South Florida’s South Beach Seafood Festival 2022 is gearing up for its 10th anniversary, brought to you by Tequila Herradura, with a four-day culinary celebration beginning Wednesday, October 19th and culminating on Saturday, October 22nd on the sands of South Beach. This year’s festival will feature an extraordinary lineup of participating restaurants and chefs. Enhanced programming will include live musical performances by famed country music singer-songwriter, CMT Award winner, Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr., with special guests, CMT nominated country music group., Runaway June, presented by Demesmin & Dover. Plus popup cafes, chef and bartender showdowns and more. Besides these star chefs in the Festival, and speaking of seafood, at the end of the post find a list of some of my favorite seafood restaurants in Miami.
The South Beach Seafood Festival consists of four separate ticketed events taking place throughout the week and kicks off with “An Evening at Joe’s Stone Crab” on Wednesday, October 19th. The already sold-out event consists of a five-course meal showcasing Executive Chef Andre Bienvenu’s cuisine. On the following night, “Crabs, Slabs & Cabs” features a formal sit-down, five-course dinner highlighting ‘Surf n’ Turf’ reimagined by some of Miami’s leading chefs. Hosted by GOYA Foods’ Executive Chef Fernando Desa, the event includes participation from celebrated restaurateur and Pubbelly Sushi partner José Mendín; Fiola Miami’s Executive Chef Danny Ganem; Meat Market Executive Chef and Owner Sean Brasel; Luca Osteria Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli; and host venue chef, The Social Club’s Executive Chef Javier Carballo. Thursday’s event will be hosted at High Tide at the newly revamped Kimpton Surfcomber. Limited seats for Thursday’s dinner are available through sobeseafoodfest.com.
The festivities continue with the annually sold out “Chef Showdown” on Friday, October 21st. Coined the ultimate beach bash on South Beach, 20 of Miami’s top chefs will go head-to-head in ten competitive seafood showdowns. Presented by Tequila Herradura and taking place in the GOYA Culinary Pavilion in the Baptist Health Hospitality Village, “Chef Showdown” features various seafood ‘battles’, where guests sample and vote for their favorite dishes as they make their way around the village battle pavilions. This year’s participating restaurants and competitions will include (*denotes reigning champion):
- Battle Ceviche: Aida Mexican SeaFood’s Mauricio Hernandez vs La Cervecería de Barrio’s Alex Medina
- Battle Crab: 2-Time Champion, Beaker & Gray’s Brian Nasajon* vs Papa’s Raw Bar’sChad Wyrosdick
- Battle Fusion-Sushi: Tanuki’s Gustavo Montes vs Chef Luis Gonzalez
- Battle Salmon presented by Laguna Blanca Salmon: 2021 Champion Mercato della Pescheria’s Alex Martinez vs Ocean 234’s Nicole Fey
- Battle Lobster: 4-Time Champion, Café Bernie’s Chef Bernie Matz vs Chef Billy G’sChef Andres Garcia
- Battle Oyster: 2021 Champion, UCHI Miami’s Cristian Canencio vs Seawell Fish N Oyster’s Raymond Fiorello
- Battle Shrimp: Latin House’s Sergio Mazuelos vs Cilantro 27’s Nilton Castillo
- Battle Surf n’ Turf presented by Halpern’s Steak and Seafood: 2-Time Champion Rusty Pelican’s Jim Pastor vs Social Club’s Javier Carballo
- Battle Sushi: Zuma’s Nono Shigetomi vs Paperfish Sushi’s Michael Asalie
- Battle Taco: Tacos & Tattoos’ Jay Cruz vs Bandidos Taqueria Juan Hernandez
Throughout the night, each chef will take the main stage to put on a show with their high energy, entertainment-filled live demos as representatives from the culinary industry will serve as the final judges to award the best in each showdown.
Running alongside the “Chef Showdown,” on Friday night, Tequila Herradura will also host an “Extraordinary Bartender Showdown.” Four bartenders will participate in a head-to-head competition for who can make the best Tequila Herradura margarita recipe. Once again, the guests are the judges, and the winner will earn a $500 prize.
The main South Beach Seafood Festival event will take place on Saturday, October 22nd, spanning four blocks along Ocean Drive at Lummus Park. Brought to you by Tequila Herradura, presented by GOYA Foods and City National Bank, and hosted by the City of Miami Beach, the beachfront festival will feature an impressive selection of curated pop-up cafés by some of Miami’s finest seafood restaurants. This year’s hottest ticket will also feature all day music with DJs at the Pacifico Beach Club, Sun Sips by High Noon, and VIP at the Goya Culinary Pavilion. In general admission at the Demesmin & Dover live music stage, presented by Jack Daniels, guests will enjoy live performances headlined by CMT award-winning country artist Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr. with special guest, Runaway June, as well as local Latin band, Mama Fuma, and classic rock band, The Regs, to start the day.
Throughout the festival’s general admission area, guests can expect pop-up cafés by:Café Avanti, A Fish Called Avalon, Lobster Shack, CJ’s Crab Shack, Tanuki, Café Bernie, Cilantro 27, Ella’s Oyster Bar, Pubbelly Sushi, Latin House, The Social Club, and The Wagyu Bar by Meat N’ Bone. VIP Sampling pop-ups in the Baptist Health VIP Village will include Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, Paule’s Pop Up by Chef Billy G, GOYA Foods, The Social Club, Kuba Cabana, The Wagyu Bar by Meat N’ Bone, Doral International Foods, Mau Miami, Playa, Papas Raw Bar, Seafood World, Pescanova USA, and more. On the sweet side, dessert pop-ups throughout the festival will include Wynwood Parlor , Cielito Artisan Pops , and Crepemaker, among others.
General Admission to the South Beach Seafood Festival will also see the Piper Heidsieck Champagne lounge, the El Dorado Ultimate Beach Club, the Milam’s Marketplace featuring the Culinary Showcase Kitchen, and more. The VIP area will include a two-block village with specialty activations from Celebrity Cruises, Tequila Herradura, City National Bank, Baptist Health, Oshen Salmon, and the list continues. Tickets for general admission start at $55 and include complimentary all day open bar (21+); and VIP Admission starts at $150.
In addition to celebrating regional culinary talent, the festival annually supports CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, a 501 ©(3) nonprofit program that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to the local community and Florida’s youth through programs in Miami-Dade County public schools.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the 10th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival, visit sobeseafoodfest.com. Follow along on Instagram at@sobeseafoodfest and Facebook @SOBESeafoodFest.
The festival has a star studded list of Miami chefs. Besides these, here are some of my favorite seafood restaurants in Miami looking at variety of fish and shellfish (not just the usual branzino) and quality . These include The River Oyster Bar, Prime Fish, Casablanca on the River, Garcia’s Seafood Grill & Fish Market, Estiatorio by Milos and the “sleeper”, Spanish restaurant Descorche (click here for my writeup).
