epic hotel dining suggestions

we will be departing on Feb 14 on the explorer and staying the the Regent chosen Epic hotel. if anyone has stayed the could you let us know how it is and where is a good place to eat nearby, or even not so near if worth the commute. also how far is it to the ship?

We just stayed at the Epic on Jan. 3rd. It's a beautiful hotel, no doubt about it! Dining in the hotel is rather pricey, but had two nice options....one Japanese/sushi and another near the pool. I don't recall exactly what they were featuring, but both were expensive. They may very well be good, but we didn't feel like a big meal. Also from 5-6 there is a complementary wine reception in the lobby for all guests. It was very nice. We opted to walk over a block and got some "to go" plates from Whole Foods take out buffet. Breakfast was good and included just about everything you could want....very good coffee. The hotel is probably a couple of miles from the port. We could see our ship from our balcony.

The Epic/K is located close to many eating/dining venues. On the nearby/next corner there is a large, Daniel Boulud restaurant. It's happy hour includes wonderfully fresh oysters at a very good price. Across the street is Wolfgang Puck's. For the more casual approach, there is Subway, a large Whole Foods, and several small, ethnic restaurants.

You probably have free transfers to port...otherwise it is approximately a $15 cab fare, so nearby.

Zuma is the extremely popular Asian Fusion restaurant in the Epic Hotel. We just celebrated our anniversary there, after being very impressed at lunch there three years ago. The tempura grouper was amazing (a large portion we shared and the best value on the menu), as was the foie gras and tempura soft shell crab. My wife enjoyed their salads. The waiter can make recommendations. Ask for an outside table if you don't appreciate noise.

For the morning, there is a wonderful espresso/regular specialty brewed coffee and croissants place within a 5-minute walk called Eternity Coffee Roasters. Panther Coffee is good too.

I was extremely impressed with their food. We ate at their restaurant on the 16th floor. Very limited menu but delicious. Breakfast was delicious too. I will try Zuma since someone mentioned it here. I love Asian food. This is a fabulous place. We loved it.

We live in Miami, and Zuma is "THE" Asian restaurant in the city. The food is yummy, and yes the prices are high. It's hard to get a reservation the day of on the weekends.

There are lots of good restaurants at a lower price point within walking distance of the Epic.

There are lots of restaurants in the area.

We speak close to a week in Miami each year usually at the Four Seasons (about a mile away) but stayed at the Epic Hotel this past late December/early January.

I don't like to answer a question with a question but sharon2975 what type of food do you like as there is a wide range of options within a 5 to 15 minute walk of the hotel in addition to those inside. That would help when it comes to recommendations.

The hotel is about a ten minute or less ride from the Port Of Miami.

We usually get a private car when we stay at the Four Seasons (further away) to take us to the port and originally planned to just take a taxi. However, the night before we decided let's try Uber as we have never done that before and our family, friends and others we know on Cruise Critic have had good experiences so we took the plunge.

It was a wise decision. Within a few minutes someone was there. We had requested a larger SUV vehicle for a slightly higher price. It was a professional or even more so then a private car transfer. In fact, my guess is that the person who picked us up also works for a private vehicle company or it's his own business.

I decided to edit this with some additional advice. I am not sure what type of room you got at the Epic. We had a suite on their club floor so it was on a higher floor. If you booked more of a standard room on a lower floor I had read on Travel Adviser that if you are on the side facing the street towards the bridge on Brickell that the traffic noise at night when you are trying to sleep can be bothersome. This was also confirmed to me by two personnel who work at the club lounge and perform concierge responsibilities in addition to the other function in the lounge.

Just wanted you to know.

Also there is a new mall that opened only a few months ago. It is Brickell Centre which is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the hotel. I was very impressed with the number of stores already there and in the coming months and probably year many more stores are going into the mall as are restaurants. There is a lounge at the top of the new hotel that is also there called Sugar that gets wonderful reviews.

Keith

Regent booked our room, so not sure what they requested. Thanks for the heads up, I will have my TA put in a request.

As to the food we like, we eat almost everything. Would appreciate any recommendations.

Regent booked our room, so not sure what they requested. Thanks for the heads up, I will have my TA put in a request.

As to the food we like, we eat almost everything. Would appreciate any recommendations.

OK, I'll add another restaurant to the mix.

Within a ten minute walk from the hotel is Truluck's.

We have dined there three times and most recently on 12/31/16. :)

I highly recommend it.

This will take you to the website for their Miami Location.

https://trulucks.com/locations/miami-florida/

From there you can view a menu.

Seafood and Steak are what they are known for.

Keith

I would compare Truluck's to a Capital Grill both have very good steak and seafood but their real specialty lean toward aged beef. Capital Grill is also on Brickell and right before the bridge. We like Capital Grill better because of the ambiance. Both these restaurants are on the high end side.

Also walkable is Wolfgangs Steak House, our choice when we want a fabulous Tbone steak for two. It ranks up there with Peter Lugars in Brooklyn. Wolfgang ran Lugars for many years. For fabulous Italian we like Gabianos located just under Wolfgangs. Both enjoy a waterfront river view with covered outdoor seating if desired.

Forgot about Wolfgangs another excellent dining venue. For excellent Cuban cuisine is Delores, But You Can Call Me Lolita. This was a old Fire House and the patio upstairs is wonderful. Right off Brickell. 1000 South Miami Ave.

Check out the menu.

Check out the menu at Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita

https://yelp.com/menu/dolores-but-you-can-call-me-lolita-miami/main-menu?utm_source=ishare&utm_medium=menu

Just a note on all the restaurants I mentioned above, be sure to make reservations as all these venues are always busy.