Food and Wine names Miami a single of ideal food towns in U.S.
Mamey cafe in Coral Gables was the Food items & Wine editors’ decide for very best U.S. dining places for ambiance.
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The readers of Food & Wine have decided that Miami is one of the best food cities in the country — but they don’t seem too excited about Miami restaurants.
In its first Global Tastemaker Awards, Food & Wine surveyed readers to find out their favorite restaurants, bars, cities, hotels and more, and Miami was chosen as one of the top 10 food cities in the United States. The results are also featured in the May issue of the magazine.
Miami was ranked no. 8, ahead of San Diego and and Austin, Texas. The top ranked city was — surprise! — New York, followed by New Orleans; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; Chicago; and Charleston.
But despite the ranking, Food & Wine voters seemed less than thrilled with Miami restaurants. None made the readers’ best restaurant list or the list for best ambiance, despite the fact that in April Bon Appétit declared Miami the food city of the year for 2023.
One Miami restaurant did catch the editors’ eyes, though: Niven Patel’s Mamey at the Thesis Hotel in Coral Gables was chosen as the editors’ pick for the best restaurants for ambiance in the U.S.
“Both the food and decor at Mamey make you feel like you’re in a lush, tropical paradise,” the magazine writes. “Niven Patel uses ingredients sourced from his own ranch to craft dishes inspired by his travels throughout Asia, Polynesia, and the Caribbean at this must-visit spot in Coral Gables. Painted botanicals line the walls, and greenery seems to pop up on every surface inside the thoughtfully-designed interior. Plants hanging from above and warm, ambient lighting combine to make you feel like you’re outdoors, while still creating a cozy atmosphere.”
Patel, who was named best new chef by Food & Wine in 2020, also runs Ghee Indian Kitchen in Kendall, opened Mamey in the summer of 2020, not the most auspicious time for an opening. “We just had to go for it,” he told the Miami Herald at the time.
He opened Orno, his second restaurant at the Thesis, in the fall of 2021.
The best restaurant in the country, according to Food & Wine readers, is Yolan in Nashville, with two Los Angeles restaurants, Merois and Camphor, ranked No. 2 and No. 3. The editors chose Daru in Washington, D.C.
