10 New Venues in Miami/South Florida for Spring Meetings and Events

Galley, a new restaurant at Hilton West Palm Beach, opened in January. Specializing in interactive cuisine, the restaurant offers experiences such as pizza-making classes, sushi demonstrations with live music, and tableside cocktail preparations. Guests can season their steaks from potted herbs on each table. The eatery’s other hallmark is its contemporary art collection, which includes a Warhol vs. Basquiat exhibit poster from the 1980s. The space seats 135, with 77 indoors and 58 in an outdoor area with a fire pit. Buyouts are available.

A $35 million renovation of the Hilton Miami Downtown included a redesign of the property’s 45,000 square feet of meeting space. The new look, from HBA Atlanta, updated the hotel’s 19 meeting spaces, including the nearly 17,000-square-foot Symphony ballroom as well as its five boardrooms. The renovation also upgraded the 527 guest rooms, the Brisa Bistro restaurant; and the 16th floor Club Level lounge. The hotel has announced plans to renovate its rooftop pool deck—including its lounge and bar and restaurant—later this year.

Named after a district in Tokyo, Azabu Miami Beach is a Japanese restaurant and bar from the global hospitality group Plan Do See. The sister restaurant to the Michelin-starred Sushi Azabu in New York includes three concepts: a full-service restaurant with an 80-seat main dining room and open kitchen; an 11-seat “hidden” sushi counter called the Den, accessed through the kitchen; and the classic cocktail bar Bar Azabu. Azabu Miami Beach is located in the Marriott Stanton South Beach and opened in January.

The Confidante Miami Beach hotel finished a $3.5 million renovation of its meeting and event spaces last fall that focused on technology and design upgrades. The 2,000-square-foot Century Ballroom, which seats 150 in various configurations, has added a wireless connect LCD projector and 18-foot drop-down screen and boasts new carpeting and a refreshed pre-function area. Seven new breakout rooms now feature flat-panel touchscreen televisions, and the 1,240-square-foot Tarleton Room now has built-in screen technology. Several meeting spaces were outfitted with induction cooktops for catering. Overall the property features 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 5,000 square feet of outdoor meeting space including event lawns and a rooftop terrace. Formerly the Thompson Miami Beach, the property now is part of Hyatt's Unbound Collection.

The Keys Collection—a group of four hotels managed by Highgate—debuted the Sunset Green event lawn in January for outdoor events. The 12,105-square-foot lawn can hold events of 1,200 standing or 800 seated. Event tents are allowed. The space is suited for outdoor weddings, concerts, movie screenings, or other events.

The chic Zuma Miami restaurant has a new private dining room. Announced in March, the private space in the upscale Japanese eatery drew its design inspiration from the natural elements earth, fire, water, and air and includes elements such as Acacia wood from Indonesia on the walls, natural light, and views of the Miami River. The space seats 34 and holds 34 for receptions on the terrace. Also available for groups: a private three-hour sushi class.

Skorpios, a new Greek restaurant in midtown Miami, opened in late February. The menu features Mediterranean fare including a daily selection of whole grilled fish, and a cocktail list with drinks with names such as “Ari & Jackie” and “Revenge of the Greek.” The eatery spans 4,900 square feet and offers indoor and outdoor seating for 180 guests and has an 18-seat private dining room. Full or partial buyouts are available. Dupoux Design Studio designed the space, which features terra cotta and mosaic tiles and a 13-foot Hammerhead shark mounted on the wall.

Lona, an upscale Mexican restaurant from chef Pablo Salas, opened in January at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. Lona, which translates to “canvas,” is an apt name for a chef who loves tattoos. With beach views and an indoor/outdoor bar, the space is suited for entertaining and has multiple private dining rooms as well as a tequila tasting room and private tequila lockers for devotees of the spirit. The menu offers small plates such as crab-infused guacamole, larger dishes such as 48-hour wagyu brisket, and an extensive cocktail menu with margaritas, sangrias, Micheladas, and more. Its sister restaurant, the 100-seat Tinta, serves breakfast and is available for private events for 100 seated guests. Other private dining rooms seat 12 and 25 guests, respectively. Overall, Lona seats 107 inside and 127 on the patio.

The luxury, eco-friendly 1 Hotel South Beach debuted a new cocktail bar, Drift, in January. Located in the lobby, the space features a reclaimed wood bar and paneling made of whitewashed stone and dark woods. Along with the selection of “farm-to-bar” cocktails is a menu of small bites from chef Jose Mendin, including local kale tempura, croquetas de jamon, and fresh oysters and charcuterie.

Wynwood is home to Palmar, a new modern Chinese restaurant from restaurateurs Javier Ramirez and Leo Monterrey of Alter. The restaurant seats 44 total, with 32 indoors and 12 outdoors. It’s available for buyouts and—notably, in congested Wynwood—has off-street parking available for guests.