Miami on any Budget

Dinner

Photo: The Genuine Hospitality Group

The Cypress Room ($$$)
The newest Miami restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz evokes a 1920s hunting lodge, unusual for this city. Start with a Bonnie and Clyde cocktail (gin, blood-orange liqueur and Cocchi Americano), then get your game on with lamb tartare, pheasant or duck. The place fills up early, so reservations are recommended.
3620 N.E. 2nd Ave., 305-520-5197

El Exquisito ($)
The sweet, savoury scent of Cuban dishes like arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) greets you at this storefront eatery located in the heart of Little Havana. The whole fried snapper with black beans and rice is a must, as is finishing with a shot of Cuban espresso – a dark roast spiked with enough sugar to keep you going well into the night.
1510 S.W. 8th St., 305-643-0227

Shopping

Photo: Robin Hill

Miami Design District ($$$)
Five kilometres north of downtown, this upscale shopping destination already boasts such boldface names as Cartier and Hermès, and by fall is expected to be home to over 100 top-tier retailers, including a joint boutique from Theory and Helmut Lang. Don't need another Zippy Wallet from Louis Vuitton? Find a spot on Paseo Ponti and watch the beautiful people go buy.
miamidesigndistrict.net

Lincoln Road Antique & Collectible Market ($)
Pedestrianized and redesigned in the 1950s by Neo-Baroque architect Morris Lapidus, this eight-block stretch is home to the most eclectic shopping experience in South Beach. Twice monthly on Sundays, hunt for Art Deco furnishings, Miami memorabilia or those vinyl records you wish you'd never thrown out.
antiquecollectiblemarket.com

Art

Photo: Oriol Tarridas Photography

Pérez Art Museum Miami ($$$)
Miami's principal art museum doesn't showcase its Latin American influence only through its exhibitions, as with the recent Beatriz Milhazes retrospective. Herzog & de Meuron's design takes the city's subtropical feel and heightens it, with a three-storey slatted roof, hanging vertical garden and large veranda offering expansive views of Biscayne Bay.
1103 Biscayne Blvd., 305-375-3000

Wynwood Art Walk ($)
This monthly gallery walk through a once hard-edged warehouse district features live indie bands and DJs spinning techno, food trucks (Jefe's Original Fish Taco and Burgers is a local favourite), free-flowing drinks – oh, and art. Visit progressive galleries like Locust Projects and vibrant outdoor spa­ces, including street art park Wynwood Walls.
wynwoodmiami.com