Best Seafood Restaurants in Miami

Miami's seafood scene runs from fried snapper sandwiches in Little Havana to whole fish priced by weight on South Beach. The best meals here depend less on a single dish than on what you want from the evening: a historic stone crab house, a working fish market on the river, a raw bar in Brickell or a table with a skyline view.

This guide covers eight restaurants across Miami and Miami Beach that show the range of the city's seafood, from cheap and casual to dressed-up and expensive. Where timing matters, as it does for stone crab, we explain when to go.

How We Chose These Restaurants

This is an editorial selection, not a scientific or absolute ranking. We looked for restaurants with a clear seafood identity, a track record in Miami and details we could confirm from published sources, then grouped them by the kind of meal they offer.

The guide is compiled from published reporting and restaurant listings, not from personal visits. Menus, prices and opening hours change often, so check current details before you go.

Miami's Best Seafood Restaurants at a Glance

Miami Seafood Classics

Three restaurants here are tied to the city's history, and each represents a different side of it: a South Beach institution, an exile family's fish business on the river and a Little Havana fish shack.

Joe's Stone Crab

Joe's is at 11 Washington Avenue in South Beach and opened in 1913, when founder Joe Weiss sold fish sandwiches from a lunch counter to people heading to the beach. That predates the incorporation of Miami Beach, and the restaurant has since become closely tied to the city's identity.

The reason to go is stone crab claws served with mustard sauce and hash browns, along with sides and desserts such as crab cakes and key lime pie. The Florida stone crab season runs from October 15 to May 1, and Joe's has traditionally closed for part of the summer and reopened around the start of the season. Check the current reopening date before you plan a visit.

Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish Market

Garcia's is at 398 N.W. North River Drive on the Miami River. The business began in 1966, when a family of fishermen from Cuba opened a fish market and wholesale operation, and it grew into a restaurant on the same stretch of river. The restaurant has outdoor decks where you can watch working boats pass.

The cooking is simple, with fish typically grilled, blackened or fried, plus a well-known fish dip. Stone crab is served in season, and grouper appears on the menu. This is the choice if you want a seafood meal tied to the working river rather than to the beach.

La Camaronera

La Camaronera is at 1952 W. Flagler Street in Little Havana and has been serving seafood since 1976. It began as a counter-service fish market and added seating over time, so the room still feels closer to a fish shack than to a restaurant.

The dish most people order is the pan con minuta, a fried snapper sandwich on a Cuban roll, often served with the tail still attached. Fried shrimp and a lobster sandwich are also popular. It is the least expensive restaurant in this guide, and a good midday stop if you are already in Little Havana.

Raw Bars and Ceviche

The River Oyster Bar

The River Oyster Bar is at 33 S.E. 7th Street, Suite 100, in Brickell. Chef and owner David Bracha opened it in 2003, which makes it one of the longer-running restaurants in a neighborhood that has changed quickly.

The raw bar covers oysters, ceviches and clams, and the menu has a separate section of simply prepared fish that lists where each catch comes from and can be grilled, baked or cooked on the griddle. The restaurant has also run a happy hour with half-price oysters. It suits a relaxed dinner or a drink with oysters after work.

CVI.CHE 105

CVI.CHE 105 is at 105 N.E. 3rd Avenue in downtown Miami. Chef Juan Chipoco, who grew up in Lima, opened it in 2008, and it helped bring Peruvian cooking to a part of downtown that had few sit-down restaurants at the time.

Ceviche is the center of the menu and is made to order, with sauces ranging from tangy leche de tigre to a spicier rocoto pepper version. The kitchen also cooks classics such as aji de gallina and lomo saltado, and the bar is built around pisco cocktails. Choose it when you want seafood that is bright and acidic rather than fried or grilled.

Upscale Seafood Dining

Estiatorio Milos

Milos is at 730 1st Street in South Beach and opened in 2012. It is listed in the Michelin Guide as a Greek restaurant, and its main draw is a market display of whole fish on ice, which guests can choose and have priced by weight.

The kitchen keeps preparations simple, and Michelin singles out bigeye tuna with yuzu kosho and dill, fried zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki, grilled whole fish baked in salt and large lobsters. Because whole fish are sold by weight, the bill can rise quickly, so ask about prices when you order. It is a good fit for a special dinner without a tasting menu.

Truluck's

Truluck's is at 777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 100, at the corner of 8th Street, and has been open since 2010. It is a seafood and steak house that belongs to a small chain, so the experience is polished and consistent rather than uniquely local.

The reason to include it is stone crab. The restaurant says its crabbers supply the claws during the season from October 15 to May 1, and it also serves king crab legs and prime steaks. Live piano is part of the evening, which makes it a good option for a group in which not everyone wants fish.

Seafood With a View

Rusty Pelican

Rusty Pelican is at 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, on Virginia Key, with a mailing address in Key Biscayne. It opened in 1972 and looks across the water toward the Miami skyline. The restaurant also works as an event venue, so it can be busy on weekends.

The menu is contemporary American with Caribbean and Latin influences. Dishes diners often mention include a three-tier seafood tower and a shared board that has featured whole fried snapper and lobster and shrimp risotto. Go for sunset, and plan the drive, since the restaurant sits on the causeway away from the main dining areas.

When Is Stone Crab Season in Miami?

Florida stone crab season runs from October 15 to May 1. Outside those dates, restaurants cannot serve fresh claws from the season, so menus change. Joe's, Garcia's and Truluck's all serve stone crab in season, and prices follow the market, which means they vary by claw size and availability.

How to Choose Where to Eat

• For stone crab: Joe's Stone Crab and Truluck's both serve it in season, and Garcia's does as well in a more casual setting.
• For a quick, inexpensive meal: La Camaronera is the simplest and cheapest choice in the guide.
• For raw seafood: The River Oyster Bar for oysters and CVI.CHE 105 for ceviche.
• For a special occasion: Estiatorio Milos for whole fish, or Truluck's for crab and steak.
• For a view: Rusty Pelican, ideally timed for sunset.