From legendary staples like Caffe Abbracci in Coral Gables, which just celebrated its 35th anniversary on Aragon Avenue, and Fratelli Milano in downtown Miami, which also marked a major milestone, to newcomers like Luca Osteria, winner of New Times' Best Italian Restaurant 2024, and Tullio, which opened in 2023 by a famed Venetian chef, Miami is home to some of the most wonderful Italian restaurants in Florida.
Each of these hidden (and not so hidden) gems will satisfy your longing for authentic Italian cuisine or will fit the bill for a beautiful date night over a perfect portion of cacio e pepe and a glass of red wine.
Without further ado, listed in alphabetical order, here are the 13 best Italian restaurants in Miami.
Boia De
5205 NE Second Ave., Miami786-209-6310
boiaderestaurant.comNow a one-star Michelin restaurant, this hip Little Haiti spot run by chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer offers an ever-changing lineup of pastas designed to comfort and enchant. Look for pappardelle "Alla Lepre" — unctuous shreds of braised rabbit tangled with wide ribbons of pasta. It's not all about noodles here, however. Boia De offers plenty of non-pasta delights, including meat and fish dishes and crisp potato skins filled with milky stracciatella cheese, caviar, and a hard-cooked egg. The editors of Florida's first Michelin Guide took note, awarding the strip-mall standout a star.
Caffe Abbracci in Coral Gables celebrates its 35th anniversary after its founder, the revered restaurateur Nino Pernetti, died.
Photo by Rocco Riggio
Caffe Abbracci
318 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables305-441-0700
www.caffeabbracci.comAsk anyone about Caffe Abbracci and the word "family" will likely come up. And no wonder: The doted-upon Italian restaurant has maintained its consistently excellent reputation for more than three decades, thanks to its late founder, revered restaurateur Nino Pernetti, who died from COVID complications in 2022 at age 76. The restaurant gracefully carries on in his memory, sticking to a fantastic formula of warm, inviting service and a steadfast menu of classic and contemporary Italian dishes. Abbracci is always filled with locals (including families) who know to order well-executed options like carpaccio di tonno, vitello tonnato, red snapper al cartoccio, and Pernetti's homages to his daughters: tortellini Tatiana and agnolotti Katerina.
Carbone
49 Collins Ave., Miami Beachcarbonemiami.comWhile you can't walk into Carbone without a reservation, the wait is worth it to experience the Old World charm that Mario Carbone and his partners, Jeff Zalaznick and Rich Torrisi, have created. The restaurant is a tribute to classic New York City red-sauce joints — with a modern (and pricey) update. Chef Carbone offers a menu chock-full of classic dishes like veal parmigiana, minestrone, and baked clams. You might have seen Carbone's spicy rigatoni vodka on your Instagram feed. Served on a hand-painted plate from Umbria, it's worth ordering for the photo — but take the time to actually eat the dish, which is creamy, spicy, and ultimately worth the monthlong wait.
While remaining true to the restaurant’s signature dishes like “Spaghettino Felicetti alla Diavola” and “Short Ribs Peposo,” South Florida will be the inspiration behind each dish they serve.
Felice Brickell photo
Felice Brickell
1450 Brickell Ave., Miami305-526-4800
felicerestaurants.comFrom pasta made with Chianti wine and Tuscan seafood dishes made with local fish, Felice is bringing Italy to Brickell. New York City's beloved Tuscan restaurant, Felice, has opened its Miami flagship restaurant, Felice Brickell, in the heart of Miami's financial district. Felice is known for its warm atmosphere, curated Italian wine offerings like Super Tuscans and Chiantis, and, of course, its Tuscan menu. The restaurant also has an impressive Italian wine list that focuses on Chiantis, Brunellos, Super Tuscans, and Sangioveses, all imported from Italy.
Fiola
1500 San Ignacio Ave., Coral Gables305-912-2639
fiolamiami.comCoral Gables mainstay Fiola is a beautiful fine dining experience with classic Italian fare in Coral Gables. A second location of Chef Fabio Trabocchi's Michelin-starred spot in D.C., Miami's Fiola boasts a Michelin recommendation, and after one meal there curated by Executive Chef Daniel Ganem, it'll be obvious why. Though anchored in rich tradition and authenticity, the menus change seasonally to highlight the best local ingredients. Simple white tablecloths, glassware, and wood floors allow the exceptional food to be the center of attention. Pricey but not exorbitant, Fiola is unpretentious, gimmick-free, and boasts excellent service.
Forte dei Marmi
150 Ocean Dr., Miami786-276-3095
fdmmiami.comIn a city filled with sumptuous Italian restaurants run by talented Italian chefs and singular Italian restaurateurs, it would seem unfair if you haven't dined on Forte dei Marmi's pata negra with green tomatoes bruschettone, followed by its sepia tagliatelle with caviar and agrume gel, then its magnificent Fiorentina-style 48-ounce T-bone to share. The fare ranges from wildly creative to traditional, all of it prepared with out-of-this-world execution. In accordance with the slow-food movement, chef Fabrizio Piga and owner Andrea Reitano rely on craft, simplicity, and high-quality organic ingredients to bind it all together, and in a jewel-box of a garden designed by Oppenheim and Milan-based Henry Timi, they 100 percent succeed.
Two iconic dishes: vitello alla Milanese, a cutlet served with arugula, dressed with lemon olive oil, and topped with cherry tomatoes and diced bocconcini mozzarella (left) and fiocchi pasta, little pockets filled with pear and taleggio cheese (right).
