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Ditalini Pasta With A Creamy Tomato Meat Sauce Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images

14 Tasty Spots in Miami for Italian Cuisine

Have a love affair with Italian cuisine.

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Nothing screams comfort better than a bowl full of pasta, lasagna, or a perfectly rendered veal Milanese. Whether reminiscent of Nona’s recipe or that bucket list trip along the Amalfi Coast, Italian food makes every day a better one. While there are just under 5,000 miles from Miami to Milan, there are plenty of Italian options representing Bel Paese in the Magic City. Here are some of the highlights.

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NiDo Caffe Italian Restaurant

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Famous for its mozzarella bar, NiDo also serves up some of the city’s best Italian fare. Sure, the burrata is a must-order, but its lasagna made with beef ragu and bechamel sauce is also worthy of praise. It also offers branzino, grilled salmon, and tuna tartare for those craving something a bit lighter. 

Boia De

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Dynamic duo chef Luciana Giangrande and chef Alex Meyer bring on the culinary love in this tidy dazzler that leans heavily on the Italian side in part thanks to Giangrande’s family roots. Sample the crispy polenta with marinated eggplant and baked calms with nduja and lemon. Order the pappardelle alla lepre (rabbit, rosemary, and tomato), tortellini in brodo with foie gras, duck confit, duck prosciutto and duck brodo, or the saffron tagliatelle and be instantly transported to Italy.

Via Emilia Garden

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This Northern Italian restaurant in Midtown offers an extensive menu in a charming setting. Appetizers include funghi in pastella di birra (beer-battered mushrooms), prosciutto di parma with fried gnocchi, while main course winners include the tagliatelle with sausage, mushrooms, and cream sauce; and the pumpkin cappellacci in Bolognese sauce. 

Serving fine dining Italian fare without the fine dining sticker shock, this Wynwood restaurant features delicate starters like zucchini flowers tempura and black truffle beef tartare. Pastas range from classics like bucatini cacio e pepe to more modern renditions like gnocchi prawns and burrata or hamachi carpaccio risotto.

Casa Isola Osteria

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Jose Mendin’s latest creation is Italian in focus, taking over the former Pubbelly space in Sunset Harbour. The menu features plenty of Italian dishes with that trademark Pubbelly twist like prosciutto bread with parmesan butter; veal chop parmigiana; Milanesa carpaccio with short rib beef, balsamic, black truffle, heirloom tomatoes; and raviolini ai funghi with porcini mushrooms and pine nut gremolata. More those on mainland Miami, check out its sister location Patio Isola.

Osteria Morini

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Perched on the Collins Canal inside the Kimpton Palomar South Beach, this local favorite boasts cuisine from Northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, like seafood salad, prosciutto and mortadella meatballs, ricotta gnocchi in a black kale pesto, squid ink pasta, pistachio-crusted duck breast, and more.

Macchialina

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This cozy, family-owned Italian restaurant is home to some of the best pasta in the city. Start with the creamy polenta, order a bottle of Lambrusco with one of its decadent plates of pasta, and end with the tiramisu; there’s no wrong move in between.

Carbone

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The South Beach location of the incredibly popular red-sauce-focused restaurant serves up the same high-end takes on classic Italian-American dishes that its New York City counterpart has since 2012 like its famous spicy rigatoni in a vodka sauce, the Caesar salad “alla ZZ” that is prepared table-side; veal chop parmesan; and more — alongside some serious old school vibes, potent cocktails, and plenty of people watching.

Italians are known for their stellar wood-fired pizzas, and Fi’lia is no exception. Starters like the stracciatella with truffle honey or the meatballs with whipped ricotta are great to open the appetite. Pies like spicy soppressata or cauliflower and fontina cheese are hits, or opt for spaghetti carbonara or the wood-grilled sirloin skirt steak.

Luca Osteria

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Located on pedestrian-friendly Giralda Avenue, Luca Osteria highlights Italian flavors from chef Giorgio Rapicavoli’s heritage with modern techniques and flavors. Think items like pappardelle with beef short rib bolognese, panzanella, and mortadella toast, alongside spruced-up versions of Italian-influenced cocktails. 

Fratellino Ristorante

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This longstanding Coral Gables Italian outpost offers diners hearty classics that have made it a staple in the neighborhood for years. It features oversized Italian specialties like risottos, eggplant parmigiana, four-cheese gnocchi, pear-filled ravioli, and more. And don’t skip the bread, the crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, creation has a fan following. 

Sapore di Mare

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Probably best known for its decadent cacio e pepe that is finished by being tossed on a huge parmesan wheel, this Coconut Grove Italian restaurant also boasts other creative pastas worth trying like the spaghetti pesto with a Chilean sea bass, lobster ravioli, pappardelle with lamb ragu, along with a variety of salads and protein-filled dishes to round out the menu.

This Coconut Grove local favorite features in-house pasta with chef Michael Beltran’s creative flair. Appetizers like truffle pizza and hamachi collar are an ideal start, followed by pasta dishes like veal tortellini or duck ragu. Mains like snapper Milanese are as good as an Italian grandmother back in the old country.

