The open kitchen concept has become increasingly popular in upscale restaurants, in tandem with the heightened desire for experiential dining that involves a delicate dance between both the chefs and patrons. In high-brow restaurants, it used to be that a diner’s familiarity with the kitchen preparing the food was limited to a momentary sighting of chefs yelling orders behind a swinging silver door with a round window as table attendants transported dishes back and forth.
Now, guests not only want a taste of the food, but also the action behind the scenes—whether that involves feisty chef personalities performing an act of chopping vegetables while conversing with onlookers or just a view into the kitchen from afar. Below, you’ll find Miami restaurants that are mastering the art of the open kitchen, where the final product on your plate is equally as important as the steps taken to get there.
View this post on Instagram
404 Washington Ave. / Website
Everything about Eyal Shani’s HaSalon involves a show, from the creative menu distinguishing animal creatures from sea creatures to the late-night, dancing-on-tables Israeli party that erupts sometime after 10 p.m. The bar counter seating offers a show of its own, however. Watch intently as the talented chefs plate a hummus platter or deftly season a salad, and if you’re lucky, you might find yourself doing shots with them.
View this post on Instagram
347 NW 24th St. / Website
The modern Aegean meze and bar in Wynwood known as Doya has some of the best seating around. In addition to its expansive wraparound bar seating in the center, Doya’s open kitchen seating offers guests firsthand access to Chef Erhan Kostepan’s mastery of Greek and Turkish cuisine.
View this post on Instagram
151 NE 41st St. / Website
The two Michelin-starred restaurant serves modern French cuisine in an elegant environment, perhaps most notably from the sultry, red-rimmed open kitchen that invites guests to gaze at the kitchen’s craft. Even if you’re not seated at the counter, the wide open view of chefs interacting with each other and communicating orders adds another element of dimension to an otherwise formal dining experience.
View this post on Instagram
252 NW 25th St. / Website
Sushi chefs at omakase counters have long been practicing the art of preparing food in an open kitchen environment. At Uchi, it’s not so much omakase as it is ordering a la carte from the counter and watching the sushi chefs roll and chop non-traditional Japanese delights.
View this post on Instagram
5010 NE 2nd Ave. / Website
At Branja, the open kitchen at the front of the bohemian sanctuary allows guests to see for themselves just how MasterChef Israel winner Tom Aviv and his team produce creative culinary masterpieces like the famous “Fishwarma.” Grab a drink at the bar seats for an extra close sighting and schmooze with the talent.
View this post on Instagram
70 SW 7th St. / Website
Casa Tua Cucina falls slightly outside of the traditional open kitchen concept, mostly because it’s a high-end food hall of sorts. To that end, it excels in this arena. Whether you’re craving salad, pasta, sushi or pizza, you’ll be sitting at a designated counter for said food items, with the ingredients and ovens laid out directly before you. It’s an interactive, lively experience that separates Casa Tua Cucina from its big sister in Miami Beach, the more formal, sit-down counterpart.
Photography by: sorendls/Getty Images
