Miami South Beach Restaurants

[isotope]

My wife and I will be taking our first cruise on the Brilliance in November and we will be staying in Miami for a couple of days before hand. Does anyone have any suggestions for South Beach eateries that won't, say, deflate my wallet?

[vossjemi]

One of the best "cheap" places to eat is the News Cafe. It has indoor and outdoor seating. We ate breakfast there. It was wonderful. Here is the website.

 

http://www.newscafe.com/

 

Also, there are a lot of outdoor restaurants all along Lincoln Road. Some cheap, some not so cheap, but they have big menus on easels so you can decide before sitting down. I also usually check out frommer's recommendations before going anywhere.

 

Here is the link to everything Miami:

 

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/miami/

 

If you click on best dining bets, you can find out frommer's recommendations for all over the city for all types of food. If you click on dining, it will bring you up to a list of all restaurants frommer's considers worth rating. You can modify your search by limiting it to south beach. You can also click on the individual restaurants for blurbs and sometimes there is a link to the restaurant's home page so you can view menus. Happy hunting!

[skybuffalo]

Vossjemi,

Great information. We will spending Nov 26th at the 4 Points by Sheraton Miami Beach and were wondering how to cost the meals in South Beach. It really helps.

Thank you, Ron

[Host Jacquelyn]

If you walk along the strip in South Beach, you'll be able to peruse the menus of the various restaurants. We selected the Cleavlander, and were not disappointed. The food was spectacular, and we sat outside on their "patio" - great ambiance.

[Cruising89143]

I agree with Vossjemi as the News Cafe is a great place for a casual eating spot and also a great location to people watch. Not hard on the wallet either. There is spots all along Ocean Drive. One word of caution. Stay away from the Irish Sports bar that is at the south end of Ocean Drive. I cannot remember the name at the moment but the food sucked along with the service.

[moopig]

Ate at both Tutti's Cafe and Cafeteria in South Beach and both had really good food that was not expensive. You shouldn't have a hard time finding good eats at a moderate price in South Beach.

[LJLB6]

vossjemi and cruisingator2 . . . is the newscafe in the "heart" of South Beach? We wanted to take a taxi to South Beach to eat and then do so shopping and people watching after dinner--wanted to find a restaurant within walking distance of the shops.

[LJLB6]

oops . . should be "do some shopping."

[dramamama]

I would take a cab to Lincoln Road as there are plenty of restaurants and unique shops. It's the best plact for people watching and there's no traffic allowed on Lincoln Road. The strip along South Ocean Drive is usually jammed with people and traffic is congested, especially on a week-end.

[maxxboy]

We've been in South Beach the last two nights before we catch the Radiance in the morning. Although it's been raining we've had a good time. This is our third stay here and have gone to Lincoln Rd several times. I prefer Lincoln Rd for lunch and Ocean Dr/Collins Ave for dinner. Yes it may be crowded on Ocean, but the sight of those Deco hotels all lit up in neon cannot be missed. Plus the beach is right acoss the street.

[vossjemi]

Ron, You are most welcome! Tips like these have really helped me when traveling! I swear by Frommers! I used his books on my trips to Hawaii for some great deals on excursions, condo, b&b, and dining. I also get his budget travel magazine. And, his website has a wealth of info anywhere you want to go. I even check out our ports of call there to see what Frommer's recommends doing & who Frommer's recommends using. Another good website for hotels/dining is www.tripadvisor.com.

 

 

 

Fant-A-Sea,

 

You might want to look up south beach on mapquest to get a good overview of the area, but from my memory ocean drive is the street right across from the beach. The streets at the south end start at first street and work all the way up to the 40s or more as you go north. News Cafe is at 8th and Ocean Drive. We stayed at the blue moon which was 9th and Collins (the street right behind ocean, i think), so the news was close to where we stayed. Lincoln road is closer up around 17 or 18th street, so it was like 8 blocks from where we stayed. Sounds far, but it wasn't really. Everything is outdoors and you can easily walk all up and down sobe for blocks. Just wear your walking shoes!

[mariapd719]

www.mangostropicalcafe.com

 

 

Tell Prescilla I said hi ;)

 

That place is incredible - Food and drinks are good as well as service. The price isnt that bad either. We had this huge nacho thing I think it was like 12 bucks.

3 of us were there for 3 hours and my c.c. came this month and it was 131 bucks and my friend had another 40 on his - but we all ate and we all drank alot of mixed drinks.

