Comfort Foods in Miami

5478 Sunset Dr., South Miami Coral Gables/S. Miami

786-216-7754

Bakery, Bistro, Comfort Foods, Fast Food, Fusion, International, Modern American, Recommended, Menu

Buns & Buns wants to bring good bread back. Owner Alexandre Zibi and chef Reuven Sugarman spent three weeks traveling the world in early 2013 in search of recipes and techniques from the globe's greatest cooking cultures. They brought back steamed buns from China, naan from India and the Middle East, and brioche from France. At their South Miami fast-casual spot, every dish -- from slow-cooked brisket to lamb ribs to chili-marinated shrimp -- is accompanied by a soft, chewy helping of bread. "Rip it, dip it, or stuff it" is the motto here, and the choice, along with a handful of heavy yet satisfying options, is all yours.Read our full review.

18 articles

Giralda Avenue

Giralda Ave. Coral Gables

305-569-0311

Bar Food, Comfort Foods, Street Food

5 articles

Golden Fig

1250 S. Miami Ave. Brickell

305-374-4612

American, Comfort Foods, Contemporary, Recommended, Menu

Sometimes, changing the menu simply isn't enough — you need to change the entire concept. At least that's what Michael Sullivan did when he closed his popular Brickell gastropub, OTC, and opened Golden Fig in its place. Named for an indigenous Florida tree, Golden Fig serves dinner and brunch in an intimate setting best described as farmhouse chic. Miami-born chef Tomas Prado (the Bazaar, My Ceviche) is behind the seasonal menu, which includes a cheese-and-charcuterie section and plenty of vegetarian options. Trained at Johnson & Wales University, Prado clearly demonstrates a knack for seafood dishes. His tuna tartare, served with a preserved-lemon-and-saffron aioli ($15), tastes effortless, while his pan-seared scallops ($25) from Portland, Maine, are impressive. For dessert, the s'mores jar ($9) is sinfully good; all of its components, from the chocolate mousse and the graham cracker to the lightly torched marshmallow, are made in house. It shows.

6 articles

Jack's Miami

2426 NE Second Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-640-5507

Italian, Comfort Foods

3 articles

Just Spoons Café

7023 W. Broward Blvd. Plantation/Sunrise/Tamarac

954-652-1117

Breakfast/Brunch, Comfort Foods

1 article

Mignonette Uptown

13951 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-705-2159

Seafood, New American, Comfort Foods, Appetizers, Raw Food, Contemporary, Critics' Pick, Slideshow

Danny Serfer never intended to start a mini-empire. But the 36-year-old chef opened Blue Collar, a small MiMo District restaurant in 2012; debuted Mignonette, a larger seafood and oyster bar with business partner/buddy Ryan Roman, in 2014; and just a few months ago began operating Mignonette Uptown in North Miami Beach. Like the flagship in Edgewater, this location prominently displays the day’s East and West Coast oyster selections on a large marquee over the bar. Serfer says the raw section hasn’t changed; however; the “fancy” seafood section is completely different and based on the chef de cuisine’s ideas. One option is the striped bass. It’s served with a burnt black-carrot purée, peas, and a sweet onion cream sauce laced with garlic and shallots. For dessert, pastry chef Devin Braddock delivers with her Valrhona chocolate cake. It includes caramel, a nut crumble, coffee-flavored ice cream, and thick slices of banana. There’s a lot going on, yet every component enhances the taste. Just like Edgewater before the opening of the original Mignonette, North Miami Beach was in serious need of a place exactly like this one. And once again, Serfer, Roman, and their team have delivered.

18 articles

Mr. Good Stuff

Various locations/Food truck Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

Comfort Foods, Street Food, Venezuelan, Food Trucks, Best Of

To read more about this food truck, click here.

4 articles

Organic Bites

7010 Biscayne Blvd. Miami Shores/Biscayne Park

786-542-9654

Organic, Comfort Foods, Best Of

2 articles

Pepito's Plaza

10701 NW 58th St. Doral

305-599-3503

Latin American, Comfort Foods, Recommended, Best Of

Pepito's Plaza is a Venezuelan grab-and-go spot inside a Doral Exxon. If you were to pull in to fill up, you might never even know it's there. A small walkway jutting off the main convenience store opens to a counter space where a screaming-red menu offers burgers, sweet corn cachapas, pepito sandwiches, and mixed grills — all the meat you want, unencumbered by any sort of bun. If you go with a group, you might be enticed by the barbecue special, which is far larger and also comes with disks of chorizo that ooze their fire-red oil into a mess of potato sticks.

5 articles

The Sarsaparilla Club

1 18th St., Miami Beach South Beach

305-341-1400

American, Appetizers, Comfort Foods, Contemporary, Fried Chicken, Modern American, Southern, Critics' Pick, Menu

There are many places in Miami that serve Chinese dim sum, but only one restaurant offers an American version: the Sarsaparilla Club at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach. During the appetizer portion of the meal, apron-clad waiters approach each table with pushcarts containing an assortment of American-inspired bites and small plates. The chefs behind the rustic poolside restaurant are power couple Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis. They met on the line at Gigi's in midtown Miami and were reunited at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in 2011. In 2013, they opened a Root & Bone in Manhattan and earned rave reviews for their elevated Southern fare. The Sarsaparilla Club's dim sum selection contains eight or so items that change frequently. Try the sweet corn simmered in a corn stock and drizzled with a cornbread butter. Each order features half an ear of corn topped with lemon popcorn and cornbread crumbles. The citrus notes of the popcorn — though slightly odd at first — balance out the sweetness of this rich and thoroughly original dish.Read our full review.

