The best bagel in Miami, a tasting menu inspired by Japanese cherry blossom season at Gekko, new restaurant and fancy bar openings, openings on the way and more in Eating News in Miami, May 2026.
I’ve found the ultimate bagel. That’s after a search of many years and many bagel places – H & H, Bagel Emporium, Bagel Barn, Bagel Cove, Roasters and Toasters and in New York Apollo and Ess-a-Bagel. It’s the new entry that started in -would you believe – Westport, Connecticut, and is called Pop Up Bagels. What make them so special? The perfect combo of a lightly crispy crust and a dense, chewy interior. I ordered a dozen poppy seed.
They said they don’t keep that many on hand at one time so had to bake them for me, a 10 to 15 minute process. When I picked them up they were piping hot. I waited a few minutes, took one and covered It with their salted butter “schmear” (thick layer of spreadable topping) that was soft and creamy. OMG was that ever delicious.
The bagels are in five flavors (plain, everything, poppy, salt and sesame) and you can buy schmears on the side of scallion or plain cream cheese, salted butter, and offbeat flavors like pina colada and vanilla berry. They also sell smoked salmon and selection of drinks. A three pack with 1 schmear is $15; 6 pack with a 1 schmear is $25; and 12 pack with 2 schmears is $46.There’s no seating so just takeout. Pop Up Bagels, 2958 NE 199th Street, Aventura.
With snowbirds heading north and people starting to take off for spring vacation, this time of year tends to be slow in the restaurant business. So, what do the restaurants do? Everything from coming up with new menus and dinner and lunch specials to grand tastings. One of the more enticing food and cocktail menus I saw was from Gekko, the joint venture of Bad Bunny and David Grutman/Groot Hospitality. I have been there a few times in the past and always liked it – the ambiance, the service and the food. Their latest is a menu in honor of Sakura season which is cherry blossom season in Japan.
The theme goes with their Japan-meets-Miami aesthetic. Come with a big appetite since, especially if you also choose to get the optional experiences, there’s a lot. The menu, which is offered Sunday through Thursday, includes canapes, for the table, starters, sushi experience, mains, sides and dessert. In each of these categories there are multiple dishes, albeit tasting size. Note: diners get every dish I’m going to mention.
We started with the Canapes, an artistic and refined selection of small bites of tuna tartare topped with gold leaf, wagyu with a quail egg on top, and a scallop with Japanese seasonings. Then came their addictive Japanese milk bread that’s one of my favorite restaurant breads served with nori butter, and edamame served either with sea salt or a spicy version.
Starters are scallop and prawn dumplings, a creamy cucumber salad, and our favorite, mini Wagyu steak tacos with red pepper and onion. The sushi experience had an assortment of A5 Wagyu maki, nigiri and sashimi. The mains section was my favorite, Chilean sea bass with a different and wonderfully flavorful sauce made of saikyo miso and was perfectly cooked. The dish of the night though was the A5 Wagyu hot stone that was torched tableside and so tender it melted in your mouth.
It was the best wagyu I’ve ever had. They were teamed up with sides of vegetable fried rice and baby broccolini. As part of the Sakura event, there’s a special cocktail collection. The dinner including everything except for the sushi experience which comes with a supplement of $25 per person and A5 Wagyu hot stone which is $45 per person, is $85 per person plus tax and tip. There’s indoor and newly expanded outdoor seating. I much prefer indoors as it’s really quite lovely and the sound level is fine for conversation. Gekko, 8 SE 8th Street, Miami. For my earlier review, click here.
AVA in Coconut Grove, a new fave, just came out with a prix fixe dinner offering, created to spotlight its signature Mediterranean flavors throughout the evening. Guests can enjoy a 3-course prix fixe dinner menu, offered all evening from Sunday through Thursday for $70 per person.
