DOMA

Doma Southern Italian features a lovely garden courtyard and it’s convenient to everything in Wynwood. Their three-course lunch special, available Monday through Saturday between noon and 3 pm, is set at $25 with choice of appetizer, main course and dessert. Choose between options such as heirloom tomato salad, artichoke salad or Mediterranean mussels for appetizer; main course selections include chicken cacciatore, branzino aqua pazza, and crab ragu pennoni. Finish off the meal with one of three dessert selections, including classic tiramisu. Doma, 35 NE 26^th Street (T. 786-953-6946).

SEA GRILL

The Mediterranean-inspired prix fixe menu is a wonderful way to enjoy a three-course menu for $26.95 (North Miami) or $24.95 (Coral Gables). Choose from eight appetizers to start your meal followed by six entrée selections and a choice of six desserts. Tuna tartar, grilled octopus, crab cake and calamari are great starters. Then try either the Australian lamb chops, lobster pasta or organic salmon for the main followed by either baklava or karidopita a walnut based cake with ice cream for dessert. Sea Grill, Village of Merrick Park, 4250 Salzedo St #1425. Phone: +1 305-447-3990 and 3913 N.E.163rd St., North Miami Beach, T.305-945-7555. Indoor and outdoor seating.

AMARE

Amare Southern Italian restaurant has a refined cuisine with an elegant touch. Located just south of Fifth, this stylish eatery has décor inspired by the Amalfi Coast and a spacious outdoor seating area that they call a “piazza”, plaza. Try their special lunch menu served seven days a week. The $27 three-course menu includes choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Homemade gnocchi served with creamy burrata, large “polpetta” meatball with ricotta in tomato crema, and decadent chocolate mousse are some of the standout selections. Amare, One Collins Avenue, T.305-731-6999.

TUR KITCHEN

The Eastern Mediterranean cuisine at Tur Kitchen puts emphasis on the quality of the ingredients and simplicity. Located in Coral Gables, their three-course lunch special, with choice of appetizer, main course and dessert, is offered Monday through Friday between noon and 3 pm. At $29 per person, each guest can choose from five appetizer selections and five main course selections. Start your meal with options such as chickpea spread, roasted squid, and lentil soup, then try the chicken Z’atar or roasted salmon with cauliflower gratin for a main course. Finish off the afternoon with house made ice cream or sorbet. Enjoy the stylish decor inside or patio seating for people watching. Tur Miami,259 Giralda Avenue, T.786-483-8014.

ZAIKA

Zaika, a fave Indian restaurant, offers the lowest price of my list of lunch specials in Miami. Although not a prix-fixe menu, the special includes a samosa and soup for a starter alongside choice of an entrée. Vegetarian options such as vegetable curry and channa masala are available as well as non-vegetarian options like their chicken tikka masala – a popular choice. All entrees are served with Basmati rice and naan. The special is served on weekdays with prices ranging from $10 – $14. Zaika, 2176 NE 123rd St, North Miami, T. (786) 409-5187.

MILOS

Estiatorio Milos has one of the best lunch specials in Miami for quality and value. Offered seven days a week between noon and 3 pm, their three-course menu is priced at $29 per person with choice of appetizer, main course dessert. Choose between six appetizer selections, six main course selections, and five dessert options. Their trio of Greek spreads served with toasted pita is a great choice to start with as well as the salmon tartare. The Greek salad is one of the best in town with its luscious tomatoes and big slab of feta cheese. For main course, try the Dorado Royale (my choice all the time), a whole dorado that is deboned, fileted, and served with Santorini capers, lemon and olive oil. Finish off the meal with the Greek yogurt or chocolate mousse cake. Milos Miami, 730 1st Street, Miami Beach. T.305-604-6800. Indoor and covered outdoor seating.

Toscana Divino, a Miami classic with very good, authentic Italian fare, has their own Lite lunch menu at $25 per person. The menu is offered weekdays between noon and 4 pm with choice of appetizer, main course, and a dessert. Choose between six unique dishes for an appetizer such as Patagonian shrimp and avocado salad or the beet salad with beef tongue. For a main course, select either a pasta dish or protein. For a standout selection, try the tortellini, delicate purses of fine pasta imparting a welcome freshness. For dessert choose between a selection of ice creams and sorbets or their daily fresh made cake. Toscana Divino, Mary Brickell Village, 900 South Miami Avenue T.(305-930-6873). Indoor and outdoor seating.

MAKOTO

Chef Makoto Okuwa’s eponymous Bal Harbour restaurant, Makoto, offers a bento box special with choice of main item accompanied by miso soup and wasabi rice. Select the ponzu salmon with crispy Brussel sprouts or opt for the sushi roll main course that comes with a spicy tuna and California roll. The bento box lunch special is available Monday through Sunday between 11 am and 4 pm. Makoto Miami, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave T.(305-864-8600). Indoor and outdoor seating.

HUTONG

My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed our business lunch special at Hutong. Always a top choice in town, Hutong in Brickell boasts a stunning decor, the setting for Northern Chinese fare. The special menu is served weekdays between noon and 3 p.m. The $29 three-course menu includes specialties like yummy vegetarian spring rolls, Kung Po chicken (a standout), chili prawns, Chef’s fried rice and eggplant tempura. For a $15 supplement per person you can enjoy the signature Peking duck with all the fixings.  Hutong, 600 Brickell Avenue, (T.786-388-0805). Indoor and outdoor seating.

EST 33

Craving Thai food? EST 33  restaurant and brewery in  Brickell City Centre offers an executive lunch special Monday through Friday from 12PM to 4PM for $29. Guests can choose one appetizer which include the Crispy Pork Crackling, Thai Fish Cake, Grilled Eggplant Salad and Papaya Salad (add pork belly for $4 or baby dried shrimp $3); entree such as Vegetable Green Curry, Chicken Pad Thai, Grilled Salmon and Skirt Steak; and sweets like the Cheesecake Mousse and Assorted Ice Creams & Sorbet (Thai Tea, Pandan Coconut, Taro and Pineapple Thai Basil Sorbet). All seating is open air, in the Centre. EST 33, 701 S.Miami Avenue, Unit 412A, T. 305-425-9266.

MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE

Morton’s Steakhouse in Coral Gables, offering indoor and outdoor seating, has a two course $30 lunch which includes a choice of soup or salad such as wedge or caesar and an entree choice of 6 ounce filet, salmon, or chicken christopher. Morton’s Steakhouse, 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables T(305) 442-1662

FIOLA

For my last of the lunch specials in Miami, one of my regular spots for meeting friends for lunch is Fiola in Coral Gables. Its $29 three course lunch is top quality. My picks are the lovely green salad to start followed by the porcini encrusted branzino and whatever their chocolate dessert is. The ambiance inside is lovely, and there’s outdoor dining as well on the terrace. Fiola, 1500 San Ignacio Avenue, Coral Gables. T. (305) 912-2639

Want to see other lunch plus dinner specials? Check out Miami Spice 2021 offered through September, 2021. Click here.

Looking for happy hours instead of lunch? In case you missed it, here’s my updated post on the best happy hours around town.

Updated: Best Happy Hours Around Town