[shipknotshore]

mariapd719: Went to the Mango's Tropical Cafe website - OMG what a place that looks to be. I think it looks like a blast. My DH & I will have to check this place out for sure. Thanks for the tip.

vossjemi: Looks like we're going to have to pay the News Cafe a visit while we're there. We'll be in Miami for 2 pre-cruise nights and it sounds like we're getting a couple of good places to try out. Much thanks.

[WeBeCruisin']

We also stayed at the Blue Moon Hotel and it was very nice. We had stayed at the super-modernistic Royal Hotel on the way down and found it a little disappointing. It wasn't nearly as radical as we thought it would be. We were near the News, and it seemed to be very inexpensive and well-located for people-watching. We ate just down the road at the Rendezvous Restaurant, which was the scene of the big shoot-out in "Scarface". The food and service were outstanding, but it was a little expensive. They also had outdoor seating right on Ocean Boulevard across from the beach.

[izodlacoste]

Not cheap but a Miami Beach must do is Joe's stone crabs. The crabs are delicious and a true Florida treat.

 

 

 

For breakfast go to Van Dyke on lincoln road

[dramamama]

Joe's is fabulous. I also ditto the comment about Van Dyke Cafe; It's the best place for people watching on Lincoln Road. You can actually do Mango's and News Cafe as well as Lincoln Road easily in two days pre cruise and have plenty of time for the beach.

[maryr65]

How about Emeril's at the Loew's Hotel for lunch. The food was great and the service outstanding.

[PortugueseLady]

Jerry's Deli can not be missed...that place was amazing..huge with such decor....all types of different things displayed. The menu was amazing (put 3 good size regular menus together) the choices were out of this world..the food was great and the price was just right...we really loved it there and would go back anyday.

 

Lincoln road has amazing blocks filled with restaurants and shops...decorative to a T....each restaurant had its menu/samples of dishes displayed outside...outdoor seating...nice but very pricey...not all but most..really nice place to hang out and have a great dinner...and shop of course....

 

Jerry's is a Must...we plan on heading back to SB and once again plan on visiting Jerry's..

[lovetocruiserccl]

Run Forest Run to Bayside to Bubba Grumps. The food is great and so is the environment. It's like the movie. If you go have the bucket of boat trash. You will truely enjoy it. They also have Hooters and several other popular resturants there. It is a very enjoyable place especially at night. But try Bubbas. I've eaten at Shula's several times but it is very pricey.

[mariapd719]

The thing thats great about Mangos is that you can start the party really early like at noon if u want to. And if you call TJs Tours they will take you back to Ft Lauderdale or wherever at whatever time - even at 2 am if needed

[digital_curator]

It's not in South Beach but has anyone been to Porcao? It's close to the downtown hotels and I am curious about the meal concept but haven't heard much from people who have actually eaten there.

 

Cheers,

[xpcdoojk]

Why do people always recommend Bubba Gumps?:confused: It is a chain. They sell heavily fried food that is good, but hardly unique.

 

I agree with Joe's Stone crabs everyone should eat there at least once if they have the oppurtunity. It is not cheap, but you will leave full. Monty's is, also, good for stone crabs, and is actually a nicer restaurant, but it is not Joe's.

 

I think the Lincoln area would be great for lunch or breakfast. Dinner on Ocean drive can get really pricey. The Clevelander is a great place for snacks and lots and lots of drinks. It usually gets really going on the weekends until very very late!:D

 

jc

[gillyE]

Digital Curator: I've eaten there once. It was very nice and very different. Huge salad bar and then the waiters come around with every type of meat and chicken imaginable on huge skewers and they carve it straight onto your plate as much and as many times as you like. There are the usual sides as well as unusual Brazilian dishes and everything is delicious! We all had our own dessert and coffee. There were 8 of us and we each had an alcoholic drinks (cocktail) and the bill was around $500+ including tip, I think. Hope that's the info you're looking for.

[digital_curator]

Thanks gilly- it sounds very interesting!

 

Cheers,

[Cruising89143]

Why do people always recommend Bubba Gumps?:confused: It is a chain. They sell heavily fried food that is good, but hardly unique.

 

 

jc

I agree. Why travel to Miami and eat at a chain site. To me it is nothing more than a Red Lobster. Too many other places to eat and also with much better food.