Recognized by Wine Spectator and Gambero Rosso Awards, this fine-dining Italian restaurant certainly knows how to pair a wine with its delightful food program. Chef Angelo Elia takes a modern twist on traditional dishes, but not so modern your mother-in-law won't love it. With its indoor and outdoor seating and high-end design, the Aventura location (there's also Fort Lauderdale and Boca) oozes romance as any classic Italian restaurant should.

Pretty much everyone in Fort Lauderdale has enjoyed Anthony's Runway 84. The iconic Italian-American restaurant and supper club has been serving the classics like prime steaks, pasta, and seafood since 1982. But in 2023, the restaurant underwent a complete makeover. Now, it looks like Miami's upscale Carbone, except here, the atmosphere is like coming home on a holiday. The dimly lit dining room has a rustic, 1960s-inspired decor where you can hear live music and can order a variety of martinis. You truly can't go wrong at Anthony's for date night or to celebrate any of life's milestones. But just don't show up in shorts; the dress code won't allow it.

Opened in 1975, Le Tub is as "Old Florida" as it gets. This Hollyweird staple is an absolute must-visit for any self-respecting local. Converted from an old gas station, the roadside joint is notable for two things: massive, award-winning burgers and extraordinary views of the Intracoastal waterway — and yes, you can park your boat here. An afternoon at Le Tub spent watching the waves and sipping a beer after housing an enormous chunk of meat on a bun is a true beach-day pleasure.

The 11th Street Diner is housed inside a stainless-steel Paramount dining car built in New Jersey in 1948. It was formerly in business in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, the shipped from the foot of the Pocono Mountains and plunked down in South Beach in the early '90s. The art deco diner is now a Miami Beach mainstay with solid American offerings that please tourists and brave locals alike. There are more than 100 menu items — including breakfast at any time. The food is as eclectic as its retro surroundings: shrimp alfredo, waffle fried chicken sandwich, and the el Cubano. Guzzle down 11th Street's famous $16 spiked milkshakes to pre-party or to start the day with brunch. On Friday and Saturday, the diner is open 24 hours for late-night eats and (not actually) award-winning people-watching.

After an 18-year culinary career in New York, Just Spoons Café chef and owner Dwight Bernard Witherspoon Jr. moved back to his hometown in 2019 to open a brunch restaurant. The idea? "Comfort food with a twist." The son of the chef at the helm of Lauderdale Lakes mainstay Spoons Grill and Restaurant, Witherspoon reimagines classic Southern recipes. Try the curry shrimp and grits, a delicious Caribbean-meets-soul-food offering that includes the silkiest grits you'll ever taste (sorry, grandma). Or devour one of the most popular menu items, fried chicken and vanilla-bean French toast, a sweet-and-spicy, never-soggy play on chicken and waffles with a Cajun kick. Honorable mentions include the fried catfish, smothered pork chops, and chicken and biscuits. Come to Just Spoons for the sour bitch mimosa, and stay for the speakeasy-style ambiance. You'll be hooked from the first bite.

While this Westchester restaurant has a massive menu filled with legit Chinese dishes, it's the dim sum that keeps 'em returning for more. Bring the whole family — real and Cuban cousins, and definitely a few friends — because Tropical Chinese is the kind of place that serves up big. It has a selection of more than 50 dim sum items that servers roll by so diners can choose their own adventure. Try not to order with your eyes, but if you do, get the fluffy pork bun, perfectly steamed shrimp siu mai, egg custard tarts, or go for the unfamiliar with crisp chicken feet. Sure, there's a regular dinner menu served after 3:30 p.m., but the lunch or brunch experience with dim sum carts is the way to get the best out of Tropical Chinese.

You probably know that Hialeah had a glow-up. During that City of Progress makeover, the Yards at Amelia emerged as a central hub within the city's Amelia District. Located on Red Road, it delivers a new kind of outdoor dining experience. Sure, glistening lights hang above food trucks like Pia's Not Just Pizza, Los Tacos, Remaking Sushi, Boca Loca, and others, but what makes this place unique is that it's paired with an indoor pickleball court. We suggest eating after playing. They also host comedy nights, a Stomp the Yards dance battle, and even a Porsche meet-up — a very specifically Miami-type event. The space is expanding by taking over the former Valsan department store, so expect more yards and more room to park your Porsche.

From Japanese Wagyu to certified Angus beef strips, ribeyes, and filets, this underrated South of Fifth steakhouse serves up juicy cuts cooked exactly to your liking. Red South Beach is helmed by owner and chef Peter Vauthy and serves up dishes off a Cheesecake Factory-sized menu. There are nearly a dozen options when it comes to just steak cuts alone! They all pair phenomenally with the equally long list of sides. Everything, from sauces to garnishes, is prepared from scratch. Red also boasts a selection of more than 500 wines, and the restaurant's sommelier is always on hand to help you decide what will pair best with your hunk of personalized meat.

Got a match on the apps? Then, you need to score a reservation at the New Schnitzel House. The New Schnitzel House upgrades the flair and delightful German fare of the old Schnitzel House. It also features a creative cocktail program reminiscent of its sister bar, Gramps, in Wynwood to provide a tasty social lubricant for a best first date. You can actually hear the other person talk at New Schnitzel House, assuming that's a goal — you know, to see if they're empty between the ears. Sharable "appeteasers" like the housemade pickle plate or pretzel with beer cheese and mustard are guaranteed to spark convo. The schnitzel is obviously a solid choice, but so is the array of "snausages." While salads usually suck at restaurants, New Schnitzel House cracked that code with three great options. Just be sure to check your chompers in the mirrored bathroom after you indulge. Depending on what you want out of your date, the weekend brunch is a little more wholesome, the outdoor patio with its twinkling lights provides a When Harry Met Sally rom-com energy, but the dimly lit and thoughtfully decorated interior is the way to go to bring the Moonstruck-in-Miami vibe. The restaurant is taking a summer hiatus but will reopen in the fall. So start planning a rendezvous now.

A veteran of many a Miami restaurant kitchen, Nuno Grullon became his own boss in 2020 when he and business partner Akira Van Egmond opened Uptown 66, a taco ventanita across Biscayne Boulevard from Legion Park. With the pandemic as its crucible, Uptown 66 flourished, winning "Best Tacos" in the 2022 edition of this issue and backing that up with a $20,000 grand prize in Good Morning America's "United States of Tacos" tour in '23. Last fall Grullon doubled down on Biscayne with the debut of Grand Central by Nuno Grullon, a hole-in-the-wall bistro just north of 79th Street. The menu is focused — a half-dozen starters, a half-dozen mains, and a few dessert options. But service and execution are superb from the moment you step inside. Standout appetizers include a plate of baked clams and a wonderful Little Gem wedge salad, and, among the mains, a decadent lobster ravioli, one of the best burgers on the eastern seaboard, and a chicken pot pie that's nothing like Mom used to make unless Mom wore a toque for her day job. And all of it exists in the least likely of locations — sandwiched between a vape shop and a payday loan establishment — for a wee, French-inspired white-tablecloth restaurant, but Grullon and Van Egmond pull it off with grace, flair, and more than a soupçon of affection.