Come the weekend, what better way to celebrate South Florida's carefree lifestyle and love of the outdoors — even amid scorching summer temps — than with this beloved breakfast-lunch mashup.
If it's brunch you're after, here, listed in alphabetical order, are five restaurants offering up dishes worthy of the ultimate Sunday fun day tribute.
Chica
5556 NE Fourth Ct., Miami786-632-7725
chicarestaurant.com
Chica is a celebration of influences from the chef/owner Lorena Garcia's native Venezuela – as well as Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. While an oven fueled by Brazilian wood is at the heart of the dinner menu, here, there's a menu's worth of brunch items that will make you want to devote an entire Sunday to satisfy some cravings. That's because this popular weekend brunch and cocktail experience offers a plethora of Instagrammable dishes, each with a Latin twist. Like pancakes? Try the cachapa corn cakes. Love eggs Benedict? The Benedict cazuela turns the dish into a breakfast skillet complete with two poached eggs and chorizo atop a paisa cheese arepa and smothered with huancaína sauce. Just don't miss Chica's rum caramel sticky bun, an oversize skillet that cradles two massive buns topped with pistachio cream cheese frosting and a chile-spiked graham cracker crumble. Brunch is served Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Maia House's brunch offers a savory take on the traditional chicken and waffles.
Photo courtesy of Maia House
Maia House
2524 Le Jeune Rd., Coral Gables786-244-6860
maiarestaurant.com
This Coral Gables gem is best known for its upscale, Mayan-inspired fare. Dishes here are a mix of savory and unique, from the jicama-based vegan ceviche to grilled colossal shrimp. Now, with the launch of its new brunch menu, dishes are what executive chef Hillary Hernandez calls a colorful — if modern — take on the traditional Mexican breakfast table. Riffs on breakfast- and lunch-inspired options include her chilaquiles in a spicy mango sauce and huevos motuleños, a Yucatan dish of eggs over fried tortillas smothered in mole alongside refried beans and sweet plantains. If you like chicken and waffles but crave something more savory, try the bacon maple syrup-drenched, tajin-spiced fried chicken prepared with corn-infused buttermilk waffles. The brunch menu also has cornbread French toast and Mexican chocolate waffles for "dessert." Enjoy bottomless mimosas and seasonal fruit sorbet drenched in prosecco for an additional $35 per person. Brunch is served Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Maü Miami
3252 NE First Ave., Miami786-698-8628
maumia.com
Known for its weekly brunch party featuring Mediterranean-inspired food, bohemian décor, and lively music, Maü's executive chef Shawn Rakkasan has revamped the menu offering decadent vegetarian options for those on a plant-based diet, and still more for seafood lovers. Dishes include bourbon cinnamon vanilla brioche French toast; A lobster omelet; and eggs Benedict made with crab, fried lobster, or even smoked salmon. A seafood tower is stacked with shrimp, lobster, oysters, and Alaskan king crab, while dishes like the vodka shrimp cocktail and scallop tartare are easier to tackle solo. The most photo-worthy dish: red velvet pancakes topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream cheese frosting. A selection of cocktails and $20 bottomless mimosas round out the brunch experience. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The breakfast báhn-mì from Phuc Yea is part of its new brunch menu rollout.
Photo courtesy of Phuc Yea
Phuc Yea
7100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-602-3710
phucyea.com
Do brunch at Phuc Yea, where chef Cesar Zapata and business partner/restaurateur Aniece Meinhold recently launched their all-new Sunday brunch. The refreshed menu is both vibrant and funky, offering the best of this duo’s tastes and ethnicities to shine. A meal here wouldn't be complete without the restaurant's signature "PY" noodles, a house-made egg noodle dish served with garlic butter, oyster sauce, and Parmesan cheese. For heartier plates, the cola duck confit and waffles offers a Coca-Cola-glazed duck confit served with Belgian waffles, cranberry agrodolce, dill, and rum-spiked maple syrup. For two to share, go big or go home with the $52 steak and eggs, a 42-ounce, bone-in smoked short rib coated in nuoc cham caramel and served with onion rings and fried eggs. Of course, you can't go wrong with Zapata's "Biskits ’n Gravy", which pairs his buttermilk biscuits with a house andouille and Chinese sausage gravy served with a fried egg. For a real taste of Phuc Yea, go for the breakfast bánh mì, made with five-spice roasted pork, lettuce, house pickles, and fresh herbs topped with sriracha aioli and a fried egg. Guests are encouraged to imbibe in several “by-the-bottle” concoctions: a bottle of sparkling wine served with a choice of passionfruit, guava, or pineapple nectar. Brunch is served Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.
Tur Kitchen
259 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables786-483-8014
turkitchen.com
Tur Kitchen offers a special Sunday-only menu with dishes like savory poached eggs shakshuka; steak and eggs with crispy polenta; or an avocado tartine. The real highlight, however, is the restaurant's whole fish experience. Every Sunday, the kitchen prepares its bounty of market-fresh fish, a selection of Spanish branzino, turbot, or sea bream that's cooked and plated as a whole fish (until sold-out). Tur's new spritz menu also makes for the perfect brunch beverage, a choice of four new cocktails that include a fragrant bubbly combination of fennel and elderflower, or a ginger-infused take made with the French aperitif, Lillet, and ginger beer. Brunch is served on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
