t be traditional however, everything is made from scratch, including the soy sauce and vinegars. The menu changes often but, their signature roasted bone marrow nigiri will probably make an appearance.
Sushi of Scratch books up quickly. Mark your calendar for the first of every month at 1 PM to score a reservation a month out.
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SOFIA DESIGN DISTRICT
Neighborhood: Design District
Address: 140 NE 39th St
Cuisine: Italian
Here are three words to define Design District’s newest addition Sofia: “Pink, elevated and Italian”. The ultimate combination of Miami aesthetic and authentic, hand-crafted Italian. Paying homage to true Italian taste, this newest restaurant delivers just that.
We love that you can window shop, people watch, and dive headfirst into a delicious plate of ravioli di ricotta e noci all in one go. But, don’t just stop at the pasta, though they are a labor of love worth indulging in. Treat yourself to their Capesante made with diver scallops, a delicious caper sofrito, pickled gooseberry, and cauliflower puree. Or our true personal favorite the Patate; a crispy potato served with cheesy parmesan, chives, and topped with a dollop of osetera caviar. Need we truly say anymore?!
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THE GIBSON ROOM
Neighborhood: Coral Way
Address: 2224 SW 22nd St
Cuisine: New American, pub
This year Chef Michael Beltran and Ariete Hospitality group transformed The Mighty on Coral Way into The Gibson Room and we loved it.
This neighborhood tavern host vinyl nights, live music programming with elevated cocktails, and pub-style dishes. You almost don’t feel like you’re in Miami until of course, you see the huge marlin (maybe it’s another fish) hanging on the wall or when you read croqueta on the menu.
But it’s also really great that you can go somewhere in Miami, and have a tasty Chicken Schnitzel. This one can be shared and it comes with heirloom tomato, salsa verde, fried egg, and boquerones.
Other favorites included the grilled oysters with garlic butter, parmesan, parsley, and the strozzapreti, which made us feel like a fancy kid. It’s served with Benton’s country ham, bacon, tomato, and crushed red chili flakes. And of course, we washed it down with a House Gibson martini with gin vermouth, sherry, and onions. The Double Smash Burger is also a hit with B&B pickles, special sauce, American cheese, and shaved lettuce.
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AMAL
Neighborhood: Coconut Grove
Address: 3480 Main Hwy
Cuisine: Modern Lebanese
The team behind Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Byblos opened Amal this year in Coconut Grove. The menu features a modern take on Lebanese dishes created by Chef Wissman Baki. Expect a sharing-style menu that includes dips, cold and hot mezze, plus skewers.
The space is so freaking gorgeous and elegant. We could live here because it’s so pretty but honestly because the food is fresh and tasty.
Our favorite dishes include Amal’s hummus served warm with beef tenderloin, pomegranate, and roasted pine nuts; beef kibbeh on a bed of cucumber yogurt; the refreshing and sweet monk salad with roasted eggplant, capsicum peppers, parsley, and a pomegranate garlic emulsion. We don’t usually go for the cauliflower on a menu because it’s always on everyone’s menu. However, you need to try the one at Amal. It comes with a green tahini sauce, Hawaij spice blend, and feta crumble. As far as the main dish, we’d go for the full-fried fish with a parsley tahini sauce.
For dessert, we’d share the sweet and cheesy kanafeh with rose water and the mistkeh ice cream encrusted with pistachios and traditional Middle Eastern cotton candy called Ghazl el Banet on top for the most amazing and fun texture.
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LEVEL 6 ROOFTOP
Neighborhood: Coconut Grove
Address: 3480 Main Hwy
Cuisine: Spanish, tapas
The other great thing about Amal is that they have a rooftop called Level 6 in the same building. So you can always have dinner downstairs at Amal and head upstairs to Level 6 for drinks. It overlooks treetops of the old Florida bayside homes in Coconut Grove and is the perfect spot for Friday night drinks and bites. You can also have a full dinner here.
We loved the tuna tartare and octopus to start. The Wagyu skirt steak is meant for sharing, but we won’t judge if you don’t. Boozy cocktails like the Tia Marmalade are what we’d go for.
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KRÜS KITCHEN
Neighborhood: Coconut Grove
Address: 3413 Main Hwy
Cuisine: Globally-inspired, seasonal kitchen
Krüs Kitchen opened for takeout during the pandemic in 2020 however it wasn’t until this year that we were truly able to experience Krüs. And it’s everything we ever wanted.
If you haven’t been to Krüs Kitchen in Coconut Grove for brunch or dinner, now is the time. Chef Sebastian Vargas and the incredible Krüs team have created a menu from the heart. Everything has been carefully thought out and made from scratch (even the bread and butter).
They’ve got it all…flavor, texture, and even play with different temperatures in certain dishes. This is the food of fine dining except, it’s super chill and you can literally wear sneakers while you sip on an amazing chilled red wine, share a meal and shop their curated market.
Some of our favorite dishes for dinner include the agnolotti stuffed with taleggio cheese, smoked corn, porcini broth, and hazlenut oil; the Krüs bread with an anchovy brown butter, black garlic, and sea salt; and the chitarra with mussel emulsion, caviar, and Meyer lemon.
We haven’t been for their new brunch yet, but we can say with certainty that it will be amazing. On the menu expect a lobster salad with buttermilk leche de tigre, pickled celery, trout roe; the perfect omelet with the option to add uni and/or caviar; and a grass-fed vintage burger with compte cheese, malt vinegar sauce.
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THE HUNGRY POST
PHOTO CREDIT SOFIA DESIGN DISTRICT
Best New Restaurants of 2022
By: Natalie Ortiz, Diana Rodriguez, Isabella Niño, Andrea Becerra
