Within walking distance of W South Beach - what's the best?

[matt0586]

Staying at the W South Beach on business for quite a while, have already done Mr. Chow several times as well as STK. What else could we walk to? Price is not a concern, just looking for quality.

For reference:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=w+south...

[laura jean]

I was just at the W last week for work, and had one dinner at Solea and one at Talula. Solea was very good, but Talula was fantastic!

The cork-braised octopus salad was the definite highlight, as well as the stuffed pork chop (amazing crust, delicious overall). I highly recommend trying Talula.

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Talula
210 23rd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[jessierandall]

I have to disagree about Talula. As badly as I would want to recommend it, the last few times I've been there it's been nearly empty and dreadful. The fish was not fresh, the pasta was ice cold and though the servers tried very, very hard, the place was far from what it used to be- a real gem. That said, if you do go, sit in the garden area.

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Talula
210 23rd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[bundle of dreams]

Just ate at Talula tonight and found that the food was very good and the service was excellent, and overall I think its a good value. To start, my husband had the pork and duck terrine, but found it bland. But our mains were great...I had the corvina and my husband had the short ribs, and we shared a mac and cheese on the side, which was scruptuously creamy, just perfect. It was, however, completely empty. We went on the early side (8ish) so that could definitely have something to do with it, but even by the time we left there was only a few tables filled.

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Talula
210 23rd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[Blind Mind]

I strongly recommend Solea at the W. The food is fantastic and the restaurant has a good vibe to it. Talula is also another strong recommendation. The food is creative and solid.

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Talula
210 23rd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[TravelLuv]

You'll never eat Cuban anywhere else ever again. This is where the real ambience, culture and taste come together.

Address: 700 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139 - USA
Phone: [phone]

Hours: Daily (7:30am - 2am)
Cuisine: Cuban
Price: from $5

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Puerto Sagua Restaurant
700 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[Frodnesor]

Puerto Sagua is serviceable, is open late, and has a pretty broad menu. But the only reason it would be the last place you'll ever eat Cuban food is if you got hit by a car on the way out.

It's also clear on the opposite end of South Beach from the W (about 1 1/2 miles away).

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Puerto Sagua Restaurant
700 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[morganeats]

haha totally agree with frod! Bond street in the townhouse is close, i think they make fresh sushi and the ambiance is really cool/chill. I also love talula and have heard great things about indomania. You could probably walk to osterio del teatro which many believe to be excellent italian (although its not my fave). Le Sandwicherie is not too far of a walk to pick up a yummy sandwich for lunch.

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Le Sandwicherie
229 NW 14th St, Miami, FL 33136

[tpigeon]

Martarello is superior to le sandwicherie. I think Osteria, Sandwicherie and Martarello are a bit far to walk as it is getting hotter.

[Frodnesor]

Talula is very close and my first choice on South Beach. Solea, in the W, has gotten some very good reports. I've had the chef's (Marc Vidal) food when he was at Por Fin and really enjoyed it. More casual is Indomania a few blocks north. I did not have a great meal when I went to the Restaurant at the Setai, but I nonetheless remain quite intrigued by the menu at the sister restaurant there, the Grill at the Setai, which is more Spanish/Mediterranean (I believe it's only open Wed-Sun).

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Talula
210 23rd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Setai
101 20th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Indomania
131 26th St, Miami Beach, FL 33140

Por Fin
2500 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33134

[tpigeon]

add creek 28

I cannot speak to the setai grill either but you should have better and more interesting meals following frods advice than what you have been having.

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creek 28
2727 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33140

[michelleats]

Frodnesor, is there anything in the Setai, still, that's worth checking out, do you think?

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Setai
101 20th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[Frodnesor]

There is a new chef at the Setai, David Werly, and my visit predated his taking over the helm, and much of the menu has been updated. His background - Alsatian, trained in France and then worked in the Le Cirque restaurants - seems an unlikely fit with the pan-Asian menu, but who knows? I would note that (on the online menu anyway) the prices seem much more reasonable, which for me had been a big hang-up with the Setai previously.

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Setai
101 20th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[michelleats]

French technique might have some bearing on Vietnamese and modern Japanese, perhaps?

In truth, menus that are this "pan" kind of scare me a bit, though. We'll probably go elsewhere unless we're feeling extraordinarily lazy. What a great pity Talula closed!

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Talula's Cafe'
3045 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306

[Frodnesor]

To be a bit more precise on the "pan" thing, Setai is not so much a "fusion" type place as it has a number of choices among several Far Eastern cuisines, each of which tends to stick to its own territory. Not that it necessarily makes a difference, just offering by way of explanation.

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Setai
101 20th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

[michelleats]

I don't mind fusion -- certainly not if it's done well. It's just that I'm not even sure restaurants can even do both north Indian tandoori dishes and south Indian fish curries well, at the same time, much less Indian + Thai + Singaporean / Malaysian + Indonesian + Japanese + Chinese. Seems a bit overextended.

[Frodnesor]

Part of their shtick is that they've supposedly brought in cooks from all over the Far East to do their own cuisines.

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Far East Cafe
1061 NW 20th St, Miami, FL 33127