Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix will be back for its second year May 5–7, and the city’s most buzzed-about restaurants are shifting into overdrive for what might be their biggest weekend ever.
“We’ve recently opened our kitchen until midnight Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” says Rob van den Blink, co-owner of Doya, a Wynwood hot spot where F1 world champion Max Verstappen has dined multiple times. “And for Formula 1, we’ll keep the kitchen open as long as needed.”
“Last year, the economic impact of F1 in Miami was about $350 million, so we expect more of the same, if not a little bit more, this year,” says Daniel Solomon, operating partner of E11even Miami, the popular downtown nightclub that opened swanky restaurant Giselle on its rooftop in February. “Typically, we’re looking at about a $200-per-person check average at Giselle at the moment. We’re expecting to do at least a 50 percent, if not a 100 percent increase on that, just simply from the demand and the clientele that’s in town. And our reservations are all the way up until 2 a.m. We’re looking at potentially having four table turns per night during that weekend, which is incredible.”
Solomon’s bullishness comes after seeing how E11even’s business during the last F1 weekend was up 250 percent compared to a “traditional first week of May, pre-pandemic.” And this year, E11even is teaming up with the Zouk nightclub from Resorts World Las Vegas on parties headlined by elite DJs like Tiesto and Deadmau5.
The goal for Miami’s top hospitality operators, of course, is to amp things up and surpass even the frenetic levels of last year’s F1 weekend.
“This is the biggest weekend that Miami has,” says Jeff Zalaznick, co-owner of Major Food Group, who’s partnered with American Express to create the $3,000-per-seat, four-night Carbone Beach pop-up in Miami Beach for a second year after attracting guests like Serena and Venus Williams, David Beckham, and LeBron James last year. “The level of excitement and pandemonium is going to be nothing short of spectacular. It’s a crowd that really appreciates the type of luxury experiences we provide. Last year, we demonstrated that Carbone Beach really set a very high bar for a dinner party and entertainment that kind of embodies the next frontier of luxury events. And with us, our only intention is to exceed that this year.”
Here’s a look at 10 sizzling spots to eat like a boss during F1 weekend and maybe even see a few A-listers doing the same.
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Carbone Beach
Image Credit: Carbone Guests at this supper club on the sand will enjoy Carbone greatest hits along with elaborate chilled-seafood presentations, caviar, steaks, and more from chef Mario Carbone.
“It’s the best of the best on every front, with Major Food Group putting all our energies, all of our talents, all of our expertise into creating the most incredible dinner party and evening that someone can have,” says Zalaznick, who promises a slew of surprise performances after debuting Carbone Beach last year with Andrea Bocelli, Wyclef Jean, Kygo, Nas, and Chloe Flower. “The core values of the event are the same as at Carbone. You’ll always get your classics, but we’re going to take it even further in terms of all the special touches, special entertainment, and incredible things to create the greatest supper club in the world.”
For those who can’t make it to Carbone Beach, the new Dorsia app lets users book Major Food Group restaurants (and other in-demand destinations) with a guaranteed minimum spend. Recent F1 week availability included $750-per-person tables at Carbone and $290-per-person tables at Dirty French Steakhouse for prime times on May 5.
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Doya
Image Credit: Flow Gallery An open “theater kitchen” lets guests see the live-fire action at chef Erhan Kostepen’s Wynwood meze destination, which serves shareable crowd-pleasers like muhammara, roasted eggplant, spicy yogurt, lamb chops, shrimp ouzo, and char-grilled vegetables. The feasts at Doya, inspired by the festive way people eat in Turkey and Greece, are the main attraction at this big 250-plus-seat indoor-outdoor restaurant. But there are also more private nooks for guests like Verstappen and supermodel Elle MacPherson to enjoy Mediterranean food in what feels like an intimate setting,
“We try to give everyone high-profile the privacy they ask for,” van den Blink says.
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Once Upon a Kitchen
This $6,000-a-seat May 5 pop-up created by luxury events agency GR8 Experience is headlined by world-beating chef Massimo Bottura and also features the talents of fellow Michelin-starred chefs Juan Manuel Barrientos and Bernardo Paladini, alongside biochemist/drinks wizard Alex Ott and DJ Benny Benassi. Guests, including business titans Maverick Carter, Stephen Ross, and Ravi Thakran, at the Deck at Island Gardens can expect a cocktail reception before a six-course dinner and a late-night dance party.
“What we really try and accomplish with Once Upon a Kitchen is to break the barrier between guests and talent and celebrity,” says GR8 Experience CEO Barnabas Carrega, who launched Once Upon a Kitchen with a dinner featuring Bottura, Mauro Colagreco, Alex Atala, and Antonio Bachour in 2019. “Usually, there is a bit of that barrier, a little bit of awkwardness. And we try to just completely destroy that. It’s an immersive experience. It’s interactive. The chefs are engaged. They’re plating on stage, but then they’re also going to tables and chatting with guests about why they came up with that dish. At the last edition of this, Massimo was spraying his salad sauce in people’s mouths using a perfume bottle. It’s a multisensory experience.”
