Happy New Year, and all the best to you and yours! This is the time of year when I look back at what’s happened in the world of dining over the past 12 months and what might be coming next. What’s going on with restaurant prices, which cuisines are gaining momentum, Miami’s growing role as a culinary capital, the dishes diners are craving, annoying practices, and  more in restaurant trends in Miami 2026.

Good News

The good news is that some of the pandemic-era practices I wrote about last year have mostly disappeared. QR code menus still exist, but more restaurateurs are realizing diners prefer printed menus and are making the switch back. Many places are also returning to being open more than just Wednesday through Sunday.

The one major holdover? A reluctance among many newer, high-profile restaurants to open for lunch, likely driven by concerns about the economy and labor costs.

Restaurant Trends in Miami 2026: Cuisines on the move

The clear winner in new restaurant openings: steakhouses despite beef prices continuing to skyrocket.

A standout example is Daniel’s, which debuted in Fort Lauderdale, then quickly took over the former Fiola space in Coral Gables and turned it into a steakhouse. They recently announced a pop-up at the Palm Tree Club as well.

A newer twist is the “steakhouse plus” concept — Ro Steakhouse with a Mexican influence, Brooklyn Chop House with Asian fare, Lafayette with a French twist, and now Ezio’s in South Beach. And I doubt we’ve seen the end of it. These new additions are on top of over 12 existing ones I can name! Beyond steakhouses, I haven’t seen major shifts from last year. What still appears to be struggling are food halls and food courts. It will be interesting to see how City Food Hall, set to replace Time Out Market on Lincoln Road performs once it opens.

Maximalist restaurants: Miami is the place to be

Just when I thought Miami had reached peak extravagance in restaurant build-outs, along comes Amazonico — a 3-story dining and drinking destination that reportedly cost between $30 and $40 million.

Previously, Sexy Fish seemed to hold the title, with décor by Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry and a build-out costing several million dollars.

None of these concepts are truly “homegrown” — they’re part of global expansion strategies. And what’s striking is that when these brands list their flagship cities, Miami is now mentioned alongside Paris, London, and Dubai.

Restaurant Trends in Miami 2026:

And prices?

Last year I noted that at top restaurants, starters typically ran in the $30s–$40s, and entrées in the $40s–$50s (or over $100 at steakhouses). That hasn’t shifted much.

Where inflation is more noticeable is in grab-and-go spots. A poke bowl can easily hit $20 or more. In Los Angeles, even half a sandwich can cost that much.

Wine-by-the-glass pricing has stayed relatively stable, though selections feel smaller, encouraging guests to buy bottles. Signature cocktails, meanwhile, with specialty liqueurs and elaborate glassware, now often land in the high $20s or even $30s — a clear profit center.

The bright spot: even outside Miami Spice season, many top restaurants continue to offer three-course lunch specials in the $30s or low $40s, sometimes with wine. In case you missed it here is my two part post on quality lunch specials, click here.

Annoying policies

Unfortunately, late-cancellation fees are alive and well, sometimes charged per person rather than per reservation.

And the barrage of reservation reminders continues. In one case, I even received a text telling me there was one hour until my reservation and that I should “be on my way.” In this case too I got a total of three texts from the one restaurant.

A number of you have asked me to do a post on quiet restaurants. It’s tough, but I’m working on it. The only reliable way to cover the topic I’ve decided is to include restaurants with no music as even when a manager will say it’s quiet until 9 or 9:30, the restaurant can decide to change the policy at any time or even on a given night.

Restaurant Trends in Miami 2026:

The food and drink

To deliver that WOW factor and indulgences the top 1% of the economy are requesting, restaurants are leaning into presentation and opulent or hard to get ingredients — which conveniently also raise the check average from Miami and Los Angeles to New York. The New York Times quoted $435 tomahawks and $260 turbot at Le Chene bistro in the West Village. “Customers message us, asking what we have that night that’s extraordinary, and never ask the price,” said the bistro’s owner.

Seafood towers now have company: dessert towers, whether in tea-style tiers or over-the-top sundae towers like at Maple & Ash. Caviar and truffle supplements are everywhere, add-ons for nearly anything on the menu.

Tableside theatrics are back too: pastas tossed in cheese wheels, steaks sizzling on Himalayan salt blocks, Caesars tossed tableside, and of course, flambés.

On the beverage front, I was impressed by one restaurant, Maple & Ash,  offering 3- and 6-ounce pours  of a prized (and very expensive) wine, making it feel more accessible: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux 2012 is listed at $5,000 a bottle, but they offer a 3-ounce pour for $625 or 6 ounces for $1,250. And non-alcoholic options, mocktails and zero-proof cocktails, are now standard on menus, though they still aren’t quite as imaginative as what you’ll find in Japan, where a bartender may start with a bowl of fruit and create a fully custom drink based on your choice.

The default white wine these days is Sauvignon Blanc, replacing Pinot Grigio as the most popular.

Anything to add?   Love to hear from you.