Fiola Miami

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This upscale Italian restaurant boasts a menu filled with pristine seafood, house-made pastas (all offered in gluten-free varieties) such as short rib agnolotti, and heartier dishes like prosciutto-wrapped veal chops and melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef, paired with an extensive wine selection. For those looking to impress a date or celebrate a special occasion, Fiola is guaranteed to make the night memorable. 

NiDo Caffe Italian Restaurant

Famous for its mozzarella bar, NiDo also serves up some of the city’s best Italian fare. Sure, the burrata is a must-order, but its lasagna made with beef ragu and bechamel sauce is also worthy of praise. It also offers branzino, grilled salmon, and tuna tartare for those craving something a bit lighter. 

Boia De

Dynamic duo chef Luciana Giangrande and chef Alex Meyer bring on the culinary love in this tidy dazzler that leans heavily on the Italian side in part thanks to Giangrande’s family roots. Sample the crispy polenta with marinated eggplant and baked calms with nduja and lemon. Order the pappardelle alla lepre (rabbit, rosemary, and tomato), tortellini in brodo with foie gras, duck confit, duck prosciutto and duck brodo, or the saffron tagliatelle and be instantly transported to Italy.

Via Emilia Garden

This Northern Italian restaurant in Midtown offers an extensive menu in a charming setting. Appetizers include funghi in pastella di birra (beer-battered mushrooms), prosciutto di parma with fried gnocchi, while main course winners include the tagliatelle with sausage, mushrooms, and cream sauce; and the pumpkin cappellacci in Bolognese sauce. 

Doma

Serving fine dining Italian fare without the fine dining sticker shock, this Wynwood restaurant features delicate starters like zucchini flowers tempura and black truffle beef tartare. Pastas range from classics like bucatini cacio e pepe to more modern renditions like gnocchi prawns and burrata or hamachi carpaccio risotto.

Casa Isola Osteria

Jose Mendin’s latest creation is Italian in focus, taking over the former Pubbelly space in Sunset Harbour. The menu features plenty of Italian dishes with that trademark Pubbelly twist like prosciutto bread with parmesan butter; veal chop parmigiana; Milanesa carpaccio with short rib beef, balsamic, black truffle, heirloom tomatoes; and raviolini ai funghi with porcini mushrooms and pine nut gremolata. More those on mainland Miami, check out its sister location Patio Isola.

Osteria Morini

Perched on the Collins Canal inside the Kimpton Palomar South Beach, this local favorite boasts cuisine from Northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, like seafood salad, prosciutto and mortadella meatballs, ricotta gnocchi in a black kale pesto, squid ink pasta, pistachio-crusted duck breast, and more.

Macchialina

This cozy, family-owned Italian restaurant is home to some of the best pasta in the city. Start with the creamy polenta, order a bottle of Lambrusco with one of its decadent plates of pasta, and end with the tiramisu; there’s no wrong move in between.

Carbone

The South Beach location of the incredibly popular red-sauce-focused restaurant serves up the same high-end takes on classic Italian-American dishes that its New York City counterpart has since 2012 like its famous spicy rigatoni in a vodka sauce, the Caesar salad “alla ZZ” that is prepared table-side; veal chop parmesan; and more — alongside some serious old school vibes, potent cocktails, and plenty of people watching.

Fi'lia

Italians are known for their stellar wood-fired pizzas, and Fi’lia is no exception. Starters like the stracciatella with truffle honey or the meatballs with whipped ricotta are great to open the appetite. Pies like spicy soppressata or cauliflower and fontina cheese are hits, or opt for spaghetti carbonara or the wood-grilled sirloin skirt steak.

Luca Osteria

Located on pedestrian-friendly Giralda Avenue, Luca Osteria highlights Italian flavors from chef Giorgio Rapicavoli’s heritage with modern techniques and flavors. Think items like pappardelle with beef short rib bolognese, panzanella, and mortadella toast, alongside spruced-up versions of Italian-influenced cocktails. 

Fratellino Ristorante

This longstanding Coral Gables Italian outpost offers diners hearty classics that have made it a staple in the neighborhood for years. It features oversized Italian specialties like risottos, eggplant parmigiana, four-cheese gnocchi, pear-filled ravioli, and more. And don’t skip the bread, the crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, creation has a fan following. 

Sapore di Mare

Probably best known for its decadent cacio e pepe that is finished by being tossed on a huge parmesan wheel, this Coconut Grove Italian restaurant also boasts other creative pastas worth trying like the spaghetti pesto with a Chilean sea bass, lobster ravioli, pappardelle with lamb ragu, along with a variety of salads and protein-filled dishes to round out the menu.

Navé

This Coconut Grove local favorite features in-house pasta with chef Michael Beltran’s creative flair. Appetizers like truffle pizza and hamachi collar are an ideal start, followed by pasta dishes like veal tortellini or duck ragu. Mains like snapper Milanese are as good as an Italian grandmother back in the old country.

Fiola Miami

This upscale Italian restaurant boasts a menu filled with pristine seafood, house-made pastas (all offered in gluten-free varieties) such as short rib agnolotti, and heartier dishes like prosciutto-wrapped veal chops and melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef, paired with an extensive wine selection. For those looking to impress a date or celebrate a special occasion, Fiola is guaranteed to make the night memorable. 

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