The Best of Coral Gables 2025

People’s Choice: Bachour
Chef Antonio Bachour is considered one of the best makers of pastries in the world. This is immediately apparent with his breakfast croissant, and even more so with pastries that are works of art – and which they package in Tiffany-blue boxes, like the jewels they are.

Staff Choice: Madruga Bakery
The fanatical following for Madruga Bakery is a testament to what a full-service bakery is all about, with everything from hearty loaves of artisanal bread to lemon poppyseed muffins – not to mention their cheesecake and apple pie.

People’s Choice: Calista Greek Seafood
Yes, they have spinach pies and baklava, as any good Greek tavern should. But they go deep into the Mediterranean seafood mix, with pan-seared branzino, grilled sardines, mussels “saganaki” (with feta cheese), grilled octopus, and lightly dusted calamari.

Staff Choice: Cvi.Che 105
Peruvians are known for their seafood dishes, starting with the marinated chunks of fish known as ceviche. CVI.CHE 105 takes this to a whole new level, with colorfully plated dishes that infuse seafood with Asiatic sauces as well as traditional Peruvian flavors.

People’s Choice: Craft Coral Gables
Forget your idea of the traditional green salad. These salads are wildly enhanced, by roast pumpkin, baked salmon, garlic shrimp, and pulled pork, with elements like cherry tomatoes, pickled cabbage, curried leaks – and some green leaves here and there.

Staff Choice: Pura Vida
The name says it all – the “pure life” – and the salads here rise to that occasion. These are salads – like the Thai almond with mixed greens, scallions, and red bell peppers, or their “citrus summer” with cucumber, grapefruit and mint – that make you feel healthier just eating them.

People’s Choice: Ruth’s Chris
Part of the national chain that prides itself on USDA Prime steaks seared at 500 degrees and finished with butter and parsley, this family- friendly atmosphere with a proper dress code also serves non-steak dishes like lobster mac & cheese, BBQ shrimp, and stuffed chicken breasts.

Staff Choice: Christy’s Steak House
This is the real deal, what a steakhouse is supposed to be: red walls, a Cole Porter soundtrack, superb Caesar salads, shrimp cocktails, and impeccably prepared steaks. The only place in town that serves prime rib and baked Alaskas. A trip to another time, when scotch and martinis ruled.

People’s Choice: Cebada Rooftop
The names alone may be worth it: the vodka/ ginger/lime/guava drink “Bro, Why Are Your Pants So Tight” or the tequila/lime/cucumber/ pineapple/serrano peppers drink “Relax, It Only Tingles a Little” are just two of the extensive cocktail offerings.

Staff Choice: Arcano
Lucas Miller, the general manager of the selfdescribed “Hispanamerica” restaurant, invested serious time and engineering designing the cocktail selections here, which are both delicious and often come in fun, whimsical glasses.

People’s Choice: Sanguich
This is where traditional Cuban sandwiches have died and gone to heaven. All the classics are here, from Pan Con Lechon to Media Noche, with their special Sanguich de Miami adding a turkey, smoked bacon, swiss cheese monster to the mix.

Staff Choice: Tinta y Café
A truly neighborhood vibe, just off of Ponce de Leon in what was once a service station, with many inventive sandwiches, like their Madurito with plantains, pork, and caramelized onions, and their Francesita, with cream cheese, ham, and strawberry preserve.

People’s Choice: Grou Coffee
This cozy shop is one of the most welcome additions to the Merrick Park neighborhood abutting the Shops at Merrick Park, with specialty coffees and a cold brew that will perk you up on hot days – plus a co-working space so you can work as you imbibe.

Staff Choice: Café Demetrio
Café Demetrio has superb Italian coffee-making machines, a sweet courtyard, and some of the most delicious brews you will ever taste, all in a historic building that was once the home of Miami News in a great central location on Alhambra Circle.

People’s Choice: Craft Coral Gables
Maybe it’s because Craft is essentially an Argentine restaurant, but its pizzas are born of the Italian immigration to Argentina that created its own pizza culture determined to out-do the za’s of their home country.

Staff Choice: Emmy Squared
One of the newest entries into the pizza game in the Gables, this was the favorite pie place of the recently passed CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, Mark Trowbridge. Anyone who knew him knew that he was the ultimate foodie.

People’s Choice: Sweet Melody
Staff Choice: Sweet Melody

Yes, they have all the classic flavors. But this home-grown shop pushes the envelope with flavors (which you can buy by the quart to take home) like Abuela’s Flan, Guava Cream Cheese, and Café con Leche.

People’s Choice: John Martin’s
Hamburgers are the stuff of pub grub, and no one understands that better than John Martin’s, where the burgers are big, juicy, and lathered with caramelized onions. Also, well-washed down with a beer on tap.