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Tablé by Bachour
Image Credit: Tablé by Bachour Antonio Bachour, known as one of the world’s best pastry chefs, has opened a Design District restaurant and cafe with baked goods and also caviar and chips, a foie gras terrine, lobster frites, and côte de boeuf. This sprawling space is designed for all-day indulgences, so the brunch menu includes veal cordon bleu and many dishes (including a Key West shrimp panzanella salad) that are also on the dinner menu.
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Queen Miami Beach
Image Credit: Queen Miami Beach This over-the-top go-for-baroque restaurant and lounge in the storied Paris Theater building has been a South Beach sensation since its February opening. With grandiose Art Deco details and chef Julien Jouhannaud overseeing a menu that offers sushi, seafood towers, and premium proteins like Japanese Wagyu cooked in a Josper oven and on robata grills, there’s a real more-is-more sensibility here. And just in time for F1, Queen is starting reservations for Queen Omakase, a speakeasy-style experience (a hidden spot with its own private entrance) that’s atop the main dining room. Queen Omakase chef Max Kamakura will offer two seatings a night ($275 per person) with nigiri and cooked Japanese dishes at an eight-top counter.
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Prime 112
Image Credit: Prime 112 South Beach’s South of Fifth area is full of dining destinations like Carbone, Joe’s Stone Crab, and Stubborn Seed, but the meatiest mainstay there is restaurateur Myles Chefetz’s Prime 112. This pioneering Ocean Drive steakhouse, which opened in 2004, has attracted everyone from Tom Brady, various Kardashians, and Justin Bieber to Oprah Winfrey, Simon Cowell, and Shaquille O’Neal, so you can expect the celebrity sightings here to be numerous as guests dig into dry-aged steaks, Kobe sliders, and truffled mac-and-cheese.
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Giselle
Image Credit: Giselle This rooftop stunner from E11even, the Restaurant People, and chef Gustavo Zuluaga is adding new items like A5-and-truffle-tamari sushi, miso-glazed salmon rolls, and toro-and-caviar crispy rice as it gets ready for F1 weekend. This is in addition to the caviar service, crispy whole snapper, Maine lobster fra diavolo, and flaming Australian Wagyu tomahawks that are already dazzling guests who want some spectacle during dinner. Giselle has open-air dining areas and also an enclosed space known as the Dream Room, complete with French lace and a white backdrop, that should be packed for both early dinners and late-night blowouts.
“F1 attracts the avid racing fans and also the high-profile personalities, celebrities, and affluent individuals,” Solomon says. “We’re open until 3 a.m. every night already. And the late-night menu is the same menu as the rest of the night. This weekend is about us hosting and celebrating and adding another way to maximize our revenue.”
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Abbalé Telavivian Kitchen
Image Credit: Abbale Chef Sam Gorenstein’s salatim, burekas, pitas, and Middle Eastern entrees (like sumac-lemon chicken shashlik and Persian braised short ribs) are among the crowd-pleasers at a lunch, midday, and dinner destination that channels Tel Aviv café vibes in South Beach’s bustling South of Fifth area. Abbalé is popular with out-of-towners, including many visitors from New York, and F1 weekend should make this a festive gathering place with guests fueled by Israeli wine day and night.
“Last year, the volume was more than we expected,” Abbalé general manager Manuel Cicle says. “We had lots of lunch business. The people who came were very high-end customers. The concierges were crazy sending people here. The crowd was very international.”
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Bâoli Miami
Image Credit: @RubenPictures The South Beach outpost of Bâoli, a restaurant and nightlife behemoth that has its flagship in Cannes, reopened in March under the direction of Riviera Dining Group (which also operates Mila). The transporting new menu showcases Southeast Asian influences in satays, salmon with panang curry, and banana-leaf-wrapped whole branzino with lemongrass sauce. There are also nods to Indian cuisine with naan and coconut basmati rice in a lush setting that features tropical foliage, two Instagram-friendly back-lit walls, and a DJ booth.
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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Image Credit: Katie June Burton International globetrotters looking for a European fine-dining experience can visit the Design District’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, which is Florida’s only Michelin two-starred restaurant. (Another option is adjacent Michelin one-starred sister restaurant Le Jardinier.) A polished team led by culinary director Alain Verzeroli serves tasting menus at a 34-seat counter where guests can see dishes like foie gras, Norwegian king crab, sweetbreads, and filet mignon being prepared in the open kitchen.
