The Five Best Restaurants for Brunch in Miami

It stands to reason that a city known for wild nights on the town would also boast plenty of restaurants to recover in the morning after. Indeed, Miami is packed with superb brunch spots that pair hearty cuisine with hair-of-the-dog favorites, from fresh mimosas to spicy Bloody Marys. The brunch scene also reflects the city’s melting-pot identity: At the finest choices for brunch, Asian pork buns, European-styled cakes, Cuban plantain dishes and Southern classics all have a place on the menu. Here are five top choices that will satisfy your cravings — even if you didn’t stay up until 4 a.m. partying the night before.

Cakes and cheddar grits at the Oprah-approved Icebox Cafe

This modern hot spot is best-known for its decadent assortment of cakes, made with seasonal fruits and European-imported chocolate, prepared with culinary vision: think carrot cake with walnuts, raisins and whipped cream cheese frosting, or chocolate cake layered with cheesecake brownies and bittersweet chocolate mousse. The cakes are so richly satisfying, Oprah Winfrey herself has sung their praises. Choose one to cap off a meal of jumbo gulf shrimp with sharp cheddar grits, lemon ricotta French toast or a salmon burger — to name just a few of their brunch menu’s flavorful selections.

Genuine comfort foods at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

As the name suggests, owner and chef Michael Schwartz prepares food here with genuine ingredients that are locally sourced, seasonal and fresh. The brunch menu includes eggplant gratin with heirloom tomatoes from a nearby farm, kimchi benedict with organic eggs, and fresh-squeezed juices — including cherry-rosemary and ginger-lemongrass — using local fruits and herbs. Make sure to cap off your meal with the restaurant’s homemade interpretation of the Pop Tart —homemade flaky pastries stuffed with ingredients such as raspberries, white chocolate and banana.

The deep south meets the far east at Gigi

This Asian-flavored restaurant easily offers one of the city’s most unique brunch menus, combining Southern-styled breakfast fare with noodle dishes, raw foods and meat buns. Mix and match a variety of small plates — eggs benedict with pork belly, corn bread with honey bacon butter, chilled soba with spicy peanut dressing, raw tuna with sweet potato corn relish, roasted-pork bun with Asian slaw — for a meal as diverse as it is satisfying. For best results, pair with the "Gigi," a spin on the mimosa featuring sparkling wine and fresh passion fruit purée.

Green Street Cafe has got your omelet

If you like a hearty omelet for breakfast (and who doesn’t?), GreenStreet Café in Coconut Grove is one of your best bets in the city. Whether stuffed with chives and cream cheese, herbs and tomato, or spinach and feta, the restaurant’s three-egg selections aim to please. GreenStreet’s home fries, peppered with spicy Cajun seasoning, are also very popular and make for a tasty side to the eggs. Don’t forget to top it off with a perfectly spiced Bloody Mary — especially if you’re looking for hair-of-the-dog redemption after a night on the town.

Blue Collar escalates the Egg McMuffin

As the name indicates, this restaurant packs blue-collar appeal with its no-frills wooden tables, walls lined with tin lunchboxes and punch-out cards, and — best yet — reasonable prices. Yet the menu, while boasting hearty classics, is as creative as what you’d find in the city’s more haute restaurants. An Egg McMuffin-style dish is prepped with duck, for example, while eggs benny come loaded with pulled pork and are paired with jalapeno corn bread. A must-try is the restaurant’s take on the Cuban vaca frita with tostones, a local favorite that piles shredded flank steak and orange mojo on top of crispy plantains.