The menu unfolds through a curated selection of Mediterranean-inspired dishes that highlight AVA’s balance of freshness, warmth, and depth. Guests can begin with vibrant starters like Crispy Zucchini and Keftedes Meatballs before moving into heartier plates such as the delicately prepared Lavraki Fillet and the Golden Aegean Chicken Tajine. For my earlier review, click here. AVA, 2889 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove.
The Wagyu Bar, owned by butcher Meat N’ Bone, is now open and at its larger, upgraded space in Coral Gables, former home of Café Vialetto which will reopen as Casa Vialetto at 267 Alhambra Circle. The main event are the steaks, sourced from a number of countries, priced from $25 to $200. Also find baby back ribs, seafood and more. It also offers lunch specials, happy hour daily with $7 cocktails and appealing light bites and dinner daily. Hours are 11 a..m to 8 p.m. There’s bar seating and a private dining room for 16. Wagyu Bar, 4019 S Le Jeune Road, Coral Gable.s
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Four Seasons Hotel Miami has upped it game with Séptimo, an intimate new cocktail bar on the hotel’s seventh floor Anchored by a central bar lined with polished silver accents and a full display of premium spirits, the space transitions into comfortable table seating designed for both cocktails and dining.
Signature drinks include Elmy’s Margarita and Tomato & Vine, alongside refined interpretations like the Séptimo Martini and Oyster Martini.
Complementing the cocktail program is a selection of refined bites by Four Seasons Hotel Miami Executive Chef Edouard DePlus designed to enhance the overall experience. The menu is divided by sharables, greens, sandwiches & burgers, mains and desserts.
Casa Tua Cucina, the wildly popular Italian market and restaurant from Casa Tua, has opened its second Miami location, a new 18,500-square-foot space in Wynwood’s NoMad Residences. Casa Tua Cucina is designed as a working kitchen where guests can see the chefs at work behind every dish at 10 open kitchen stations. Stations range from handmade pasta, a wood-fired grill, and crudo, to gelato. There’s also a mercato. There’s indoor and outdoor seating for up to 400 guests. Casa Tua Cucina, 2700 NW 2nd Avenue Wynwood. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 9 am to 11 pm.
One of my new “go to” places for lunch with girlfriends is Le Specialita Café & Market by Ignazio and Maggio Cirpriani in Coconut Grove. it’s bright, airy, has an Italian feel and no surprise, lots of Italian favorites like pastas, tramezzini and foccacini (sandwiches), and antipasti as well as salads and more. My favorite are the bowls, especially the ahi tuna with avocado and farro and roasted chicken and quinoa. They’re satisfying, tasty, very healthy, and low cal ($25) . If you’re in the mood for pasta, don’t miss the canneloni. As you can imagine, delicious desserts too. They serve breakfast from 8 am. to 4 pm, lunch 11 a.m. to 4 pm and dinner from 4 pm to 10 pm. Upstairs is a market where you can pickup everything from organic proteins and cheese to fruits and vegetables, and pantry items. Note there’s no valet. You need to park across Bayshore Drive near the CVS. Le Specialita Café & Market, 2653 South Bayshore drive, Miami, FL.
Openings on the Way
What Now reported that Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill, a popular South Florida institution will be opening another outpost, this one, and it’s a big one, in Homestead. The location, at 700 N Homestead Boulevard, is within walking distance of Krome Avenue and Downtown Homestead, Miami-Dade College’s Homestead Campus, Harris Field, and Homestead Station. The future restaurant site, on 13.5 acres of City-owned property, is also one-and-a-half miles from the Florida Turnpike, making it a destination for tourists on their way to and from major attractions such as Everglades National Park, Pennekamp State Park, and the Upper Keys.No opening date yet.
Finally, a restaurant here that will serve classic New York style Chinese dishes, we’re talking egg rolls, crab Rangoon, tiki like cocktails, and it comes from Los Angeles!Genghis Cohen, is opening a Miami Beach outpost. at 1801 Purdy Avenue in Sunset Harbour – the former Sardinia space. Expected opening is the last quarter of 2026.