22 articles

Southern Sol Garden BBQ

2895 McFarlane Rd. Coconut Grove

305-414-0330

Vegan, Vegetarian, Comfort Foods, Southern, Soul Food

1 article

Trust & Co.

2 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables/S. Miami

American, Comfort Foods, Breakfast, Contemporary, Latin American, Seafood, Vegetarian, Appetizers, Recommended, Slideshow

Trust & Co.'s name pays tribute to the trust and integrity of the early 20th Century. And with that, the Coral Gables restaurant promises to employ the best possible local ingredients without cutting corners. Consequently, the menu changes seasonally, and when chef Pablo Zitzmann and his team can't find products that meet their standards, they make it themselves. A great bet is the grilled peach and beet salad festooned with farm greens and crisp quinoa. On the heavier side, Trust's burger is a blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib that's coated in its own fat drippings for some extra oomph. The patty is glazed with a marmalade made by cooking down onions, whiskey, sugar, butter, rosemary, and thyme. Bibb lettuce, Florida heirloom tomatoes, and a brioche bun from La Provence bakery provide the finishing touches. The burger is amazing. The accompanying thick, crisp fries are great too. Grab a seat outside and enjoy the scenes of Aragon Avenue and Merrick Way. Out there, you can really appreciate the food.Read our full review.

2 articles

Upland

49 Collins Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

305-602-9998

Modern American, New American, Contemporary, American, Bistro, Comfort Foods, California, Vegetarian, Italian, Best Of, Slideshow

Stephen Starr has a new Miami Beach eatery, Upland. The modus operandi is "to make guests feel like [the restaurant is] lucky to have them, not that they're lucky to be here," explains Upland's top toque, Justin Smillie. Before linking arms with Starr to open the original Upland in Manhattan two years ago, Smillie earned accolades for his take on Italian cuisine at the popular Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria. Miami could certainly use more convivial and unpretentious bistros such as Upland; however, it's difficult to get truly excited about a restaurant where half the dishes are merely mediocre. Still, when all is said and done, this is a Starr-and-Smillie production, and the chances of improvement are high.

18 articles

Vagabond Kitchen & Bar

7301 Biscayne Blvd. North Miami

786-409-5635

French, American, Appetizers, Bar Food, Comfort Foods, Contemporary, Continental, Fusion, Salads, Slideshow

Vagabond Kitchen & Bar (no more "Restaurant" in the moniker) in the MiMo District is heir to the place that chef Alex Chang vehemently tried to get locals to embrace. The task of attracting customers to the Biscayne Boulevard eatery now falls upon Julian Géliot and Fabien Chalard of Pléthore et Balthazar in Lyon, France. Helping them realize their vision is chef Roberto Dubois, whose resumé boasts stints at Makoto, Juvia, Klima, and Azul. For the tuna poke toast, Dubois enhances the raw fish through sesame oil, sesame seeds, chives, and a touch of seaweed. He arranges the cubes of ahi tuna atop a warm corn tortilla chip and tops it all off with a dollop of avocado mousse. Miami is going through a poke phase, and though this version isn’t the most exciting interpretation of the Hawaiian staple, it’s fresh, clean, and satisfying. Desserts come from Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, although Dubois would eventually like to make most of them in-house. Try the chocolate peanut butter pie for a decadent treat or Derek’s key lime version for something lighter.

18 articles

World Famous House of Mac

13521 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

786-636-6967

American, Comfort Foods, Best Of, Menu

Derrick “Chef Teach” Turton graduated culinary school in 1998 but got sidelined by his other passion: music. That led to a stint managing Pitbull in the early 2000s. But Turton he never stopped cooking, and when he opened World Famous House of Mac, he discovered his true calling. Here, you will find mac and cheese in its purest form: as a big, heaping dish of gooey, sloppy, heart-stopping cheesy goodness. If you’ve had a crappy day and need the food equivalent of a big hug from Grandma, go with the chicken parm mac ‘n’ cheese, with hunks of breaded fried chicken mixed in. Sure, it’s big and you meant to share, but one bite leads to another and another and it’s gone. Don’t worry. It happens. Just order another. House of Mac is here to comfort, not to judge. New Normal: It stands to reason that mac and cheese is always there for you.

1 article

World Famous House of Mac

2055 NW Second Ave. Downtown/Overtown

786-636-6967

American, Comfort Foods, Best Of

Derrick “Chef Teach” Turton graduated culinary school in 1998 but got sidelined by his other passion: music. That led to a stint managing Pitbull in the early 2000s. But Turton he never stopped cooking, and when he opened World Famous House of Mac, he discovered his true calling. Here, you will find mac and cheese in its purest form: as a big, heaping dish of gooey, sloppy, heart-stopping cheesy goodness. If you’ve had a crappy day and need the food equivalent of a big hug from Grandma, go with the chicken parm mac ‘n’ cheese, with hunks of breaded fried chicken mixed in. Sure, it’s big and you meant to share, but one bite leads to another and another and it’s gone. Don’t worry. It happens. Just order another. House of Mac is here to comfort, not to judge.

2 articles

Comfort Foods in Miami

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