For two months each year, the whole of Greater Miami sets an extra place at the table. The heat sits heavily over the city, the pace slows, and dinner becomes the event of the day. Miami Spice, the region’s late-summer restaurant season, turns August and September into an invitation to dine well, and at the oceanfront it arrives with the Atlantic just beyond the terrace.
Now in its 25th year, the program began in 2002 with 56 restaurants and has grown to more than 300 across the destination, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Here at Acqualina, the season is smaller and more considered: three oceanfront restaurants, each with a three-course prix-fixe menu set below the everyday price, with the sea and sunset as an idyllic background.
What Is Miami Spice?
Miami Spice is a two-month restaurant season, presented each year by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, during which hundreds of restaurants serve three-course, prix-fixe menus at a set price. The idea is simple and generous: a chance to experience fine dining you might otherwise save for a special occasion, at a cost held well below the everyday menu.
What began as a way to fill quiet August dining rooms has become a late-summer tradition in its own right. Locals and visitors alike make a point of trying the tables they have been meaning to visit all year, and the event is now considered one of Miami’s most anticipated.
The savings run to at least 30 percent, and the range is varied, including everything from neighborhood favorites to the new Reserve tier created for higher-end dining rooms. For the guest, the appeal is less about the discount than the permission it grants to plan a run of good meals for one reservation at a time.
Miami Spice 2026 Dates and What to Expect
The Miami Spice 2026 dates run from August 1 through September 30, the same late-summer window the program has kept for years. Lunch and brunch menus are set at $40, dinners land between $50 and $65, and the new Reserve menus begin at $95.
The Miami Spice dates rarely change, which makes the season easy to plan around, and the savings hold a minimum of 30 percent off the everyday menus. Reserve early for weekend evenings, when the oceanfront tables go first.
Expect a season built for unhurried planning, starting with a weekday lunch, and returning for dinner weeks later, while treating the two months as a slow tour of the city’s finest restaurants rather than a single night out. The pace is the pleasure.
Experience Miami Spice at Acqualina Resort
To experience Miami Spice at Acqualina Resort is to trade the crowds for the quiet of the oceanfront. Three restaurants take part, each with the Atlantic in view, and each carrying its own idea of what a celebratory meal should feel like.
The season brings Il Mulino New York a three-course lunch for $40 and a dinner for $65. Picture a tableside Caesar to begin, the romaine still cold under the fork, before a plate of handmade pasta arrives, and the evening settles into its unhurried rhythm.
Il Mulino reopened its dining room after a recent renovation, and the refresh gives a familiar pleasure more room to unfold. Sculptural banquettes, a dramatic bar and terraces that open toward the pools make even a weekday lunch feel like an occasion.
Miami Spice Restaurants at Acqualina
Among the Miami Spice restaurants gathered here, each keeps its own accent, and the short walk between them feels less like restaurant-hopping than moving from one room of the same house to the next.
A few steps away, Avra Miami sets a Greek table by the sea with a three-course dinner at $59. The moment worth waiting for is the whole fish from the charcoal grill, brightened with lemon and olive oil, and meant to be shared across the table.
Inside the resort, Ke-uH reimagines Japanese fusion with a three-course dinner at $50, where the chef’s nigiri selection shifts with the day’s catch. The fish are chosen for quality and sustainability, a quiet standard behind an easy pleasure. A meal here rewards the table that likes to pass plates and linger.
Together the three rooms make a case for staying put, letting one dinner lead naturally into the next and the short walk between them become part of the evening.
Make Your Miami Spice Visit a Luxury Stay
As a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort, Acqualina turns an evening out into an oceanfront stay, with a slow morning on the sand between one reservation and the next.
The morning after a long dinner asks for nothing in particular. A swim before the heat, a walk to the water’s edge or a quiet hour at the spa, and the day arranges itself around rest rather than plans.
Our seasonal offers fold resort credits and unhurried mornings into a longer visit, and a room or suite keeps the Atlantic in view from arrival to departure. The season rewards those who stay a while.
For two months, Greater Miami sets that extra place at the table. Here it is set by the sea, and the invitation stands from the first of August to the last of September. Reserve early through the seasonal menus and let the days unfold at their own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions About Miami Spice
A few quick answers about Miami Spice and dining at Acqualina Resort.
What is Miami Spice?
Miami Spice is a two-month dining program across Greater Miami, where restaurants serve three-course, prix-fixe menus at a set price. It returns each August and September, now in its 25th year.
When is Miami Spice 2026?
Miami Spice 2026 runs from August 1 through September 30. The dates are the same across all participating restaurants.
Which Acqualina restaurants participate in Miami Spice?
Three take part: Avra Miami, Il Mulino New York and Ke-uH. Each serves a three-course prix-fixe menu throughout August and September.
Do I need reservations for Miami Spice?
Reservations are strongly recommended, as oceanfront tables fill quickly during the season. You can book through each restaurant or the Acqualina concierge.
Can I stay at Acqualina during Miami Spice?
Yes. A room or suite lets you pair dinner with an oceanfront stay, and seasonal offers add resort credits and daily breakfast.
