26 September 18-24, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | rolls with honey butter, corn and blue crab agnolotti, spicy rigatoni with pork sugo, and a dry-aged ribeye paired with sauces like po- tato butter. It’s no wonder Sunny’s is the most buzzed-about steakhouse in town, delivering one of the most wonderful and memorable dining experiences you can avail yourself of in Miami. The Surf Club Restaurant 9011 Collins Ave., Surfside 305-768-9440 surfclubrestaurant.com The prices at the Surf Club Restaurant are among the highest you’ll find in Miami, but then, so is the quality. Located in a completely rebuilt Mediterranean Revival-style resort in Surfside, the restaurant stands just a few blocks from high-end Bal Harbour. Designed by Russell Pancoast, the original inn and eat- ery opened on New Year’s Eve 1930 and quickly earned the nickname “Millionaires’ Surf Club” for its level of exclusivity and abil- ity to attract the rich and famous. Today the restaurant is run by one of the biggest names in American food: Thomas Keller, who re- mains the first and only U.S.-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from Michelin. Keller doesn’t take shortcuts. His beef Wel- lington is made from 48-hour-braised short rib in a beef mousse, layered with a spinach and black-truffle mushroom pâté and wrapped in a paper-thin crèpe, then bundled in thick brioche and placed in the oven for about half an hour, warming the center and producing an outer crisp. Then (and only then) it is presented on a wooden cart and sliced tableside. The folks at Michelin took note in the 2022 debut of its Florida guide, awarding the Surf Club Restaurant a star. Sushi Erika 1700 John F. Kennedy Cswy., North Bay Village 786-216-7216 In 2018, Erika, the daughter and right hand of beloved sushi master Michio Kushi, opened her own tiny sushi spot just down the road from her dad’s old haunt, Sushi Deli, in North Bay Village — and she brought many of her late father’s classics with her. Don’t be misled by the diminutive space — Sushi Erika offers an impressive array of maki, soups, and salads. The impeccably crafted rolls range from a California roll or bagel roll to battera, a pressed mackerel su- shi roll. Signature rolls include the North Bay roll, made with deep-fried scallop and crab salad and topped with two types of fish roe, masago, spicy mayo, and kimchi sauce. Be sure to check the board for daily specials. Tâm Tâm 99 NW First St., Miami 786-933-6378 tam-tam-mia.com If you’re longing for a taste of Vietnam minus the flight, look no further than Tâm Tâm. Honored as a Michelin Bib Gourmand restau- rant in 2024, the small restau- rant at the corner of NW First Street and First Avenue across from the county courthouse downtown has an outdoor fa- çade that may be unassuming, but the inside is anything but. Tâm Tâm was conceived by owners and partners Tam Pham and Harrison Ramhofer, born from their mutual disap- pointment with Miami’s Vietnamese options. Awesome ambiance aside, what Tâm Tâm re- ally delivers is food. Pham, the recipient of Michelin’s 2024 Young Chef Award, draws in- spiration from traditional Vietnamese dishes, including his mom’s cooking, while sticking to what has become the restaurant’s signature mantra: eating and drinking. Taquiza 7450 Ocean Terrace, Miami Beach taquizatacos.com No one told Taquiza’s Steve Santana to un- dertake the painstaking process of turning corn to masa to produce his own tortillas. No one demanded those tortillas be filled with the slightly spicy, charred poblano strips called rajas or the tangy corn fungus known as huitlacoche. Yet after stints with Jeremiah Bullfrog and at Giorgio Rapicavoli’s Eating House, the computer programmer turned chef decided it had to be done. And thus, in 2014, Santana’s little walk-up counter on Collins Avenue set a new standard for tacos in a city where tacos are a booming business. The South Beach stand is no more, but Ta- quiza on North Beach offers the same mar- garitas, made with care in virtually any flavor combination you can imagine. Craving yours with fresh coconut water, tamarind, and pineapple? Done! Want a strawberry-cilan- tro margarita? Your barkeep will muddle the fresh ingredients. Tran An 215 NE 82nd St., Miami 786-423-3578 trananmiami.com If you’ve got 20 bucks, you can dine like roy- alty at this tiny, ’70s-inspired eatery. Tran An owner Jon Nguyen’s 18-seat restaurant of- fers Vietnamese comfort food: a hearty pho, a tangy papaya salad, bánh mì sandwiches, and a chicken-and-rice dish are all satisfying and affordable. The pho’s broth is rich, heaped with slices of chicken or beef, noo- dles, and vegetables. Vegans can get their comfort too, with a vegetable pho based on a vegan broth. There’s no liquor license, but you’re free to bring beer or grab a bottle of wine from the shop next door. Speaking of bottles, don’t leave without a bottle of Nguy- en’s “Grandma” sauce, a Vietnamese fish sauce condiment that perks up everything from salad to eggs. Tropical Chinese Restaurant 7991 Bird Rd., Miami 305-262-7576 tropical-chinese.com Nearly four decades into its existence, Tropi- cal Chinese is still going strong. The dinner menu is chock full of offerings, from the traditional to the ex- otic. Appetizers include wok- fried, salt-and-pepper-style calamari, and the Peking duck is prepared daily. What’s more, this unassuming spot in a West Miami-Dade strip mall re- mains a go-to for the best dim sum in the county. More than 30 kinds of are offered, all pre- pared fresh on site. Pro tip: The barbecue pork buns are a must. Versailles Restaurant 3555 SW Eighth St., Miami 305-444-0240 versaillesrestaurant.com Since opening in 1971, Versailles has become a Calle Ocho staple for locals and tourists alike. The 200-plus seat dining room is illu- minated by golden chandeliers and sur- rounded by lustrous mirrors — a nod to the Hall of Mirrors at its namesake outside Paris. But that’s about the only taste of France you’ll TOP TOP 100 100 RESTAURANTS Sunny’s Photo by Cleveland Jennings
