Niu Kitchen
Tapas restaurant · Miami Government District ·
Catalan tapas & natural wines in a sleek, intimate setting
Catalan tapas & natural wines in a sleek, intimate setting
"NIU Kitchen is a Catalan spot that is one of our favorite restaurants in the entire city. It went through lots of changes during the pandemic, and has recently taken over the space that once housed its sister restaurant. But all you need to know is that it’s still a great restaurant for a highly memorable meal. The outstanding dishes include things like cold tomato soup with mustard ice cream and the ous, a bowl of poached eggs and truffled potato foam. Plus, it’s just a really lovely place to hang out and have a lazy dinner with a bottle of great wine." - ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino, virginia otazo
"If you look carefully, you’ll find NIU nestled between a mini market and an eye doctor’s office. NIU is a Catalan style kitchen in the heart of downtown Miami with a taste for the eclectic. The cuisine mixes the local with the exotic, the seasonal with the sophisticated, playing with the finest regional ingredients and making them simply extraordinary. "Eat with your friends, devour your enemies." is playfully written on a chalkboard setting the tone in this intimate and sleek, yet quirky, urban setting where “whispering is sexy" and sharing dishes like ous and calamari over a good wine is encouraged." - Lemon Yellow
"There are a lot of old school spots on this guide. But NIU Kitchen is less a place for dads and more a place for dates. The menu doesn't change much and there are some dishes we'll always order here, like the cold tomato soup with a dollop of frozen "mustard ice cream" in the center—a perfect Miami soup. The clams come in a delicious picada sauce, and demand an extra side of bread, which is unfortunately not free. Anything with rice, like their paella or arròs sec, is great. And you should be drinking wine (they also have a wine bar a few doors down that we love). Service moves at a classicly Spanish leisurely pace, so don't come in a rush." - virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer
"Niu Kitchen continues to deliver standout Catalan fare in Downtown Miami, as it has for nearly a decade, maintaining its reputation as one of the city’s best. Standouts include charbroiled oysters, branded tableside with hot coals and paired with a smoky ponzu and rice vinegar-mayo. The gazpacho offers a cold tomato base topped with mustard ice cream and a drizzle of basil oil, plus croutons for added crunch. Don’t skip the arros sec, a paella-style rice with mushrooms and botifarra sausage, or the pan-seared foie gras for a more indulgent start to the night. An extensive wine list featuring natural wines from around the world completes the menu. For snacks, dessert, or a nightcap, head a few doors down to Niu Wine, where there isn’t really a menu, but if you tell the server what you like to drink, multiple bottles will appear." - Allison Ramirez
"If anybody is going to blast Snoop Dogg over the speakers, it might as well be this restaurant in downtown Miami. With glossy concrete floors, a dark, dim interior and a handful of come-as-you-are servers, it's an effortlessly cool spot. The cooking speaks volumes, designed for groups and based around Spanish tapas. Follow the hype and start with the much-talked-about charbroiled oyster, branded tableside with a hot coal and paired with ponzu and rice vinegar-mayo. Branzino tartare with white garlic cold soup, hearty paellas and other seafood-forward dishes showcase big flavors and quality product enlivened with smart, creative flourishes.For a similar vibe, head next door where the team runs a bar and retail shop focused on natural wines." - Michelin Inspector