Where to Dine Out for the Holidays
Entertaining family and friends this holiday season? Is Chinese food your tradition? Looking for a place to enjoy Christmas brunch? There are plenty of places to choose in South Florida:
MIAMI DADE
Bourbon Steak for Christmas and Christmas Eve, Aventura
WHAT: At Michael Mina’s American steakhouse, the holiday menu includes a choice of appetizers including Chef’s oyster selection, tuna tartare and spicy beef lettuce cups; entrees that include filet mignon, veal chop and ahi tuna; plus sides like truffle mac and cheese ($170 per adult, $80 children 12 and under).
WHEN: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day
WHERE: JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa, 19999 W Country Club Dr.
MORE INFO: Bourbon Steak
Chinese Food at Hakkasan, Komodo, Hutong, Miami and Miami Beach
WHAT: If you celebrate the tradition of eating Chinese foods during the holidays, look to these restaurants: Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel for fine dining, including whole Peking Duck with caviar; Komodo in Brickell with dim sum and Peking Duck; and Hutong in Brickell, serving Northern Chinese cuisine.
WHERE: Hakkasan, 4441 Collins Ave.; Komodo, 801 Brickell; Hutong, 600 Brickell
MORE INFO: Hakkasan; Komodo; Hutong
Christmas Day, Calle 23, Coral Gables
WHAT: Try the Calle Coquito and their Christmas dinner, with dishes like filet mignon or sea bass filet.
WHEN: Christmas Day
WHERE: 230 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
MORE INFO: Calle 23
Christmas Day, Contessa Miami, Design District
WHAT: Luxurious four-course Italian feast features meatballs aldo, ricotta gnudi, roasted turkey, spicy lobster rigatoni, pumpkin ice cream and Boston cream pie ($
WHEN: Christmas Day 2pm-9:30pm
WHERE: 111 NE 41 St.
MORE INFO: Contessa Miami
Christmas Day, Dirty French Steakhouse, Brickell
WHAT: Special prix-fixe menu showcases classics like mushroom millefeuille, lobster ravioli, prime rib or blackened snapper, and opera cake ($150 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Day 2pm-9:30pm
WHERE: 1200 Brickell
MORE INFO: Dirty French Steakhouse
Christmas Day, Phuc Yea, Miami
WHAT: Vietnamese favorites all day, like PY noodles. caramelized chicken wings with housemade pickles, and special pho. Takeout and delivery, too.
WHEN: Christmas Day
WHERE: 7100 Biscayne Blvd.
MORE INFO: Phuc Yea
Christmas Eve. Matador Room, Miami Beach
WHAT: Gather around the nostalgic Festive Tree created by artist Sarah Coleman and enjoy a prix-fixe four-course dinner curated by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten ($165 adults, $55 children).
WHEN: Christmas Eve 6pm-11pm
WHERE: The Miami Beach EDITION, 2901 Collins Ave.
MORE INFO: Matador Room
Christmas Eve at Mau Miami, Midtown
WHAT: Prix-fixe menu choices include carrot ginger soup, salmon stuffed with crab, prime rib roast or rack of lamb, and tiramisu or tres leches ($85 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Eve
WHERE: 3252 NE 1 Ave.
MORE INFO: Mau Miami
Christmas Eve, Playa, Miami Beach
WHAT: Festive five-course feast includes grilled chicken mousse, mini crab cake and pork belly bun, whole branzino, crusted lamb rack and garlic-herb chicken ($250 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Eve, 6pm-close
WHERE: 915 Lincoln Rd.
MORE INFO: Playa
Christmas Eve at Smorgasburg, Wynwood
WHAT: Stroll, taste and shop at Miami’s open-air food market.
WHEN: Christmas Eve noon-7pm
WHERE: 2600 NW Second Ave., next to Wynwood Walls
MORE INFO: Smorgasburg Miami
Christmas Eve Brunch at R House, Wynwood
WHAT: Contemporary cuisine for brunch – cayenne fried chicken, Cuban breakfast croissant with mojo pork, serrano ham, Swiss cheese and scrambled egg – hosted by Miss Ultimate Miami Drag Queen Athena Dion ($50 per person).
WHEN: Dec. 24, 11:30am and 2:30pm
WHERE: 2727 NW 2 Ave.
MORE INFO: R House
Christmas Eve at Osteria Morini, Miami Beach
WHAT: Specials include capesante, paccheri with scallops, brodetto served over branzino, scallops, lobsters, clams and lobster brodo, and chocolate tortino.
WHEN: Christmas Eve, 5-11pm
WHERE: 1750 Alton Rd.
MORE INFO: Osteria Morini
Holiday Cocktails on Brightline
WHAT: If you’re traveling through Brightline stations in December, try their specialty drinks and coffees and stop by their Holiday Market at MiamiCentral. Cocktails like Spice Apple Whisky Mule and Winter Wonderland Cranberry Bramble will be available at Mary Mary, their in-station bar.
WHEN: Special beverages available throughout December. Holiday Market open Dec. 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24.
WHERE: MiamiCentral, 600 NW 1st Ave.
MORE INFO: Brightline
Holiday Dining at Balan’s, Brickell
WHAT: Three-course prix-fixe menu uncludes appetizers like salmon tiradito or beef carpaccio, Christmas turkey or frilled salmon, and apple crumble or vegan chocolate biscuit ($75 per person, children’s menu $37.50).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: Mary Brickell Village, 901 S Miami Ave.
MORE INFO: Balan’s
Holiday Dining at Fi’Lia, Brickell
WHAT: Traditional Italian dishes from Fi’lia’s wood-fired oven. Prime rib carving cart ($55 per person) plus Florentina specials ($42++ each) with a choice of two sides.