Staff Choice: Vinya
We were as surprised as anyone else with the quality and tastiness of the burgers served at this establishment that prides itself on its selection of wines. A burger with a glass of burgundy? Go figure.

People’s Choice: Birdie’s Bistro
Formerly Burger Bob’s, this neighborhood favorite was reborn this year after a makeover by the city (which included a new bathroom!). What hasn’t changed is the old-fashioned approach to a bacon-and-eggs breakfast with toast, coffee, and a reasonable price tag.

Staff Choice: Threefold
Owner Nick Sharp brought the concept from Australia: a place where breakfast is served all day, with the first avocado toast in the Gables.It continues to attract loyal eaters with its salmon scramble, chili eggs, and lemon curd French toast.

People’s Choice: Noma Beach
Hard to beat a sunset over the lagoon in Matheson Hammock, with most of the seating outside. Add to this the superb seafood dishes created by Chef Donatella (along with the world’s best meatballs) and you have an unbeatable date place.

Staff Choice: Fontana
The old courtyard at the Biltmore Hotel, with its Venetian fountain, is among the most elegant places to dine in all of the Gables. The menu is heavily Italian, with great pasta, but it’s the ambience here that will woo the coldest heart.

People’s Choice: John Martin’s
The new owners of John Martin’s – one of the city’s oldest restaurants – spruced it up with new flooring, new bar, upstairs seating, etc. But it still wins as the best information hangout for the afterwork crowd.

Staff Choice: The Bar
Feels more like a dive you’d find in Key West or maybe yesterday’s Coconut Grove, this is where you come to drink and hang out with locals.

People’s Choice: Bulla
Maybe it’s the sangria or the jovial atmosphere around the 360 degree bar, but few places can match the experience here. Plus, in addition to drink discounts from 5 to 7 pm daily, they have an amazing happy hour tapas menu.

Staff Choice: Americana Kitchen
The large bar opens onto The Plaza Coral Gables, and its 5 to 7 pm happy hour runs seven days a week. Good discounts on classic cocktails, bar food, beer, and wine – plus, you can bring your dog.

People’s Choice: MIKA
Amazing interior and traditional flavors from the Coastal Riviera by way of a six-Michelin-starred chef. A bit on the pricey side ($96 for Veal Parmigiana) but if you can spare the coin, the food is superb and the setting magical.

Staff Choice: Sra. Martinez
This long-anticipated Michelle Bernstein transplant from the Design District enhances the creative cuisine of the Gables, with unique dishes from this award-winning chef – like carbonara croquetas, wood roasted duck, and chicken liver pate on warm beignets. Plus, live Music.

People’s Choice: Zucca
Ultra sophisticated and now heir to the power lunch crowd that migrated from Caffe Abbracci, Zucca delivers a seamless fine dining experience with its Northern Italian menu – and its special dish of ricotta-stuffed zucchini flower.

Staff Choice: Tullio
You feel pampered here, with exquisite service and many of the ingredients flown in daily from Italy. A lot of table-side service for its dishes, which are driven by the seafood recipes of the owner’s Venetian family.

People’s Choice: Cebada Rooftop
The first rooftop restaurant in the Gables, it’s open to the sky – with a nice view of Giralda Plaza below. The menu is a Spanish-American fusion, with, strangely enough, some of the best fried chicken in town.

Staff Choice: Bouchon
This pantheon to classic French bistro dishes solved one of its biggest problems – a noisy inside – with seating in the lovely courtyard of the restored La Palma Hotel just outside.

People’s Choice: Cebada Rooftop
There is something about being outside with open skies and twinkling lights that takes away the pressure on a first date – not to mention the view of people passing below on Giralda Plaza.

Staff Choice: Americana Kitchen
Again, it’s about the open space of The Plaza Coral Gables that takes away the claustrophobia of a first date, plus the amusements of people watching and public art worthy of discussion.

People’s Choice: Stephanie’s Crepes
Open till midnight, this is the place where you go to soak up some of that excess drinking with a nice crepe wrap that can be nutritious as well as dessert.

Staff Choice: Coyo Taco
Open even later, this is the last night nosh for the more seriously partying crowd that is still roaming the streets past midnight.

People’s Choice: Fritz & Franz Bierhaus
The big screens outside were shut down by neighboring apartment dwellers, but the big screens inside their cavernous interior make up for the loss. Add a huge selection of beer and you’ve got the best place to watch the Heat win and the Dolphins lose.

Staff Choice: Sports Grill
Lots of screens, with the sports events significantly enhanced by the best chicken wings in the city – baked, and not deep fried.

