The art deco strip from 5th to Lincoln Road. South of Fifth holds Joe's Stone Crab and Stubborn Seed; Lincoln Road runs from Yardbird to the Sunday market.
Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach is the 1913 South of Fifth seafood cathedral, serving chilled stone crab claws with mustard sauce from October 15 to May 1.
Signature: Stone crab claws with mustard sauce, Key lime pie, Hash browns
Order: Jumbo or large stone crab claws with the mustard sauce and a side of creamed spinach.
Tip: No reservations for dinner; arrive by 5pm or use the take-away counter next door for the same claws to-go.
Yardbird in Miami Beach is the Lenox Avenue Southern table that put 27-hour brined fried chicken on the South Beach map and runs brunch through dinner daily.
Signature: 27-hour brined fried chicken, Chicken n watermelon n waffles, Mama's biscuits
Order: The chicken n watermelon n waffles plate; the chicken alone is the order if you only want one bird.
Tip: Book the patio if it's open. Locals brunch Saturday before the queue takes the dining room past 1pm.
Stubborn Seed in Miami Beach is Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford's Michelin-starred South of Fifth dining room on Washington Avenue, holding a star every year.
Signature: Carolina gold rice with caviar, Hokkaido scallop, Aged duck
Order: The tasting menu if you have the time; otherwise the duck for two is the dish locals book ahead.
Tip: Bar seats take a la carte without the prepay; the dining room is set menu Friday and Saturday.
Macchialina in Miami Beach is Michael Pirolo's rustic Italian taverna at 820 Alton Road, open in South Beach since 2012 and built on house-made pasta.
Signature: Tagliatelle bolognese, Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Burrata with confit tomatoes
Order: Tagliatelle bolognese with the slow-cooked meat ragu.
Tip: Sidewalk tables for breeze, dining room for noise; the Italian wine list runs deeper than the menu suggests.
Mareva 1939 at the National Hotel is the Art Deco Collins Avenue dining room serving contemporary Spanish cuisine and tapas family-style on South Beach.
Signature: Black paella with seared scallops and shrimp, Spanish octopus with potato cream, Honey-spiced duck breast
Order: The black paella with scallops and shrimp, paired with a few sharing tapas off the Iberico section.
Tip: Plan two to three plates per person; the poolside garden seating is the quieter alternative to the main dining room.
Macchialina in Miami Beach is Michael Pirolo's rustic Italian taverna at 820 Alton Road, open in South Beach since 2012 with house-made pasta as the spine.
Signature: Tagliatelle bolognese, Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Burrata
Order: Tagliatelle bolognese with the slow-cooked meat ragu.
Tip: Sidewalk tables for breeze, dining room for noise; the Italian wine list runs deeper than the menu suggests.
STORY on Collins below 5th is the 27,000 square foot South Beach megaclub, the South Beach sister to LIV under the same Loud Live group with concert-scale lighting and headliner DJ slots.
Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday from 23:00-05:00. Walk-up entry rare on weekends; book a table or hit Discotech for guest list.
Bâoli on Collins runs as a restaurant by night and a celebrity-driven dance floor after dinner, the kind of South Beach room where the meal slides into a DJ set and the bottle service starts walking past 23:00.
Tip: Reserve a table to skip the door wait; the conversion from restaurant to club happens around 23:00 most weekends.
The Miami Beach Bandshell on Collins in North Beach is the open-air 1961 amphitheater run by Rhythm Foundation, with global music, jazz, hip-hop and free city-sponsored programming through the year.
Tip: Many shows are free or low cost; bring a cushion for the bench seating. Sunset shows in winter are the sweet spot for weather.
The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater is the 2,200-seat Art Deco hall on Washington Avenue where Live Nation books touring rock, hip-hop, Latin and comedy acts through the year.
Tip: Orchestra rows behind the soundboard sound best. Doors usually 19:00 with show at 20:00; Lincoln Road parking garages are the easy lot.
Serena on the Moxy South Beach roof is the Mexican-Latin rooftop pool bar on Washington Avenue, bougainvillea climbing the walls of an open-air patio with palm shadows over the daybeds.
Tip: Reserve via OpenTable for daybed and pool access. Sunday brunch from 11:30 is the easier window than weekend nights.
Sweet Liberty on 20th Street in Collins Park is the John Lermayer cocktail icon, a sprawling room of Spec's Mixology Bar of the Year drinks, creative American food and a kitchen that runs past 04:00 most nights.
Tip: Happy hour daily 16:00-20:00 is the easy entry. The room is big enough that walk-ins land seats outside weekend prime time.
Twist on Washington Avenue has run since 1993, the South Beach gay institution that packs seven distinct bars under one roof from main floor pop to an upstairs lounge to the back-courtyard dance floor.
Tip: Free entry every night. Each room has its own scene; the back patio is the easier breather after midnight when the dance floor fills.
Palace on Ocean Drive is the South Beach drag institution that has run for more than three decades, a sidewalk patio and inside bar where the queens lip-sync at the curb to traffic and tourists.
Tip: Sunday drag brunch is the signature; weekday evening drag shows are easier walk-ins. Ocean Drive parking is murder, so Uber.
Score on Washington Avenue is the South Beach video bar and dance club, formerly on Lincoln Road, now relocated to Washington with two floors, drag shows nightly and a Sunday tea dance.
Tip: Open every day from 15:00-05:00, happy hour weekdays until 21:00. Sunday tea dance from 17:00 is the locals afternoon.
Bar Gaythering on Lincoln Road runs as the ground-floor bar of Hôtel Gaythering, the queer hotel bar with Karaoke Mondays, Trivia Wednesdays and a low-key crowd that skews local more than tourist.
Tip: Free entry every night; the karaoke Monday and bingo Thursday calendars are the easier walk-ins. Hotel guests get a separate lounge upstairs.
Mac's Club Deuce on 14th Street is Miami Beach's oldest bar, opened in 1926 and registered post-Prohibition in 1933, the South Beach dive where Anthony Bourdain held court and the cash register still rings 21 hours a day.
Tip: Cash only. Happy hour 08:00-17:00 runs two-for-one drinks; the pool table and jukebox keep going until 05:00.
Lost Weekend on Española Way is the South Beach dive-and-sports-bar hybrid since 1996, the kind of room with pool tables, vintage arcade cabinets, strong drinks and no pretense whatsoever.
Tip: Open until 04:00 every night with happy hour 16:00-20:00. Pool table free until 21:00 weekdays; the back arcade keeps quarters going.
Abbey Brewing on 16th Street is the longest-running craft brewpub in Miami Beach, an unpretentious dive of a room with the brewery's own Trappist-influenced beers on draught and a regular South Beach service-industry crowd.
Tip: Cash and card both work; the back patio is small and the indoor bar is dark but air-conditioned. Service-industry discount before 20:00.