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: SLS Brickell Hotel, 1300 S Miami Ave.
MORE INFO: Fi”Lia
Holiday Dining at Issabella’s, Miami Beach
WHAT: Mediterranean three-course prix-fixe menu includes a meze board, gambas al ajillo, grilled branzino, lamb chops and churrasco ($75 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: 1022 Lincoln Rd.
MORE INFO: Issabella’s
Holiday Dining at KAÏA Greek, Coral Gables
WHAT: Get transported to Greece for the holidays. Their four-course prix-fixe menu includes a glass of champagne and Greek dishes in a modern, Bohemian setting ($75 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: 232 Miracle Mile
MORE INFO: KAÏA Greek
Holiday Dining at Lido Restaurant, The Surf Club, Surfside
WHAT: For Christmas Eve, the prix-fixe menu features Christmas cocktails and soulful Italian fare by chef Michael White ($190 per person, $95 for children 5-11). Their Christmas Day Brunch features dining favorites and sweet surprises ($150 per person, $55 for children 5-11).
WHEN: Christmas Eve, 6-10pm, Christmas Day 11:30am-3pm
WHERE: Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, 9011 Collins Ave.
MORE INFO: Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club
Holidays at Lightkeepers, Key Biscayne
WHAT: Enjoy Christmas Eve dinner and holiday brunch overlooking the Atlantic. Christmas Eve is a la carte; the holiday brunch includes caviar, sushi and chilled seafood spread, carving stations and sweet treats ($275++ per adult and $59++ per child).
WHERE: The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, 455 Grand Bay Dr.
WHEN: Dec. 24 5:30-10:30; Dec. 25 12:30pm-4pm
MORE INFO: Lightkeepers
Isabelle’s Grill Room and Garden, Coconut Grove
WHAT: Celebrate Christmas Eve in an enchanting garden oasis with a five-course meal that includes roasted chestnut soup, beet and citrus carpaccio, rubbed beef tenderloin and Black Forest chocolate cake ($165++ per adult, $65++ per child). On Christmas Day, try the brunch buffet ($145++ per adult, $55++ per child 5-12).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: The Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove, 3300 SW 27 Ave.
MORE INFO: Isabelle’s
Jaya at the Setai, Miami Beach
WHAT: East meets West for the holidays, with dishes like duck confit salad, baked grouper and a 32-oz Tomahawk for Christmas Eve, and a Christmas Brunch ($135 per adult, $75 per child 5-12).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: The Setai Hotel, 2001 Collins Ave.
MORE INFO: The Setai Hotel
Night Before Christmas, Negroni Midtown
WHAT: Four-course prix-fixe dinner with a choice between a fusion menu and a Nikkei sushi bar, plus a welcome drink and glass of champagne ($90 per person)
WHEN: Dec. 24
WHERE: The Shops at Midtown, 3201 Buena Vista Blvd.
MORE INFO: Negroni
Nochebuena and Christmas Day, Toro Toro, Miami
WHAT: Dine at a pan-Latin holiday feast. For Christmas Eve and Day, try a prix-fixe menu that includes crispy pork belly, hamachi tiradito, truffle caesar, half lab rack, mojo-brined pork tomahawk and sea bass al carbon ($99++ per person).
WHEN: Dec. 24 and Dec. 25
WHERE: InterContinental Miami, 100 Chopin Plaza
MORE INFO: Toro Toro
Rosie’s at Home Christmas Kits
WHAT: Take home a Christmas Brunch from chef Akino West. The kit feeds two people ($130) or four ($250) and includes smoked salmon benedict, buttermilk biscuits with Lake Meadows eggs and Rosie’s signature crispy chicken, Wagyueria bacon served with a shaved melon salad and southern polenta, and a vottle of Prosecco and 305 Squeeaed tangerine juice.
WHEN: Pre-order starting Mon., Dec. 19 and ready for pickup on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
WHERE: 7127 NW 2 Ave.
MORE INFO: 305-631-2496 or Rosie’s: The Backyard
Tropical Nochebuena, Mamey at THesis Hotel, Coral Gables
WHAT: Enjoy a family-style Caribbean island Christmas from chef Niven Patel, with dishes like Key West pink shrimp ceviche, smoky jerk chicken and cuatro leches ($85 per person).
WHEN: Dec. 24
WHERE: THesis Hotel, 1350 S Dixie Hwy.
MORE INFO: Mamey
BROWARD
Christmas Eve at La Fuga, Fort Lauderdale
WHAT: Celebrate with the Feast of the Seven Fishes, including cioppino, insalata di rucola e calamari and salt cod frittelle.
WHEN: Dec. 24
WHERE: Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, 2900 Riomar St.
MORE INFO: La Fuga
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Burlock Coast, Fort Lauderdale
WHAT: Christmas Eve Dinner is a feast that includes chopped salad, 26-oz prime rib and a Christmas tree brownie ($129 per person); for their Christmas Day Feast, the family-style three-course dinner includes brown butter gnocchi, butternut squash soup, braised short rib and yule log Spekulatins ($119 per person).
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
WHERE: The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale, 1 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
MORE INFO: Burlock Coast
Christmas Brunch at Loma Cocina and Tequileria
WHAT: Enjoy a Mexican feast for the holidays. In addition to the guacamole bar, and stations for tacos, ceviche and omelets and waffles. there will be a carving station, a tamale station and a churro bar ($60++ per person).
WHEN: Christmas Day, 11:30am-3pm
WHERE: The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, 321 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
MORE INFO: Lona Restaurant
