11 June 19-25, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ LITTLE RIVER BARSTOOL SAYS THUMBS-UP TO BAR BUCCE Earlier this month, Barstool Sports founder and Miami resident pizza critic Dave Portnoy brought his famous one-bite review to the city’s buzziest new Italian market and pizze- ria: Bar Bucce. Known for his brutally honest scoring sys- tem and signature line, “One bite, everybody knows the rules,” Portnoy surprised fans with an enthusiastic rating of Bar Bucce, a new Italian restau- rant-market-bar hangout from the team behind the beloved South Beach restaurant Macchialina, one of New Times’ 13 Best Ital- ian Restaurants in Miami. “You’d never think you’re in Miami. This pizza looks spectacular,” Portnoy says in his video review. “Good undercarriage, good charcoal. It’s really good. This looks great. It’s really good. What a great little spot. I’m probably ruining the entire vibe of this place,” he says with a laugh. “There’s, like, a nice outdoor patio, too. The inside’s good. My only thing is the bar, if they have a bar, which, again, is a very kind of go-to. I’m a sports guy. I watch TV. But other than that, it’s kind of per- fection from this place. I’m going to go 8-1. Yeah, I think it’s a legit 8-1.” You read it here first, folks. Bar Bucce just got an 8.1 rating from Portnoy himself. Bar Bucce, which opened quietly in the heart of the emerging Little River neighbor- hood, isn’t your average pizza joint. The space is equal parts trattoria, wine bar, and Italian market, offering freshly sliced pro- sciutto, housemade pastas, boutique olive oils, and a tightly curated wine selection guests can sip on-site or cork to-go. “It’s a very cool spot. It’s like an Italian market. Like, you wouldn’t think you’re in Miami, you’d think you’re in, like, Tuscany or something,” Portnoy muses. “They have fresh pasta, fresh prosciutto. Like, wines that you can buy, cork. They have, like, olive oil, you name it, Italian market, they’ve got it. People sit down, getting dips, and it’s just a great vibe.” The pizza itself got high praise for its crispy, coal-charred crust and quality ingredi- ents. “Good undercarriage, good charcoal,” Portnoy noted while carefully examining the slice. “This looks great.” Although he docked minor points for the lack of TVs at the bar — “I’m a sports guy. I watch TV” — he had little else to critique. “Other than that, kind of perfection from this place.” Bar Bucce does not currently offer tradi- tional takeout, which Portnoy mentioned while trying to define if “carryout” counts. But with its lush outdoor patio and cozy inte- rior buzzing with people dipping into sauces and sipping wine, the atmosphere encour- ages guests to linger. “This is in my neck of the woods,” Port- noy says. “Kind of like an up-and-coming area a little bit...great vibes, great taste, great everything.” With a coveted 8.1 score from the king of pizza reviews, Bar Bucce is now officially on the map. Expect longer lines and a lot more out-of-towners trying to find “Little River” on the map (our bad). Bar Bucce. 7220 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305- 202-2526 (text); barbucce.com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ BURNT ENDS THE 5 BEST NEW BARBECUE SPOTS IN MIAMI Miami’s barbecue scene has long lived in the shadow of its Cuban sandwiches and croqu- etas, but the city is finally carving out its smoky corner of the culinary map. While we’re nowhere near Austin or Kansas City’s levels of reverence, these spots prove that Miami-Dade and Broward have the creativity, passion, and backyard know-how to compete with the barbecue greats. There’s no doubt Mi- ami still has some catching up to do before we can casually brag about world-class smoke rings. However, between brewery pop-ups, backyard sanctuaries, sushi-touched fusion, and generational pit wisdom, our barbecue landscape is finally starting to earn its tongs. So pull up a chair, no three-hour wait re- quired (fingers crossed), and taste the city’s barbecue future, one smoky plate at a time. Captain’s BBQ 55 NW 25th St., Miami, at Casa La Rubia instagram.com/captsbbq Tucked inside Casa La Rubia Brewery in Wynwood, Captain’s BBQ is a more delicious secret than a storefront. Every weekend, Christian Gomez, a former yacht captain, swaps sea legs for a pitmaster’s apron, turning the taproom into a “cue haven” where Texas smoking techniques meet unapologetic Cuban flair. On the menu, the “Captain’s Feast” sampler showcases smoked wings in four distinct styles, from the dry-rub | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Screenshot via Instagram/@stoolpresidente Captain’s BBQ photo Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports gives new Italian pizza spot Bar Bucce in Little River an impressive rating just weeks after it opened for its vibe and pizza Captain’s BBQ at Casa La Rubia brewery in Wynwood is one of the best new barbecue spots in South Florida “GOOD UNDERCARRIAGE, GOOD CHARCOAL. IT’S REALLY GOOD.”