People’s Choice: Jae’s Fine Jewelers
A family-run shop that has been here since cars had fins, with a nice selection of vintage jewelry – and the ability to customize anything you want.

Staff Choice: Snow’s Jewelers
Another long-time denizen of Miracle Mile, Snow’s has a special focus on diamonds. Its showcases glitter with rings, necklaces, and bracelets.

People’s Choice: Nordstrom
The vast selection is one of the reasons why this was a first pick by readers. And there is something about a department store that is so wonderfully all-encompasing. Smells good, too!

Staff Choice: Origen
This boutique store has some of the most interesting new styles. Super colorful prints and dresses, bathing suits, footwear – all contemporary and affordably priced, in a comfortable,personal setting.

People’s Choice: Crate & Barrel
It’s a national chain, so that means they can buy in bulk and offer reasonable prices – as well as appeal to the tastes of a mass audience.

Staff Choice: Fine-Line Furniture & Accessories
Always interesting, with many one-of-a-kind pieces and a complete selection that includes floor lamps, ceiling lighting, dining room tables, consoles, chairs, couches – even planters and boxes.

People’s Choice: My Grooms Room/Sartori Amici
Staff Choice: My Grooms Room/Sartori Amici

The service here is extraordinary, as is the understanding of what works for a given client. The pricing here is also a consideration, with less expensive options – including special lapels that can transform a serious suit into formal wear.

People’s Choice: Neiman Marcus
This national chain never fails to offer a vast selection of dresses in good taste. Their women’s department is an oasis of calm, with lots of off-the-rack that can be tailored to fit.

Staff Choice: Mayda Cisneros Couture
When you want a one-of-a-kind dress that is tailored perfectly to make the most of your physique, and from the finest cloth in the world, no one touches Mayda Cisneros, the goto dress designer for the Gables’ elite.

People’s Choice: Bolado Clothiers
High-quality, hand-selected brands and custom suits, this is the kind of luxury clothing shop that you’ll find only in Coral Gables.

Staff Choice: Pepi Bertini
Pepi is the man when it comes to custom fitted clothing for men. Never considered the least expensive shop in town, but for quality, what matters the price?

People’s Choice: Coco Bella
A great selection of gifts that are affordable and cater to a more bohemian taste than some other shops, self-described as “whimsical” and featuring things like candles, stationery, and gourmet cookies – plus, gift wrapping.

Staff Choice: Rose Tree Cottage or Violeta’s
Rose Tree Cottage varies their gift selection for each season, with an almost overwhelming selection; Violeta’s tends toward the more pricey gifts that are practically works of art.

People’s Choice: Silver Mirror Facial Bar
Staff Choice: Silver Mirror Facial Bar

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest girl of all? That would be someone who just came out of Silver Mirror Facial Bar, where the service is superb and the treatments personalized.

People’s Choice: The Biltmore Spa
Staff Choice: The Biltmore Spa

Is it the serene Old World setting of the Biltmore, far from the madding crowd? Or is it the staff that is trained to satisfy the most demanding of standards of the international clientele who stay at the Biltmore? The spa experience here takes you somewhere far away, deeply relaxing.

People’s Choice: Dog from Ipanema
Staff Choice: Dog from Ipanema

Okay, so it’s located across the street from the Gables. But this locale for taking your beloved pooch for a trim, a bath, and nail clipping has been the go-to place for discerning Gableite dog owners for years.

People’s Choice: Equipaws Pet Services
Staff Choice: Equipaws Pet Services

This is the team of dog lovers who will come to your home to take your best friend for a stroll. Always friendly, always reliable, and always ready.

People’s Choice: Avant-Garde Salon & Spa
Staff Choice: Avant-Garde Salon & Spa

If clothes make the man, then hair makes the woman. Here they take special care to create the look that will win the hearts of paramours, the envy of friends – or the respect of clients, if you want a more professional looking style.

People’s Choice: The Spot Barbershop
From hot towel shaving treatments to straight razor shaves, The Spot is “the spot” to go to for classic grooming services in Coral Gables.

Staff Choice: Nicest Barbers Barbershop
What makes a great barbershop? Partly it’s finding the barber who has your number, who you come back to time and again. The other part is that you feel welcome in a place that is friendly in that old-fashioned way.

People’s Choice: Gloss Nail Bar/Gloss Naturals
Nothing says sexy like a wickedly crafted set of nails. Theirs include the essential manicure plus an organic raw sugar scrub and a 10-minute relaxing hand and arm massage, finished with a butter hand cream.

Staff Choice: My Time Nail Bar
A great array of services and affordable prices, including a $15 manicure for little girls (under 10) and an Any Time regular manicure for $20. Of course, you can go more luxurious with hot towels, long lasting gel manicures, and much more.

