Here's a look at the best new Miami/South Florida restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this spring. These new and renovated Miami/South Florida venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Fisher Island Club completed a $60 million renovation in June, improving amenities including the hotel, spa, beach club, tennis facility, golf clubhouse, and marina. It also restored the historic Vanderbilt Mansion, which has a ballroom that seats 130 or holds 200 for receptions.
Las Vegas nightclub veteran Cy Waits has imported his high-end aesthetic with Adoré Nightclub in Miami Beach, which had its grand opening in late March. The interiors have a candle-bedecked bar, engraved antique mirrors, and booths encircling the dance floor. The audiovisual equipment provides a modern contrast with a floor-to-ceiling LED display and a 3-D LED sphere described as a 21st-century disco ball. The club has a Funktion One sound system and lighting and video design from SJ Lighting. The space is 12,000 square feet and holds about 1,000 on its two levels.
The Villa by Barton G, in the former Versace Mansion, reopened in March following a change in ownership. New owners the Nakash Family, which also own Jordache Enterprises, brought back Barton G. Weiss and his team to operate the new Mediterranean restaurant, the 26-seat Il Sole, the 10-room boutique hotel, and private events. Events at the 19,000-square-foot property can be held at the restaurant as well as poolside, in the courtyard, or on the roof. The property underwent light renovations, although it retains the opulent aesthetic of Gianni Versace.
Courtyard Cadillac Miami Beach Oceanfront finished a $25 million renovation in December that included opening a 93-room, LEED-certified tower. Other amenities at the property include a new oceanfront salt water pool, an updated lobby and meeting space, a renovated Carrabba's Surfside Tiki Bar, new poolside cabanas, and a new gym. The hotel's 5,803 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and function areas include the Golden Vee Ballroom, which is 2,278 square feet and holds 120 guests, and the Lawn, a 3,000-square-foot space with an infinity pool and nine full-sized cabanas that each fit eight guests. The 525-square-foot Chrome Boardroom is equipped with ergonomic chairs for a board meeting of 15.
Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, the National Hotel Miami Beach reopened this spring. The Art Deco hotel has 152 rooms and 2,220 square feet of meeting space, as well as amenities such as a 205-foot infinity pool and a three-story penthouse.
Duffy's North Miami Beach reopened its pool deck in March following a renovation that added lounge-style seating, new lighting, and tiki torches. The 25,000-square-foot sports bar and restaurant holds 350 inside with a 40-seat bar, 240 on a covered deck, and 220 on the pool deck with a 30-seat bar. Other amenities include 200 plasma TVs, 10-foot screens visible from the Intracoastal Waterway, and 500 feet of dockage for boats.
Spanish chef and restaurateur Oscar Manresa opened his first United States restaurant, Perfecto Gastrobar, in April. The industrial-chic space in Brickell seats about 60 people in the main dining room, as well as 20 at the bar and another 52 on a terrace.
The Chase—a nightclub, event venue, and restaurant—opened in March in Fort Lauderdale. The 10,000-square-foot venue holds 459 guests for events and has a stage, five bars, V.I.P. sections, and the second-floor Prive Bar and V.I.P. Lounge. It offers a catering menu but allows outside catering and has a full working kitchen.
The tapas restaurant and wine bar Taperia Raca opened in Miami's modern architecture district. The spot has brick walls, black leather banquettes, and cardboard bullheads mounted on the walls like taxidermy. The inside seats 16 and a large garden area seats 40.
PGA National Resort & Spa opened the 50-seat iClub Piano Bar in January. The bar and restaurant, located in the main lobby, serves a menu of cocktails, light bites, and desserts. It offers live entertainment Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
