5 Satisfying Seafood Spots

We’re fortunate to be living in the melting pot that is Miami. Just about any type of cuisine is readily available. Latin food, Italian food, Mexican food … you name it, we’ve got it. But one type of food that doesn’t get enough love is seafood. Most restaurants do offer seafood options, but to find local menus that specialize in the ocean’s most sublime culinary offerings, you have to know where to look.

One place to start: the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, home to Lure Fishbar (1601 Collins Ave., 305.695.4550). The South Beach institution is known for its expansive menu that includes … well, everything but the kitchen sink. Start your meal with a delicious New England clam chowder or fluke crudo, then work your way into hefty mains like slow-baked halibut, sea urchin bucatini and steamed red snapper. If you somehow still have room, a side of lobster mac won’t hurt. The exquisite menu is complemented with nautical-themed drinks like the vodka-based Anchor and mezcal-heavy Life Boat.

Over on the mainland, River Oyster Bar (33 SE Seventh St., Ste. 100; 305.530.1915) continues to be the Brickell

go-to for all things seafood. Guests visit in droves for specialties like snapper tartare, hamachi sashimi, grilled shrimp tacos and the butterflied yellowtail snapper filet. A big draw for the restaurant is that you can get simply prepared fish – just grilled with no frills. So if you just want a darn good piece of fish, this is the place for it. You also can’t talk about River Oyster Bar without mentioning its namesake specialty, which is the main reason this place is packed during happy hour. Good luck saying no to delicious, discounted oysters.

Up north, Shuckers Waterfront Bar & Grill (1819 79th St. Causeway, 305.866.1570) has been serving up tasty seafood for more than three decades. That longevity is a testament to the quality of this North Bay Village establishment, where guests can arrive by land or sea. On the menu are beloved dishes like Caribbean cracked conch, beer-steamed shrimp, grouper sandwiches and Dijon-rubbed salmon – to name a few. Don’t get us started on the view; it’s so serene.

Counting calories? Then Captain Jim’s Seafood Market & Restaurant (12950 W Dixie Hwy., 305.892.2812) is not

the place for you. The North Miami favorite is all about big dishes; even the starters can easily double as a meal.

Speaking of size, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger seafood menu in Miami than the one here. Crab cakes, pan-seared scallops, buffalo shrimp, fish soup, shrimp po’ boys, hog fish, pecan-crusted grouper … we can keep going, but it’s a menu you have to see – and eat – for yourself.

Rounding out our list is CVI.CHE 105 (19501 Biscayne Blvd., 786.516.2818) in Aventura, one of the latest locations for the ubiquitous brand. The restaurant has come a long way since its humble downtown Miami roots, with chef-owner Juan Chicopo opening outposts across the county, including ones in South Beach and Dadeland. The Peruvian-inspired eatery features no shortage of ceviches, tiraditos and other succulent selections, like a seafood risotto and seafood fried rice. We also like the emphasis on presentation; make sure to have your camera ready to snap some beautiful plates.

Openings

With things finally getting back to a new normal (hopefully for good this time), Miami keeps adding more and more

restaurants to its roster. A perfect example: Smorgasburg (2600 NW Second Ave.), the popular Brooklyn open-air food market. Located in the heart of Wynwood, the new weekend market boasts plenty of familiar faces, like Caja

Caliente, Ted’s Burgers and Drinking Pig BBQ, along with vendors from the market’s other iterations, like Mao’s Baos.

Another notable addition just down the street: Pez Loco Restaurant & Tequila Bar (50 NW 24th St., 305.222.7768) a Mexican concept that just opened at Wynwood Jungle. Shrimp aguachile, octopus puttanesca, beef tartare and dry-aged rib-eye are a few of the standouts at this hot spot. There’s even a “baked Miami,” a play on the baked Alaska dessert. And of course, expect plenty of tequila.

Geoffrey Anderson Jr. and Dianne Rubin-Anderson are co-founders of Miami Food Pug, an award-winning South Florida food blog that fuses the couple’s love of dogs and food.