The Best Restaurant in Miami is Led by an Australian Chef

The best restaurant in Miami is run by a guy from Queensland, Australia, who showed up and decided to out-Miami all of us. This chef is Aaron Brooks, and he helms the kitchen at one of the hardest reservations in town, Sunny's Steakhouse. And for me, THIS is the best restaurant in Miami.

I know what you're thinking. "Best" is as subjective as it gets. Best at what? Best for who? Best on what night, in what mood, after how many martinis?

Fair. But hear me out.

There are a combination of metrics that matter when you're talking about the best of the best. And Sunny's nails all of them.

First metric: Food. Obviously.

If this first metric doesn't cut it, then nothing else matters. And while Miami tends to hype the decor, the vibes, and who you see across the room, for us, good food is at the core of everything.

The menu reads exciting. It has a bit of everything for everyone, in the best way possible.

Sunny's calls itself a steakhouse, and while the steaks are outstanding, it's actually everything else that makes this place so special. The Agnolotti with corn, blue crab, and saffron is a death row meal. The Hiramasa and Scallop crudos are light and bright, super fresh. The Octopus ceviche with peanut sauce is one of the most interesting dishes on the menu. We've pretty much ordered everything, the carpaccio, beef tartare, the chicken liver mousse, the fish. And have yet to order something we didn't like.

And then there are the steaks. From the hanger to the ribeye, you cannot go wrong. Cooked over a live oak fire and served with sauces that deserve their own conversation. The bone marrow vinaigrette blends buttery, umami-rich roasted marrow with a bright acidity that cuts through the richness. The potato butter is rich and creamy and while it might feel like cannibalization, dipping the fries in it is one of the better decisions you'll make all night.

And yes, while people tend to hype up the Parker House Rolls (and they are pretty good) the food here is SO good I recommend you pace yourself and leave room for the showstoppers.

Honorable mention to the burger served at the terrace. But that one, friends, deserves a post of its own.

Second metric: Martinis.

Something as deceptively simple as a martini tells you everything about a restaurant's relationship with detail. The glass. The temperature. The garnish situation.

Sunny's is famous for their Martini Service, and the fame is earned. You "pick your path," choosing from five gins or four vodkas, your preferred style (dry, 50/50, or filthy), and your garnish. Fifty combinations. Tableside theater. The whole production.

Mine: filthy, blue cheese olives, no notes. But the martini is just the entry point. The bar program at Sunny's is excellent across the board. For my fellow mezcal aficionados, the iconic Green Ghoul made with tequila, mezcal and poblano cucumber is the way to go.

Third metric: Consistency.

You know that specific pain of recommending a restaurant to your foodie friend, hyping it up for weeks, and then she comes back with a horror story about raw risotto? You lose credibility. You lose trust. You question everything.

You don't have to worry about that at Sunny's. Ten-plus visits, most of the menu covered, and not once has it let me down. That's harder than it sounds.

Third metric: Hospitality.

After four years in Chicago, I learned what hospitality actually looks like. Not service, hospitality. There's a difference. Service is someone bringing you food. Hospitality is someone making you feel like the room was waiting for you.

Miami has really gotten better at this. But it is not historically what we're known for. 

Sunny's is different. The servers know the menu the way a sommelier knows wine. They check in at the right moments and disappear at the right moments. Multiple people come by to make sure you're happy, but it never feels like a performance review. It feels like they actually want you to have a good meal.

For a restaurant that's perpetually slammed, that level of care is something to admire.

Fourth metric: Ambiance.

Sunny's lives in a converted warehouse in Little River, anchored by a massive banyan tree in an outdoor courtyard draped in soft light. The first time you walk in, you understand immediately why the reservations are impossible.

Despite only being open for a few years, the space feels like it's been here for 50 years. Like the walls have absorbed every great meal, every birthday, every deal closed over a ribeye. There's a dining room, a terrace that's walk-in only and always buzzing, a hand-painted room with palm trees, and that courtyard, which on the right night, under the right light, feels like the most Miami place in Miami.

And it's not precious about any of it. Sunny's can be a special occasion. It can be a Martini Tuesday over a burger. The room holds both versions of the night without blinking.

And then there's the thing you can't metric.

Every restaurant on this list earns its place. But the best restaurant isn't always the one that scores highest on a rubric. It's the one you're already thinking about going back to before you've paid the check. The one you text people about unprompted, at random hours, because something reminded you of the agnolotti. The one that makes you feel, leaving, like Miami is actually one of the great food cities in the world, if you know where to look.

Sunny's is that restaurant for me.

So yes, the best restaurant in Miami is led by an Australian chef.

And honestly? Miami is lucky.