The Best Restaurants near Little River
Miami’s thriving food scene starts here
May
01
2025
Keep this guide handy the next time you’re exploring Little River and its neighboring areas.
If you’re serious about good food, you’re exactly where you need to be—whether that’s Little River, Little Haiti, MiMo, or Buena Vista. Tucked between strip malls and vintage motels is one of Miami’s most exciting food scenes. From hidden gems to neighborhood staples, we’ve rounded up our favorite spots that make this area worth the trip. Scroll through and discover where to eat around Little River.
BAR BUCCE
Address: 7220 N Miami Ave
Cuisine: Italian, pizza, wine bar
Within a week of opening, we’ve already been twice to Bar Bucce—which should tell you everything you need to know. It’s quickly become one of our favorite new spots in Miami, so of course it earned a spot on our list of best restaurants in/near Little River. We’ve been craving more casual places like Bar Bucce, and we’re so glad the team behind Macchialina knew exactly how to read our minds.
Bar Bucce is a lot of things. It’s a marketplace where you can pick up ready-to-heat Baked Zitis, scratch-made pasta sauces, and an incredible wine selection curated by co-owner Jacqueline Pirolo. (Take a bottle to go or pop it open there for a $20 corkage fee.) You’ll also find rare olive oils, Italian Galeffi Effervescent Antacid, and fun snacks perfect for hosting at home.
It’s also a casual counter-service restaurant where you order at the register and choose your seat. There are limited tables inside and a lively, spacious outdoor patio. If you sit at the indoor/outdoor bar, the team will take your order from there.
Chef Michael Pirolo has crafted a fun menu featuring antipasti, grilled dishes, pizzas, salumi & cheese, and a little gelato for dessert. Start with the house-made Porchetta di Casa—paper thin and full of flavor—and the Blu di Capra, an Italian goat milk cheese served with hazelnuts and mostarda jam. Don’t skip the Shrimp Pie topped with tomato, cream, rock shrimp, sweet onion, and stracciatella. Pair it with the Zucchini Scapece with garlic, mint, and white balsamic, or the Grilled Shrooms with chickpeas, jalapeño, artichokes, and pickled eggplant.
The best part? You don’t need a reservation. Bar Bucce is fully walk-in, casual, and exactly what the neighborhood needs.
SUNNY’S
Address: 7357 NW Miami Ct
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Sunny’s Steakhouse, created by the talented team behind Jaguar Sun, is where we want to live. If they allowed it, we’d bring our sleeping bag and stay there forever. It’s the best backdrop for all occasions—your go-to neighborhood bar for a chill terrace hang, a destination for happy hour cocktails, the setting for an intimate date night, a lively group dinner party, and where we want to celebrate all our birthdays.
The space features a charming outdoor courtyard with its iconic banyan tree. Inside, there’s a sleek stainless-steel kitchen, a dining room with old-school Palm Beach charm, an incredible indoor bar with golden lights, and an outdoor terrace bar for a more casual night out.
You can expect top-notch service and killer cocktails like the Circus Permit, a delicious take on the spicy margarita with watermelon and elderflower. Of course, all your favorite variations of martinis are available. On the menu, you’ll find playful questions like “Feeling flirty?” or “Feeling nerdy?” Choose your path, and the amazing team will guide you from there. We’re also obsessed with their new Mezcal Service—a must for any dinner party. It comes with a flask of smooth Espadin Mezcal, homemade sangrita, and a slice of orange with tajin.
As for the food, there wasn’t a dish we didn’t love. Favorites like Hiramasa, Corn Agnolotti with blue crab, and Wagyu Carpaccio make a return. New highlights include the Fluke in a strawberry aguachile and KO Egg with ossetra caviar, Lamb Saddle, Duck Cavatelli, and Rotisserie Chicken, which we paired with all the salsas—don’t skip any of them. The Hanger Steak is reasonably priced and just as good as you’d expect, and the potato butter, XO sauce, and Béarnaise are perfect for dipping those crispy fries.
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MAGIE WINE GARDEN
Address: 8281 NE 2nd Ave
Cuisine: Mediterranean, wine bar
If you’re looking for an elevated yet playful wine bar—think Lagniappe but mostly indoors—stop by Magie. This casual and cozy counter-service spot, inspired by the Mediterranean “tin-to-table” lifestyle, is located in the former Sherwoods Bistro on NE 2nd Avenue. Created by Miami restaurateur Caroline Strauss, Magie offers curated snacks, craft beer, and a wine list primarily from Spain and Portugal, focused on lesser-known grapes that are biodynamic, organic, and produced in small batches. The menu features dino chicken nugs with caviar and the Caesar Fries, which is a Caesar salad tossed with French fries. They get us.
