Miami Guide Take
Miami’s waterfront dining splits into two real categories — restaurants with an actual dock-and-dine setup (reserve a slip, arrive by boat, sometimes a dockage fee) and restaurants with a bay, river, or skyline view but no boat program. Casadonna and Palm Tree Club lead the true dock-and-dine list; Rusty Pelican and Amara at Paraiso lead the view-only list. Full picks, addresses, and dockage terms below.
Every “waterfront restaurants” roundup in this city treats a bay view and a boat slip as the same thing. They’re not — one requires calling a dockmaster ahead of time, the other just requires a table by the window. We split them below so you know which one you’re actually booking. This page updates as boats change hands and menus turn over; the categories and the URL stay fixed.
Dock-and-dine: arrive by boat
Casadonna — Biscayne Bay & South Beach skyline Coastal Italian, al fresco dining room, Italian-imported ingredients. Reserve a slip for any size vessel through the dockmaster: 786-869-0158.
Palm Tree Club — Biscayne Bay Founded by Kygo and Myles Shear. One of the city’s few open-air, over-the-water dining setups. Dock access for boaters; hail the dockmaster on Radio Channel #71.
American Social — Brickell, Miami River Dock-and-dine at $2 per foot, up to three hours, before you set back out. Known for game-watch parties and happy hour as much as the view.
American Social Bar & Kitchen Miami
Where Brickell clocks out. Riverfront views, cold drinks, and the kind of crowd that turns happy hour into dinner without meaning to.
Elia on the River — Miami River Coastal Italian with a front-row seat to river traffic. Dockage fee waived with a $500 minimum spend per table.
Elia on the River
Perfect dining hotspot to savor Italian dishes while taking in the stunning views of the Miami River
Delilah Miami — Brickell Key 180-degree Biscayne Bay and skyline views off a 1920s-inspired patio, open Tuesday–Sunday from 6 p.m. Boat service now runs to private slips — arrange ahead by contacting the restaurant directly. 301 Brickell Key Dr, Miami, FL 33131.
Bayshore Club — Coconut Grove, Regatta Harbour From Grove Bay Hospitality Group. 360-degree bar over the marina; raw bar, ceviche, Soft Shell Crab Tacos, Coconut Popcorn Shrimp. 3391 Pan American Dr, Miami, FL 33133.
Bay, river & skyline views — no boat required
Amara at Paraiso — Biscayne Bay Chef Michael Schwartz’s menu leans Latin American: grilled octopus, yellowfin tuna tiradito. 3101 NE 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33137.
Amara at Paraiso
Michael Schwartz cooking over a wood fire, with the bay close enough to hear.
Yaya Coastal Cuisine — North Miami Angel Febres’ Mediterranean-meets-Miami concept, menu from Executive Chef Todd Zimmer (formerly Prime 112). The YAYA Club membership adds marina access and a private dining room for the boating crowd. 7999 NE Bayshore Ct, Miami, FL 33138.
Zuma Miami — Miami River Contemporary Japanese izakaya, open since 2010, recently renovated terrace overlooking the river. 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Miami, FL 33131 — (305) 577-0277.
Zuma Miami
The Miami River classic that proved waterfront dining could be both serious and fun.
CASA NEOS — [address pending] Two-floor modern Mediterranean concept from Chef Michaël Michaelidis, whose résumé includes 26 Michelin stars across his career. Fresh fish daily, wood-fired bread, weekend brunch.
Petralunga — North Bay Village Roman-style thin-crust pizza, Mediterranean plates, and a cocktail program, on a marina overlooking North Bay Village. Free parking for boats up to 45 feet. 7601 E Treasure Dr Unit Cu-21, North Bay Village, FL 33141.
Smith & Wollensky — South Beach, Government Cut 550-seat steakhouse, founded in New York in 1977. Full wine list, one of the more reliable views in the city if you want a classic steakhouse over a concept restaurant. 1 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 — (305) 673-2800.
Smith & Wollensky
The steakhouse where the view does half the work — cruise ships slide past Government Cut close enough to wave at.
Rusty Pelican — Key Biscayne Open since 1972. Contemporary American, locally sourced seafood, cocktail program built around a wine wall. 3201 Rickenbacker Cswy, Key Biscayne, FL 33149.
Pier-top
Beach Bar @ Newport Pier — Sunny Isles Beach The only pier-top restaurant in Miami-Dade County. All-American menu with Asian influence — Floridian Benedict, Florida Citrus and Crab Cobb Salad, bento boxes until 4 p.m., a sushi-making station you can watch from the bar. 16501 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
The bottom line
Bringing a boat: Casadonna or Palm Tree Club are the cleanest dock-and-dine setups in the city — call ahead either way. No boat, still want the view: Rusty Pelican and Amara at Paraiso deliver it without needing a reservation with a dockmaster attached.
How this list gets updated
We check dockage terms, hours, and menus each season — waterfront restaurants change dock policies and chefs more often than their addresses. If a fee or contact listed here is out of date, that’s the first thing we correct on refresh; the categories and URL don’t move.
