The best new restaurants of 2021
The best places we ate in Miami this year
Dec
17
2021
These are the best new restaurants of 2021 by The Hungry Post team.
The Hungry Post team spends a good amount of time eating out. And each year we ask our content creators and writers to share with us their favorite new restaurants of the year.
There’s something here for everyone. From tacos with the best corn tortillas, New York pizza slices, and an unpretentious wine bar with inventive dishes, just to name a few. These are places that bring a smile to our faces and keep us going.
To all the people behind these restaurants: thank you for doing what you do everyday. We’re so grateful.
1. UCHI MIAMI
Neighborhood: Wynwood
Address: 252 NW 25th St
Cuisine: Japanese
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2021 brought many new restaurants from other cities to Miami. And Uchi is the only out-of-state spot that made it on this list. From Austin to Miami, Uchi is one of our favorite reasons to stop by Wynwood. This modern Japanese restaurant with sleek design elements is welcoming and matches the dining experience you’re about to have. The menu consists of delicate flavors with an emphasis on texture. Sure, they have a sushi and sashimi section but we’re here for their specials, cool and hot tasting dishes. Such as the hama chili with yellowtail, ponzu, Thai chili, and orange, a bright and refreshing representation of Uchi. The menu is extensive but the Uchi team are excellent guides for choosing some of the best dishes in the house. This is the sort of place you’re going to want to return and choose different dishes every time.
By: SOFIA BOUZID
2. DOYA
Neighborhood: Wynwood
Address: 347 NW 24th St
Cuisine: Aegean Meze
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It’s safe to say that we’ve had the best octopus in Miami and now it’s your turn to try it. Doya, located in Wynwood is serving Aegean flavors from the coast of Turkey. Think herbs, refreshing dishes with lots of olive oil, and dips galore.
At Doya, there’s something in the air. The hospitality is top-notch and you don’t feel like you are in Miami (and we mean that as a compliment). You’re coming to Doya for the ambiance, the service, and a meze dining experience. Sit at the bar or in front of the open kitchen for all the action.
Our favorite dip is the Cretan feta with peppers, Kalamata olive oil, garlic, pistachios, and walnuts. You can’t leave without trying the manti, beef dumplings, drenched in a garlic yogurt sauce. As well as the Adana kebab with chopped spiced lamb served on lavash bread and a side of onions and parsley. We recommend you also get the haydari garlic-based yogurt dip with burnt butter and mint to top off your kebab.
By: Alexis Marsowicz
3. CASA ISOLA
Neighborhood: Miami Beach
Address: 1418 20th St
Cuisine: Italian
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This year we saw many new Italian restaurants land in Miami. And Casa Isola was that one spot that brought us a cozy Italian red sauce experience. Chef Jose Mendin and Chef Santo Agnello have embraced Italian American cooking in Sunset Harbor with dishes like the Rigatoni Alla Vodka and Pane al Proscuitto. Get the family gathered around the table for some Sunday Gravy that will have you licking the plate. This is a true home away from home meal.
By: Natalie Ortiz
4. WINKER’S DINER
Neighborhood: Miami Beach
Address: 1575 Alton Rd
Cuisine: Comfort Food diner
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Winker’s Diner in Miami Beach stands out as the freshest new day-to-night restaurant under the fading Firestone sign. The art deco-inspired color palette is a classic backdrop for a stacked Reuben and boozy milkshake. For that Miami bod, we loved the Lobster Cobb salad.
By: Diana Rodriguez
5. ELEVENTH STREET PIZZA
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1035 N Miami Ave
Cuisine: Pizza
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Branding? They’ve got it. A good Sicilian slice? That too. Ingredients from all over the world? Yup! This pizza shop is giving Miami its long-awaited New York slice, even offering pizza by the slice, something that many pizzerias don’t partake in down here. With Carmine cheese, Wild shroom, and hot honey slices, there’s something for everyone. Located in Downtown, Eleventh Street Pizza can be a casual outing on the way to the FTX arena or a cute date night with some wine and a shareable pie.
By: Alexa Sklavounos
6. HOJA TAQUERIA
Neighborhood: Miami Beach
Address: 3120 Collins Ave
Cuisine: Mexican
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If you’re a fan of authentic Mexican food, you need to add Hoja Taqueria to your list. Their tortillas are made in-house and vary according to the corn in season from Mexico. We love that they talk about the corn they are using every time you step into the restaurant. It elevates your outing and it’s great to learn something new. All the tacos are a must, but our ultimate favorite is the sweet potato taco. It’s unexpected and full of flavor.
By: Alejandra Cangas
7. LUCA OSTERIA
Neighborhood: Coral Gables
Address: 116 Giralda Ave
Cuisine: Italian
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Luca Osteria is the newest restaurant by Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli. Tapping into his Italian background, Rapicavoli has created a fresh and inventive menu where every ingredient has a purpose. If you’re dining with one other person we recommend a seat at the bar. We also love sitting outside, especially when the weather is nice and we can people watch.
