We can’t wait to try these Miami restaurants opening in 2026

By now, you’d think we’d have grown weary of new restaurants opening in and around Miami. The past four years have produced an onslaught of dining establishments around the country and around the world — from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to Canada, Mexico, Europe and South America — deciding that Miami is the perfect place to expand.

It’s exhausting, frankly.

And yet we can’t help but be intrigued by some of the possibilities ahead for 2026.

For example: When will Casa Tua open at the NoMad Residences in Wynwood? Will it be in the new year?

What about Apocalypse BBQ Part II? The popular barbecue spot in Kendall has announced plans to open a second location, and every fan who hopes to avoid the still-considerable lines is interested to see if it will be this year.

MORE: Miami lost a lot of restaurants in 2025. We’ll miss these the most

We don’t know yet. But we do know these are some of the restaurant openings that have us intrigued:

Buccan

Chef Clay Conley has captured the attention of Palm Beach with his restaurant Buccan, which has earned him an avalanche of praise and a few James Beard Award nominations.

Now, after opening the more casual Grato in West Palm Beach, he’s bringing Buccan south of the border to Coral Gables, where it will open at 100 Miracle Mile in early 2026. The new space is 10,000 square feet on the ground floor of a 37,000-square-foot office building on the busy Mile. Will Conley’s empire thrive in competitive Miami? We’re going to find out.

Fooq’s

A downtown Miami favorite since restaurateur David Foulquier opened it in 2015, Fooq’s closed in 2021, transforming into Eleventh Street Pizza after the pandemic. Now, it’s making a comeback in the Little River neighborhood in a two-story, 14,000-square-foot space at 150 NW 73rd St.

Known for his work at Brooklyn’s Olmsted and Laurent Tourondel’s LT Bar & Grill, Executive Chef Andrew Bazzini will oversee Fooq’s menu, which will focus on Mediterranean cuisine and Foulquier’s Persian roots with a contemporary touch, relying on wood-fire cooking. On the property’s second floor will be Lion’s Den, a vinyl lounge inspired by early 2000s New York clubs. Foulquier will program the music along with local DJ Manuel Mate and Mariana Pinto of Alchemy Music.

Karyu

Miami is already home to three omakase Michelin-starred restaurants: Hiden in Wynwood, Shingo in Coral Gables and our favorite, Ogawa in Little River. Is there room for a fourth?

There is, apparently.

Next year will mark the arrival of Karyu, the first stateside version of the Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant Oniku Karyu, which specializes in Tajimaguro Wagyu, a hyper-premium cut of beef. The Miami restaurant will be a 10-seat omakase-style counter at 40 NE 41st St. in the Design District, home to Michelin-starred restaurants including the two-starred L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and the single-starred Cote Korean steakhouse, as well as longtime favorite Michael’s Genuine and recently the new home for Torno Subito from chef Massimo Bottura.

La Sponda

Founder Tom Angelo and his Gioia Hospitality Group has found huge success with Daniel’s steakhouses in Fort Lauderdale and Coral Gables. The Gables restaurant, which opened in the summer of 2025, was ranked the No. 9 steakhouse in North America by World’s Best 101 Steak Restaurants. Daniel’s is also shortly embarking on a year-long pop-up at Palm Tree Club in North Bay Village.

Now the team, which includes Chef Daniel Ganem, really swings for the fences with La Sponda, an upscale, waterfront Italian restaurant due to open at the luxury property Vita at Grove Isle in 2026.

Whole Hog BBQ

Miami is home to several popular barbecue spots, including Apocalypse BBQ and Smoke & Dough in Kendall and the brand-new Drinking Pig from chef Raheem Sealey in Coconut Grove. This year, it will also welcome Whole Hog BBQ from chef Rodney Scott, who famously began his career at the age of 11, tending the smoking pits at his parents’ convenience store in Hemingway, South Carolina.

Scott, who earned a James Beard Award in 2018 and opened the first Whole Hog in Charleston in 2017, now also has restaurants in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, and is known for his whole hog barbecue. His Miami restaurant will be in the increasingly trendy Little River neighborhood at 7100 N. Miami Ave.