Designed by Sofia Cirincione, the space blends old-world café elegance with neighborhood charm, featuring dark tones, mismatched furniture, and eclectic knick-knacks. Magie is more than just a bar—it’s a community hub, hosting live music, showcasing local artists, and putting on weekly events inspired by Strauss’s travels to Barcelona and Ibiza. They also have a pasta night every Wednesday by Chef Ivan Barros.
CONVENTILLO
Address: 749 NE 79th St
Cuisine: Argentinean, cocktail bar
Conventillo is the newest neighborhood hangout spot for date night or drinks with friends. Tucked behind Battubelin in Little River, it’s designed to feel like un patio de un conventillo en Buenos Aires—a cozy backyard space full of charm and character.
Start with the Aperitivo Plate or Tagliere Board for piqueos, then move on to cocktails like the Mate Highball, Tango Sour, and a Fernet-forward Espresso Martini. There’s also a customizable martini and negroni service and large-format cocktails made for groups. The menu leans Italian-Argentinean and is designed for sharing, offering small plates and aperitivos during dinner hours. After 9:30 PM, they also serve pizza and Pasta Bolognese, making it an ideal late-night stop. Check their Instagram profile for updates on their music programming.
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WALRUS RODEO
Address: 5143 NE 2nd Avenue
Cuisine: Wood-fired kitchen
Walrus Rodeo, Boia De’s sister restaurant located in the same Little Haiti shopping center, is one of our favorite spots for wine, pizza, lasagna, and Italian-esque dishes. It’s def not traditional Italian, but there is a modern Italian take throughout the dishes.
The menu theme is “charred”. They’re all about those wood-fired oven flavors with dishes like the Charbroiled Island Creek Oyster and Charred Bone Marrow. From the pizza selection (a.k.a Za’s), don’t skip the Nonno Za with speck, mascarpone, and basil. We need you to order the Beef Carpaccio with tomato vinaigrette, spinach, and mushrooms, and the Kale Salad with chickpeas, walnut vinaigrette, and pecorino pica
Finally, order their signature Mustard Green Lasagna with lamb ragu, grana padano, and stracchino. This is truly a one-of-a-kind lasagna. Get it.
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WABI SABI
Address: 851 NE 79th St
Cuisine: Japanese, sushi
Like a kid in a candy store, this is how we feel when dining at Wabi Sabi. It’s a sushi wonderland where you can pick, choose, mix, and match all the Japanese flavors and textures.
This light wooden space with an origami wall is your friendly (yet elevated) neighborhood spot offering elegant and simple pieces of sushi made with seasonal fish and hard-to-find ingredients. The menu is pretty straightforward, featuring sushi platters, makis, sashimi, nigiri, temaki, and donburi bowls. But the FRESH sushi and hand rolls are what make us so, so, so happy (and yet, a little torn at the same time as it can get hard to decide because everything is so good).
From the moment you step in, you’ll feel a sense of coziness. This place is special. Embrace this warm-hearted feeling, let the team take care of you, and prepare for a well-deserved sushi feast.
This is your game plan at Wabi Sabi. Start with the Nigiri Omakase, which includes 12 pieces and 1 maki for $100. Share it with one other person (ask them to give you the six best pieces of the day). From the maki section, you’re getting the Negihama with hamachi, scallions, and wasabi, the Eel Cucumber and Avocado maki, or the California maki made with wild blue crab (a simple game changer). Finally, end the meal with a couple of hand rolls. A little pro tip, you can elevate your hand rolls by adding “fun ingredients”, just ask Bruno for help and get as creative as you want! We love the Sake hand roll (torched) with added Ikura, the smoky and warm Atlantic salmon is balanced with the cool and salty salmon roe. The runner-ups are the Botan Ebi (sweet shrimp) hand roll and the Hamachi hand roll (add mushrooms to this one, trust us).
Oh, and if you’re hungry and craving algo bien caserito, order the Soba noodles with Ikura and nori. It’s a silent menu dish, they’ll be shocked you even know about this (IYKYK).
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OGAWA
Address: 7223 NW 2nd Ave
Cuisine: Japanese, sushi, omakase
Tucked away in Little River, the team behind Wabi Sabi has opened its fourth and newest Japanese restaurant, which earned a well-deserved Michelin Star.
Right next to a railroad crossing, you’ll arrive at an unpretentious and minimalistic house. Immediately when entering, you’ll feel as if you’ve landed in Japan.
As you turn the corner of the dining room, you will be met with the most impeccably set Omakase bar. Feel free to enjoy a pre-dinner drink in their peaceful Japanese garden in the back or take a seat and get ready for Chef Masayuki and Chef Royce’s thoughtful Omakase journey.
