The Miami List

When Art Week packs up, we’ll still have the Cubanos, cocktail spots, vintage shops, and of course iconic beach that we always go back for.

Back when I first met Matt, we used to spend quite a bit of time in Miami, mostly because he had a lot of photo shoots there during the winter months. It’s a city that’s somehow more polarizing than others—obviously it has a scene that is particular, and not for everyone. But it’s also big, and always evolving, so you can dip in or steer clear. While I don’t go as often as I used to, I still love it—every time we land there from frigid New York, we go through real estate fantasies: I love the old-school spots, the food, all the vintage, and morning runs on the beach. And since the city is very much on our brain this week because of Miami Art Week, and I’m getting lots of messages about easy warm getaways, we polled our friends who know it well to share their favorite addresses, along with some of ours at the end. —Y.E.

Anastasia Koutsioukis, founder of Mandolin Aegean Bistro and design and homewares shop, Mrs Mandolin

We’ve talked about “filoxenia” in our Greece coverage before–showing kindness to strangers and the honor in taking care of people. While I haven’t met Anastasia in person, we were introduced by another Greek friend, and since then I’ve been invited to her place in Greece as well as Miami. If there’s one reason for me to make the effort to get down there this winter, it’s to meet her! She’s well known to locals for bringing a warm splash of Greek hospitality to Miami, first at her Design District restaurant, which she opened with her husband in 2009, and then at her design and homewares shop. Their latest restaurant, The Drexel, just opened in Miami Beach. Here are her go-tos for when you want to “head off the beach to experience the local Miami scene.” 

MIMO/LITTLE RIVER/LITTLE HAITI

For the vintage lover, head down US1 on the mainland and start at…