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 fall. 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.
Mexico City-based hospitality firm Cinbersol Group opened Cantina La Veinte, a traditional Mexican restaurant in Icon Brickell downtown, in July. Designed by architectural firm Niz & Chauvet, the space has Mexican Art Deco touches such as a floor-to-ceiling black onyx bar, black and white marble flooring, and Mexican folk art. The venue has 450 seats spread over the bar, dining room, and waterfront patio with views of Brickell Key and Biscayne Bay.
Hilton Cabana Miami Beach, a 231-room oceanfront hotel, opened in June in the former Allison Hotel. For receptions, the property holds 120 people on a 2,000 square-foot courtyard as well as by its two outdoor pools. The hotel also is home to the French restaurant L’echon Brasserie, a new concept from local restaurant developer the Pubbelly Group. The 130-seat restaurant has an oceanfront patio and is available for private events.
The Korean barbecue restaurant Drunken Dragon debuted on South Beach in June. Designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Collective Design, the space features several seating options, from banquettes to tables with embedded grills where guests can roast their own food. For groups, one option is a communal table made from a 300-pound slab of reclaimed Douglas fir that is suspended from the ceiling. Other design elements include dim lighting, walls covered with heavy rope, and provocative photos of Japanese bondage. The eatery seats 74 in the dining room as well as 12 at the bar.
In August, the zoological park Jungle Island finished a $700,000 facelift of its signature 14,000-square-foot Treetop Ballroom, the Arboretum room, and adjacent function spaces. The ballroom holds 2,000 people for receptions or can be split into three salons, and the Arboretum holds 150 people. The design, by Cardenas & Kriz design studio, uses neutral colors and nature-inspired patterns to evoke the environment. Ovations Food Services also has updated the venue's catering menu.
North Miami Beach fitness studio Pulse 163, a sleek and modern space, opened earlier this month. The studio takes groups reservations for teambuilding events and can hold 25 people for barre classes and 30 people for yoga classes. The space also can be used for lectures or workshops of 40 people.
SLS South Beach updated its meeting and event space with the addition of Clyde, a 1,500-square-foot space that holds 80 people guests for seated events or 200 for receptions. The stylish space, which debuted in August, can be set up in traditional classroom or boardroom settings or in a more casual setup with lounge-style furniture. The ground-level space overlooks the hotel's pool with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer plenty of natural light. The catering menu comes from the property's culinary partner, chef José Andrés.
Porfirio’s Restaurante, a Mexican concept that originated in Mexico City, opened in July. The Miami Beach restaurant has 200 seats spread over its indoor dining room and a terrace that overlooks a fountain. The space features cathedral ceilings, teardrop lighting, a wraparound bar, and a display of 100 different tequilas in polished wood cases.
More than 20 different solo, duet, and group acts and characters interact with guests nightly at Steam Miami, a 7,500-square-foot nightclub and performance space that opened in August. The venue has a Funktion One sound system and features film noir-inspired design such as velvet-covered banquettes, neon signs with R-rated phrases, and rusted chains. The club, which includes outdoor space, holds 600 for receptions.
Il Mulino New York, an Italian restaurant, opened in South Beach in July. It's the second South Florida location for the New York-based concept and features sleek white and light gray decor with walls decorated with poster-size covers of vintage issues of magazines such as Vogue and The New Yorker. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant seats 84.
Miami-based chain Balans Café launched a fifth South Florida location in the Dadeland Mall in June. The restaurant features a brasserie-style menu from chef David Welch and has 151 seats indoors, including at a long wraparound bar, and a 65-seat patio. The venue offers free Wi-Fi; valet parking is available.
