AltaMare Restaurant on Lincoln Road

AltaMare is a  popular South Beach sidewalk cafe which recently expanded operations to double its seating capacity thanks to new chef Simon Stojanovic who brought considerable firepower to the restaurant following a successful stint at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. While the still-evolving menu reflects a dedication to fresh local produce, organic meats and sustainable seafood, the Mediterranean flavors that attracted so many locals to the original restaurant seem bolder and brighter than ever.

Located on the residential west side of the city, AltaMare is two streets past the end of the busy Lincoln Road pedestrian mall which requires a sense of adventure to actually find the place. As counter-intuitive as it might seem to open a sidewalk cafe so far off the tourist track, owner Claudio Giordano’s original incarnation achieved great success in spite  of the fact that it was little more than a few plastic tables lining the sidewalk outside an office supply shop.

The elegant new dining room by Columbian designer Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque (Latin Style) is a quantum leap away from the sidewalk shuffle with gleaming dark woods, audio/video lighting by AVLI, plus an exhibition kitchen and a chef’s table to showcase Stojanovic’s craft.

Start with a citrusy ceviche, a deftly composed salad, a rustic pasta and grilled octupus or gently seared fresh local grouper. Long considered a seafood spot, AltaMare’s expanded meat offerings are some of the best new additions to the menu. And while tiramisu may have passed its dessert heyday long ago, the reinvented version that caps off your meal is definitely worthy of a comeback.

AltaMare
1223 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, Florida 33139