People’s Choice: LifeTime
Staff Choice: LifeTime

This is the place that has it all – huge selections of equipment, great high-ceilinged spaces, easy parking, and classes of all sorts to help you get in shape or bulk it up.

People’s Choice: TruFusion
Some like it hot, and this is the place for them, where most (but not all) classes are heated so you can sweat out toxins while practicing more than a dozen yoga methodologies with instructors who pace things to your skill level.

Staff Choice: Casa Vinyasa
Embracing a community spirit, the “guides” in this light-filled studio are so knowledgeable about the practice of yoga that they also train instructors in the ancient art, which they make contemporary – and fun.

People’s Choice: Matheson Hammock
Staff Choice: Matheson Hammock

And you thought that the Gables had no waterfront parks? Matheson abuts the great bay with its beachy lagoon and marina, where you can spread out with a blanket or find a picnic table with nearby grill.

People’s Choice: Biltmore
Staff Choice: Biltmore

They are well maintained, with clay as well as hard court. Lots of easy parking, verdant surroundings, and pros on hand if you need instruction. The finest tennis experience in the Gables.

People’s Choice: Salvadore Park
Staff Choice: Salvadore Park

This craze has taken the Gables by storm, so Salvadore rose to the occasion, converting several of their tennis courts for the practice of pickleball. Just make sure to make reservations.

People’s Choice: Actors’ Playhouse
Amazing productions of Broadway musicals on the main stage, and smaller more focused dramas and comedies on their upstairs stage, Actors’ Playhouse is one of the cultural institutions that make it worth living here.

Staff Choice: Sanctuary of the Arts
The most recent of the cultural venues to appear in the Gables, the Sanctuary filled the need for a stage where dance could be performed, as well as classical and contemporary music. No bad seats in this transformed church across from City Hall.

People’s Choice: Armstrong Jazz House
The owners here are devoted to the idea that Coral Gables should have a place where jazz can always be heard, any night of the week, in a packed space that feels very West Village. Young musicians perform the classic riffs.

Staff Choice: The Globe
If it’s Saturday night, then you’ll find us at the Globe – listening to Afro-Cuban jazz in a setting that feels like you are somewhere in Europe. Nothing else compares for a sophisticated jazz experience.

People’s Choice: Biltmore Hotel
The Biltmore is the icon of the city, the great hotel that founding father George Merrick built in the heart of what is now the historic section of the city. Extraordinary lobby with bird cages and vaulted ceilings, not to mention the pool where Tarzan once frolicked.

Staff Choice: Venetian Pool
Created from the rock quarry from which much of the original coral stone was cut for the first homes of Coral Gables, the Venetian Pool was also designed to look like an Italian canal, with gondola poles, waterfalls, and its own grotto.

People’s Choice: Granada Golf Course
The Granada Golf Course is the central park of the Gables, slicing right through its most historic section. Walking the perimeter with your dog is another way to experience this open space.

Staff Choice: Country Club Prado
On the western edge of the city lies Country Club Prado, which has a long, open green space between the streets on either side. A blessing for local dog owners.

People’s Choice: The Plaza
Staff Choice: The Plaza

No other development comes close to the public art on display in the one-acre open space that creates The Plaza’s courtyard, from a golden sculpture taken from the streets of Chicago to the giant father-and-son mice in front of Americana Kitchen. Other fountains and sculptures as well, a veritable garden of art.

People’s Choice: Valet on Miracle Mile
The people who voted for this have obviously given up on what it takes to find street parking – or the patience to park in one of the many local garages. But hey, there is something to be said for convenience.

Staff Choice: Alhambra Circle
Those who are willing to walk a couple of blocks to where the action is can always find a place to park on Alhambra between LeJeune and Douglas Roads.

People’s Choice: Salvadore Park
Staff Choice: Salvadore Park

This is the park that has it all: tennis courts, pickleball courts, inclusive playground gear

for everyone, a dog run for large canines, and more. The most popular park in town.

People’s Choice: Biltmore Hotel
Maybe other cities have older landmarks, but few can match the majesty of the Biltmore. It also comes with three restaurants and   fascinating history, including the tower with its magnificent presidential suite, and Florida’s largest swimming pool.

Staff Choice: Fairchild Gardens
South Florida has a semi-tropical environment that is unique in the nation, and nowhere is this is better displayed than in the 80 acres of tropical plants that Dr. Fairchild brought from around the world to display here.

People’s Choice: Sospiro Wine Bar
There is a courtyard in back of this charming place that few know about. Now you do.

Staff Choice: Kadampa Meditation Center
Who knew there were monks teaching you how to meditate in a special place on the second floor along Miracle Mile? Now you do.