New Players Enter Miami's Premier Dining Promotion Miami Spice 2026 welcomes two notable restaurant debuts this year: Cactus Club Café and Maple & Ash, both offering first-time participation in the annual fixed-price dining event. Cactus Club Café, the Canadian chain's first Miami location, launches its four-course Sunday–Thursday dinner at $65 per person within its 11,500-square-foot downtown venue. The menu opens with warm pull-apart brioche and Prosecco Zero, followed by starters like sticky garlic ribs, hamachi sashimi, and salmon aburi (with a Wagyu beef carpaccio upgrade for +$5). Main courses include truffle parmesan chicken, USDA Prime 8 oz steak, spaghetti Portofino, and miso caramel seabass (+$12). Dessert options span chocolate peanut butter crunch bar, London fog crème brûlée, and an optional midnight hour espresso martini (+$7). Maple & Ash, the Chicago-based restaurant group's Miami outpost, offers a three-course dinner Wednesday–Sunday for $95. Appetizers include bluefin tuna tartare with watermelon and white soy nikiri, lobster bisque, and a grilled summer salad—plus an optional fire-roasted seafood tower (+$25) featuring king crab, oysters, clams, and prawns. Entrées span filet mignon medallions, Mediterranean branzino, crispy chicken Milanese, and spicy rigatoni alla vodka, with desserts including chocolate cake with coffee mousse and a signature sundae tower (+$10).
Returning Restaurants Anchor the Program Established Miami Spice participants return with varied menus and price points. CATCH Miami Beach ($65 dinner, Sunday–Thursday) features fish sourced directly from Tokyo's Toyosu Market, with dishes including crispy shrimp, poke roll, herb roasted branzino, angry lobster mafaldine pasta, and coconut mousse cake with roasted pineapple sorbet. Queen Miami Beach, housed in the historic Paris Theater, offers Tuesday–Saturday dinner at $65 with a curated experience including queen Caesar salad or yuzu salmon roll appetizers, mains such as roasted branzino and 6 oz skirt steak, and Japanese wild truffle mushroom risotto included for all diners, finished with matcha raspberry fingers or mango coconut pavlova. Lafayette Miami and Marion Miami—both from Mr. Hospitality Miami—return for their respective second and multi-year participation. Lafayette ($65, Tuesday–Saturday) features truffle croque monsieur, spicy penne alla vodka, miso glazed salmon, and steak frites (+$8). Marion ($65, Thursday–Saturday) showcases creamy local burrata, crispy rice spicy tuna, and spicy penne alongside steak frites. Daniel's Miami in Coral Gables stands out for offering four price tiers: $40 Sunday brunch, $40 Tuesday–Friday lunch, $65 Friday–Saturday bar/patio dinner, and $95 Sunday–Thursday dinner. Sunday brunch includes strawberry gazpacho, cobia ceviche, and Florida keys red snapper. The $95 dinner features mayura station wagyu carpaccio, pappardelle Bolognese, braised wagyu beef short rib, and Florida grits crusted grouper. Three properties within The Setai Miami Beach participate: Japón (helmed by chefs Vijayudu Veena and Ivan Monzon) offers $45 daily dinner with chutoro yubiki, salmon sashimi, wagyu sliders, and 6 oz filet mignon entrée (+$19); Jaya ($40 lunch, $50 dinner) showcases Asian specialties including signature Peking duck and Korean BBQ galbi short rib; and Ocean Grill ($40 lunch, $50 dinner) features Mediterranean fare including yellowfin tuna crudo and Maine lobster spaghetti (+$25).
Why It Matters
Miami Spice generates significant traffic for participating restaurants during a traditionally slower summer period, while offering diners access to premium venues at reduced rates. The 2026 roster reflects Miami's continued evolution as a fine-dining destination, with international concepts (Cactus Club, Maple & Ash) now competing alongside established regional and hotel-based players for consumer attention during the event window.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