Fratelli Milano photo
Fratelli Milano
213 SE First St., Miami305-373-2300
ristorantefratellimilano.comFratelli Milano, the beloved family-owned Italian spot in downtown Miami, was founded in 2006 by twin brothers and Milan natives Roberto and Emanuele Bearzi. The spot has been a local favorite ever since. Roberto takes the lead as executive chef, while Emanuele crafts delicate pastries, specialty pastas, and artisanal breads. The menu is a nostalgic nod to the Bearzi brothers' childhood in northern Italy, where their grandmothers whipped up hearty soups and stews for Sunday family feasts. Diners can indulge in complimentary housemade ciabatta with the restaurant's famous sun-dried tomato paste. The fresh pasta selection includes fettuccine, pappardelle, gnocchi, and lasagna.
Il Gabbiano
335 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-373-0063
ilgabbianomia.comLocated at the base of One Miami East condo tower, Il Gabbiano has seen its share of special-occasion gatherings, but that's not a necessary excuse for visiting. The views here are stunning — the surrounding open water is a mirage of dancing lights from the cruise ships from the port to the left and the Brickell Key skyline to the right — the menu equally so, with a robust selection of Northern Italian dishes. From antipasto, insalata, and verdura to minestra, pasta, and risotto to heartier fare in the form of veal, beef, chicken, and seafood entrées — overwhelm you. The star of the show might be the restaurant's signature "Costoletta Alla Valdostana," a massive bone-in veal chop stuffed with foie gras pâté, Fontina cheese, and prosciutto di Parma smothered in a rich cream sauce and served with sautéed mushrooms. Afterward, a stroll along Miami's Riverwalk is the perfect nonalcoholic digestif.
Luca Osteria
116 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables305-381-5097
lucamiami.comIf you're on a quest to find the best pasta in Miami, consider Luca Osteria, where Giorgio Rapicavoli channels his Italian heritage in a quaint spot named for his son. Located along the pedestrian-only stretch of Giralda Plaza, the restaurant offers the chef's indulgent interpretations of classic dishes with the same spirit his beloved Eating House churns out quirky-creative riffs on American favorites. Here, homemade pastas pair with the bar's selection of house spritzes, while hearty main plates do best with one of several takes on the classic negroni. Pasta is a must-order — be it bucatini all'amatriciana with aged 600-day prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes or pappardelle smothered in a nutmeg-spiced short rib ragù. But the antipasti of patate fritte — Rapicavoli's bite-size balls of fried potato, served beneath a deluge of creamy parmigiano fonduta flavored with black truffle and topped with a single egg yolk — is a can't-miss dish.
Macchialina
820 Alton Rd., Miami Beach305-534-2124
macchialina.comChef Michael Pirolo spent years traveling and cooking at Michelin-starred temples in Piedmont, Lombardy, Bologna, and Campagne. When he returned to the United States, he linked up with Scott Conant and eventually led the opening of Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach before debuting his own Italian restaurant, Macchialina. Pirolo's skills are many and precise, his menu focused and deceptively simple: a handful apiece of starters, pastas, and entrées. The flavors, though, are forward, thanks to the expert deployment of fresh and fine ingredients, whether in the form of a salumi plate, a salad of heirloom tomatoes and locally made burrata cheese, a tagliatelle ai funghi, or a whole braised fish. The wine list is similarly concise (and Italian)
Matteo Pademi has built a loyal fanbase with his authentic Italian recipes and warm atmosphere at Sapore di Mare in Coconut Grove.
Sapore di Mare photo
Sapore di Mare
3111 Grand Ave., Miami305-476-8292
saporedimaremiami.com
Sapore di Mare — Italian for "Taste of the Sea" — concentrates on seafood dishes from Campania, a region in Italy that includes Naples and the Amalfi Coast. All of the fish is sourced exclusively from the Mediterranean, and Sapore is known for its crudo selection. Begin with the branzino carpaccio, which is made using only the fillets of Italian sea bass. The raw white fish — enhanced with Tuscan olive oil, lemon juice, and ground pepper — comes arranged atop slivers of crunchy green apple. There's a lot to like about this light and fresh starter. If you choose to veer off the seafood path, try the tagliolini cacio e pepe. Sapore has achieved the kind of convivial atmosphere that attracts the most enviable clientele: year-round locals who've come to embrace the eatery as their second kitchen. This feat is all too rare in Miami.
Tullio
160 Andalusia Ave., Coral Gables305-926-4208
tulliomiami.comLocated in the heart of Coral Gables, just a few steps from Miracle Mile, Tullio is a little Venetian hidden gem owned by the family of Tullio Zanon, known in Venice as the "jeweler of seafood." His family continues his legacy by serving Mediterranean seafood served table-side. As true Venetians, the restaurant is filled with Murano glass and pictures of Italy. Their focus is to transport guests to Venice with each bite.
Zucca Miami
162 Alcazar Ave. Coral Gables786-580-3731
zuccamiami.comSince opening in March 2017 inside of Coral Gables' historic Hotel St. Michel, Zucca has become a staple in Coral Gables, known for its traditional Italian cuisine, an award-winning wine cellar with more than 2,000 bottles, and warm hospitality. Chef de cuisine Manuel Garcia, who has honed his skills in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe, leads the kitchen. His signature dishes, such as veal parmesan and stuffed zucchini flowers, have won the hearts of many loyal diners in the neighborhood and beyond.
