10 Can’t-Miss Spots for Outdoor Dining in Miami

If you’re looking for a meal with a spectacular view, check out Amara at Paraiso, perched right on Biscayne Bay. Headed up by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, the restaurant serves a Latin American menu that includes Florida yellowtail snapper and locally caught stone crab. For an excellent midweek happy hour or Saturday brunch (hello, bottomless rosé!), snag a scenic seat on the upper deck.

Casa Florida is three outdoor spaces in one, allowing diners to choose their ideal atmosphere. “The Playground” features a ping pong table and a renovated 1969 transit bus that serves as a cocktail lounge. For the second setting, head up to “the Deck” to grab a drink from the shipping container turned bar and DJ booth. Lastly, “the Lawn” consists of socially distanced tables to eat dishes such as tuna tostadas or zucchini carpaccio. To make a day out of it, book the bottomless mimosas experience on OpenTable. Check out the special experiences available at this restaurant, which include bottomless mimosas at brunch and the Disco Florida, a bottled cocktail fit for multiple people.

Simple preparations of locally sourced ingredients define the menu at this airy Design District spot from James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz. The menu rotates often to accommodate seasonal changes, but always includes a variety of fresh caught seafood and creatively prepared vegetables. Enjoy dishes such as wood-roasted grouper and sun shrimp tacos while sitting on the outdoor patio, surrounded by potted plants and twinkling lights.

At Fuego y Mar, the menu is influenced by Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan, and Colombian cuisines, with a focus on fresh and simple ingredients. Located inside the Ritz-Carlton on South Beach, the restaurant has outdoor seating with full views of the pool and ocean. The Sunday brunch draws a crowd, partly thanks to its omelet and carving stations with unlimited mimosas or bellinis to boot.

With an expansive patio beneath a canopy of trees next to a spacious open-air bar and restaurant, there’s not a bad seat in the house at Glass & Vine. The contemporary American menu features a variety of locally sourced options and classics with a South Florida twist. Enjoy dishes such as nori-crusted tuna and grilled miso salmon, or sip on brunch cocktails between bites of the corn cereal-crusted French toast.

Venture to Miami’s Upper East Side to dine at Vista, an Italian restaurant with two outdoor seating areas: a flourishing plant-filled garden and a soaring rooftop deck. The restaurant’s menu ranges from noodles to proteins, with dishes such as pasta filled with pear and taleggio cheese, chicken piccata, and lamb cavatelli.

MILA is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on Lincoln Road that boasts a 5,000-square-foot rooftop deck with a bohemian vibe and an upscale menu to match the surroundings. Stop in for signature dishes such as Wagyu beef carpaccio with onion jam and salted seaweed, and sweet-spicy soy glazed salmon with a panzanella tomato salad. Looking for a special occasion brunch? Check out the two-hour, shareable, multi-course menu, which includes options such as eggs Benedict with blood orange hollandaise sauce and corn on the cob with feta cream. Check out the special New Year’s Eve experience available at this restaurant.

Layla, a cozy spot serving shareable Mediterranean delights, is tucked inside the Kayak Hotel. Start with mezze platters before digging into larger plates such as the roasted eggplant and Moroccan salmon. Dine outside along the quiet Collins Canal under shimmering lights and plenty of greenery or enjoy a special chef’s dinner served family-style on the rooftop.

Right off 79th Street along an often overlooked canal is Tigre, a quaint spot that’s inspired by the bistros often found in Buenos Aires. The leafy outdoor patio offers views of manatees happily floating by. Honing in on the Argentinian theme, the menu is heavy on meat offerings such as the 36-hour beef ribs, churrasco, and a beef and bone marrow burger — but there’s also plenty of seafood for those who aren’t carnivores.