The ultimate travel guide to Miami Beach, Florida. I’ll tell you where to stay, what to eat and how to burn it off!
I’m so excited to tell you all about my recent visit to Miami’s South Beach for the latest edition of my What to Eat & How to Burn It Off travel series! In case you missed it, we covered San Diego and Vail and now I’m thrilled to tell you about all of the best eats throughout Miami and South Beach Florida.
Of course, along with good eats I’ve got a few fun ways to burn off those calories without ever noticing you’re breaking a sweat.
Since you can’t have a getaway without a fabulous hotel, let’s start there. The Palms Hotel & Spa is 10 miles away from the Miami International Airport and just steps away from Miami Beach.
Located right along the water, there is even a paved walk/run/bike path than runs all along the ocean.
Inspired by nature, the hotel guest rooms and public spaces were the perfect balance of serenity and modern amenities. I immediately felt calm and happy whenever I was in the hotel!
To kick off the best eats in Miami South Beach, I can’t recommend Jugo Fresh enough. The ultimate smoothie, juice and acai bar, this is a DON’T MISS during your next visit to Miami!
For a more savory breakfast spot, I highly recommend Dirt Eat Clean. The avocado toast with a runny egg was served on top of Zak the Baker bread which is chewy, nutty and oh so good.
For a tasty lunch spot with inventive salads, burgers, sandwiches and more, be sure to check out Beaker & Gray. Located in the Wynwood district, it also happens to be just a few blocks away from The Wynwood Walls, the mecca for urban graffiti art in Miami.
I’m a sucker for bright colors and bold graphics so I could have walked around The Wynwood Walls all day!
Now let’s talk tacos in Miami South Beach! As you’ve probably noticed, whenever I travel I’m always on the lookout for a great taco. Partially because my husband doesn’t like tacos (I KNOW!!) so if I’m not with him, I take advantage of the moment.
Bodega Taqueria y Tequila came highly recommended from my friend Lisa and lucky for me, it did not disappoint! I highly recommend the chimichurri steak tacos.
Of course all those tacos can you leave you feeling a little sleepy so I had to check out Miami’s coffee scene. Panther Coffee was recommended from a local and has locations all over Miami!
A habit of mine when I travel to warmer climates is to enjoy the outside as much as possible. Cue: rooftop bar cocktails. Juvia Miami South Beach not only has incredible appetizers but the cocktails are fresh, inventive and not too sweet. Just the way I like them.
Another great spot for cocktails and appetizers is Wunderbar located in the lobby of Circa 39, a sister property of our host hotel. I highly recommend the Vanilla Sky made with Hawaiin ginger puree. Fragrant, slightly spicy and so tasty.
Of course, you can’t visit Miami without trying the ceviche so I must tell you about Coya Restaurant! Inspired by the Latin influenced roots of the city, Coya is true Peruvian food with a contemporary twist.
Located right at our hotel, I also highly recommend Essensia. Ideal for a girl’s night or a romantic date night, the menu rotates seasonally and is made with as many local farm-to-plate ingredients as possible. The fresh fish was outstanding and I highly recommend the flatbread pizzas.
Now that I’ve got the dining recommendations in Miami covered, it’s time to chat about ways to burn off all those good eats!
My first suggestion: rent a bike (we used Citi Bike Miami) and take advantage of the paved running path adjacent to The Palms and soak in the salt water as you ride along the beach!
You can’t beat the scenery and the path is completely flat so it’s ideal for all fitness levels!
For a quick 20 minute bike ride each way, I highly recommend heading to South Pointe Pier Park.
As you can imagine, Miami South Beach has no shortage of workout studios and walk-in fitness classes. Since traveling can be stressful enough, I decided to get my zen on at Green Monkey Yoga. The instructor was welcoming and the location was just a short Uber ride from my hotel.
To take advantage of our close proximity to the water, I decided it was about time I give stand up paddle boarding a try! I’m not gonna lie: I was scared.
Luckily, the guys at Miami Beach Paddle Board are super friendly and gave me a quick tutorial before I hit the water. You get the hang of it pretty quickly and my arms, thighs and shoulders were super sore the next day!
Enough about me though – where are YOUR favorite places to eat, explore and burn calories in Miami South Beach?
I’d love to hear from you! And if you’d like to see any other destinations featured in future series, let me know!
Disclosure: The Palms Hotel Miami coordinated my hotel accommodations, meals and activities during my stay.
C
Your tacos are my seafood, lol! My husband hates seafood, so I pretty much eat as much of it as I can when traveling- especially when I happen to be visiting somewhere close to the ocean. ;) When I think of Miami I always think of the nightlife scene, but it looks like there is so much more to this area!
That’s so funny!!!! I love that you relate!
Chimichurri steak tacos. Sold!
No, really though. We ended up with an overnight in Miami earlier this year when our delayed flight caused us to miss our connection there. Instead of just crashing in our hotel, we headed down to Miami Beach to check things out. The beach is amazing and there is so much going on. We’d love to go back to explore Miami properly!
What a great way to take advantage of a flight delay!! So glad you enjoyed it!