The Best Outdoor Dining in Miami for Your Next Dinner Out

If you’re looking for a meal with a spectacular view, check out Amara at Paraiso, perched right on Biscayne Bay. Headed up by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, the restaurant serves a Latin American menu that includes Florida yellowtail snapper and locally caught stone crab. For an excellent spot for midweek happy hour or Sunday brunch, snag a scenic seat on the upper deck.

Stepping into Ariete’s outdoor dining area feels like you’ve been invited to an exclusive garden party. The Coconut Grove restaurant combines executive chef and owner Michael Beltran’s Cuban heritage with his European training in a lush outdoor setting. This combination comes to life in dishes such as a tamale with sea urchin and pork fat foam or a large-format duck for two served three ways: a 14-day dry aged duck breast with pistachio dukkah, a duck tamale with wild mushroom and foie gravy, and a duck fricassee pastelito with green salad.

Casa Florida is basically three outdoor spaces in one, allowing diners to choose their ideal atmosphere. “The Playground” features a ping pong table and a renovated 1969 GM bus that serves as a cocktail lounge. For the second, head up to “the Deck” to grab a drink from the shipping container turned bar and DJ booth. Lastly, “the Lawn” is a smattering of socially distanced tables to eat dishes such as tuna tostadas or zucchini carpaccio. To make a day of it, book the bottomless mimosas experience on OpenTable.

At Fuego y Mar, the menu is influenced by Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan and Colombian cuisines, with a focus on fresh, simple ingredients. Located inside the Ritz Carlton on South Beach, the restaurant has outdoor seating with full views of the pool and ocean. The Sunday brunch draws a crowd, offering omelet and carving stations with unlimited mimosas or bellinis to wash them down.

The 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck at Astra features lots of greenery and laidback couch seating, giving diners plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the sunsets in Wynwood. The Mediterranean menu includes lobster pasta, lamb chops, and grilled octopus, along with a late-night menu and a bottomless brunch option on Sundays.

Featuring an expansive patio beneath a canopy of trees next to the chic and spacious open-air bar and restaurant, there’s not a bad seat in the house at Glass & Vine. The contemporary American menu from James Beard Award-nominated chef Giorgio Rapicavoli features a variety of locally sourced options and classics with a South Florida twist. Enjoy dishes such as deep fried whole snapper, grilled heritage pork with guava applewood glaze, or sip on brunch cocktails between bites of the corn cereal-crusted french toast.

The food at Three and No.3 Social is inspired by local flavors, where the seasonal, market-driven menu can include Wagyu beef bavette steak and seafood platters with East Coast oysters, wild Florida shrimp, and ceviche from local fish. Diners can eat in the lounge or on the rooftop deck that overlooks the artsy neighborhood. Popular cocktails like “Fly Me to Tulum,” a riff on a spicy margarita, and the rosé-based “F’Rose” are just as summery and bright as the restaurant’s decor.

Venture to Miami’s Upper East Side to dine at Vista, an Italian restaurant with two outdoor seating areas: a flourishing, plant-filled outdoor garden and a soaring rooftop deck. The restaurant’s menu ranges from pizzas to proteins, with dishes such as arugula and prosciutto pizza, chicken milanese panini, and gnocchi sorrentina pasta.

MILA is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on Lincoln Road that boasts a 5,000-square-foot rooftop deck with a bohemian vibe and an upscale menu to match the surroundings. Stop in for signature dishes such as Wagyu beef carpaccio with onion jam and salted seaweed, and sweet-spicy soy glazed salmon with a panzanella tomato salad. Looking for a special occasion brunch? Check out the two-hour, shareable, multi-course menu, which includes options such as eggs Benedict with blood orange hollandaise sauce and corn on the cob with feta cream.

Simple preparations of locally sourced ingredients is the driving force behind the menu at this airy Design District outpost from James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz. The menu rotates often to accommodate for seasonal changes, but always includes a variety of fresh caught seafood and creatively prepared vegetables. Sitting on the outdoor patio, surrounded by lush potted plants and twinkling lights, enjoy dishes such as charred leeks with smoked swordfish tonnato, or wood oven-roasted tilefish with a kimchi vinaigrette.