At Ogawa, intimacy and ‘kikubari’ (the Japanese art of caring for others) are valued at the highest level. This very personal dinner experience for 11 guests at a time focuses on seasonal and unique Japanese ingredients flown in daily. The first part consists of crudos with cooked dishes from the kitchen between each course. Next, you’ll move on to the most incredible sushi flight, followed by a miso soup, and finish off with desserts (that’s not a typo, there’s more than one).
Our favorite dishes when we went included the best Hotate Nigiri we’ve seriously ever had, balanced with a touch of Key lime and salt (we literally won’t shut up about it); the Ensui Hokkaido Uni Gunkanmaki which is preserved in salt water so you can taste the Uni right from its natural habitat; the Uni and Ikura Hand Roll; and a special shout out to the Matcha Mochi Cookie Anko with Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) Ice Cream by Chef Jamie, picture your childhood Whoopie Pie but soooooo much better.
Going to Ogawa is for a special occasion and for those who love and appreciate Japanese culture. It’s pricey but SO worth it.
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THE CITADEL
Address: 8300 NE 2nd Ave
Cuisine: Food hall
If you are looking for a place that lets you eat good, drink good, and do a little bit of retail therapy, then look no further. Supporting local is the motto here, with maker-driven retail and local artisanal vendors. Inspired by all the great public gathering spaces that you can find around the world, the Citadel brings that concept to life in the Little River neighborhood. Cuisines from a variety of different backgrounds come to life in this food hall. Whether you are in the mood for Italian, some Caribbean flair, or even seafood, you will find that all your cravings can be satisfied.
We recommend checking out The Shores for some Maryland Crab Cakes and a Fried Oyster Sandwich. If you are in the mood for a classic, then check out USBS Burgers and fries and order yourself a Smoke Signal Burger with a side of fries. If you are looking for one of the best Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. You have to try Stanzione 87. Their dough is fermented for a minimum of 72 hours. Get the Pepperoni & Pesto with fior di latte, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, and pesto; and the Carbonara, cream base pizza with fior di latte, black pepper, bacon, and egg yolk. We also love Poke-San for their poke bowls. Make sure to build your own, and as for protein, pick yellowtail. They also have delicious Kani rolls made with crab stick salad, masago dressing, sushi rice, wrapped in pink soy paper, and served with warm sesame soy vinaigrette. Oh, and for an amazing clarified espresso martini, head up to the second floor and order the Maskinganna at Bar Kaiju.
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OFF SITE
Address: 8250 NE 2nd Ave
Cuisine: American
Located in Little River, this nano-brewery packs a big punch in great beer and incredible food. Offsite opened back in November of 202,1 and it’s no secret that what they are pushing out is badass beer and bites. Every dish is an example of how good a classic can be. Get yourself the Fish Dip, Dry Aged Burger, Country Cuban Sandwich, and Champion Dog with curry mustard and everything seasoning. They also have their version of the Pub Sub. A bold move, and now we need to go try it.
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TRAN AN
Address: 215 NE 82nd St
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Chef Jon Nguyen takes influence from his family’s hometown in Hanoi to curate a menu of classics ranging from pho, Bánh mìi, and salads.
Situated in a little strip between El Portal and Little River, Tran An welcomes you in with a warm family environment and soul-touching dishes. So, if you are looking for a place that will instantly satisfy those cozy hometown feels, then make your way over. Some of our favorites include the Vietnamese Chicken Slaw with shredded white cabbage, red onion, herbs, and crispy garlic. The Green Papaya Salad with red onion, pickled slaw, and herbs dressed in Grandma Sauce, topped with crushed peanuts, and the Chicken Pho with red onion, pickled bean sprouts, and herbs.
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BOIA DE
Address: 5205 NE 2nd Ave
Cuisine: Modern Italian
If you’ve driven past an unassuming strip mall and seen a glowing pink exclamation point, then you have found your destination. Since 2019, Boia De has consistently delivered some of the best food in Miami, if not the best food. So naturally, it’s challenging to score a table at Boia De.
Yes, you will find a tiramisu on the menu, however, this isn’t a traditional Italian
Order the Crispy Polenta with marinated eggplant and ricotta salata, or Luci’s Chopped Salad to start (one of our favorite salads in Miami). If they’re in season, get the Baby Artichokes with brown butter hollandaise and pine nuts. Work yourself down to the pasta section and try out the Bufala Ricotta Gnocchi Pomodoro and the Tagliolini Nero (served cold) with king crab, vin juane, truffle, and herbs. End the meal with a Crispy Tiramisu or Carrot Cake. You really can’t go wrong here with whatever you order.
They do add new dishes to the menu here and there, so make sure to ask for what’s new. Reservations are highly recommended; however, if you are flexible, they do accept walk-ins at the bar.
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