Start with the grilled mushrooms and grilled heirloom carrots and then definitely try to order a few pastas to share. Some of our favorites are the pasta al limone and the truffle pasta. Make sure to leave some room for dessert and order the pistachio semifreddo.
By: Isabel Ortega
8. LOS FELIX
Neighborhood: Coconut Grove
Address: 3413 Main Highway
Cuisine: Indigenous Mexican Inspired
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When we say best corn tortilla in Miami, we mean it. From the same owners of Krus Kitchen comes a second Grassfed Culture Hospitality concept: Los Felix. It’s all about corn here. Founders Pili Restrepo, Josh Hackler, and chef Sebastián Vargas have created a menu that respects and follows the traditional and almost extinct Milpa farming techniques of heirloom corn. So yes, the star of their dishes is corn. However, the way Chef Sebastian Vargas incorporates different flavors and textures is what will make your mouth drop.
If you love natural wine, they’ve got lots of options. You’re going here for the food, the wines but also the vibe. They play records on vinyl on Friday and Saturday night with a late-night happy hour from 10 PM – 12 AM. See you under the disco ball.
By: Isabella Niño
9. MIMI’S
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Address: 2501 Biscayne Blvd
Cuisine: American
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This year, Edgewater welcomed a new neighborhood favorite from the team that brought us Benh Mi. Mimi’s is a casual bistro serving upscale American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Chef Benjamin Murray has curated a menu with something for everyone. Our favorite dishes are Mimi’s classic Burger, a 6-ounce patty with sherry caramelized onions, smoke pickle mayo, and American cheese; and the Chicken and Eggs, extra-crunchy fried chicken served with an ounce of caviar, creme fraiche, and chives.
By: Sarah Dunn
10. PARADIS BOOKS & BREAD
Neighborhood: North Miami
Address: 12831 W Dixie Hwy
Cuisine: Café
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Hello, intellectuals out there! We’ve found your dream bookstore and it comes with a natural wine bar, yummy baked goods, and rectangular pizza slices baked in-house. Located in North Miami, Paradis is a great spot to post up and work remotely, especially when you’re sick of seeing the same four walls of your apartment.
A change of scenery would be more than nice and it’s complete with oatmeal date cookies, sourdough bread, crumb cake, and more breakfast items. Stick around for dinner. Grab a bottle from their carefully selected unpretentious wines and munch on the tinned mussels escabeche served with sourdough, seaweed butter, and burnt lemon, a slice of the lamb pizza with tomato, spiced lamb, red onions, cumin labneh, and mint.
By: Michelle Mora
11. ZITZ SUM
Neighborhood: Coral Gables
Address: 396 Alhambra Cir Suite 155
Cuisine: Asian
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Waow, Waow! Talk about consistency and the element of surprise. Zitz Sum is one of the best things to happen to Miami in 2021. This restaurant warms our soul and has us dancing in our seats, dish after dish. It’s one of those places where you can close your eyes, point at something blindly on the menu and we’ll put our hand on fire that it will be good.
The Dim Sum & Izakaya concept by Chef Pablo Zitzmann is inspired by Japanese and Chinese street food with a Miami twist. The menu is constantly evolving and we’re always pleasantly surprised by the delicious and balanced dishes that chef Pablo comes up with. Aquí lo que hay es talento!
The dumplings are hand-rolled daily. Our favorite is the wontons in brodo with the most amazing Parmesan broth we’ve ever had. Don’t skip the new tuna with miso onion soubise, macadamia, Parmigiano, aonori and white soy. And as for staples, we’ll always go for the Korean style tartare hand roll with tobiko, egg salad, and nori.
By: Andrea Becerra
12. NIU WINE
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 134 NE 2nd Ave
Cuisine: Wine bar, Mediterranean
The former NIU Kitchen which became Wine Medium during the pandemic is now NIU Wine and it deserves a spot on this list. It’s a true wine bar where Karina Iglesias will open up any wine bottle for you to try anything and everything. “Less is more” is the vibe at the new NIU Wine. The wine selections are beautiful, the food is spectacular and the playlist is weirdly perfect. Come here with your dearest friends. The ones that love good food and wine.
Chef July Salazar has created a small menu of dishes that change often and are presented on a chalkboard. Karina and Chef July have put their heart and soul into every dish and glass of wine poured. They are an example to follow and we hope for more restaurants like this in 2022.
Dishes we loved include the tomato salad with anchovies, a NY strip carpaccio with saffron, aioli, green olives, and crispy shallots. The aesida ras el hanout, an almond and garlic-based dip with grapes is as rich in history as it is in flavor. Oh and don’t miss the morels shroom risotto.
