Azul (downtown Miami; tel. 305/913-8254): Topping nearly every food critic's best of list is this culinary tour de force overlooking Biscayne Bay and located in the posh Mandarin Oriental. Star chef Michelle Bernstein's global fusion fare is a marvel that has elevated Miami to a new level of Epicurean idolatry.
BED (South Beach; tel. 305/532-9070): Eating in bed will never be the same once you've experienced this restaurant-cum-nightclub whose name stands for Beverage, Entertainment, and Dining, where the food is indeed served in beds and not on tables.
Big Fish (downtown Miami; tel. 305/373-1770): Located on the Miami River across from the spectacular Miami skyline, Big Fish is indeed just that, in a little pond -- or river -- whose scenic value is priceless.
Versailles (Little Havana; tel. 305/444-0240): This iconoclastic Cuban diner isn't as swanky as its palatial French namesake, but it is full of mirrors, through which you can view the colorful -- and audible -- Cuban clientele that congregates here for down-home cuisine and hearty conversation.
The Green Turtle Inn (Islamorada; tel. 305/664-9031): Tasty turtle chowder, campy pianist Tina Martin, and a handful of friendly, colorful locals contribute to this quintessential Keys landmark.
Islamorada Fish Company (Islamorada; tel. 800/258-2559 or 305/664-9271): We're not sure which is better -- the view or the seafood -- but whichever it is, it's a winning combination.
Blue Heaven (Key West; tel. 305/296-8666): What was once a well-kept secret in Key West's Bahama Village is now a popular eatery known for fresh food (it's some of the best in town) and a motley, bohemian crowd.
Mai Kai (Fort Lauderdale; tel. 954/563-3272): At this fabulous vestige of Polynesian kitsch, you're expected to forget that you're in the middle of a tacky stretch of Fort Lauderdale and pretend you're somewhere in Hawaii or Tahiti as hula dancers and fire-eaters entertain and potent and sickly sweet cocktails are served in coconuts.
Taverna Opa (Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale; tel. 954/929-4010 or 954/567-1630): Don't get nervous if you hear plates breaking when you enter this raucous, authentic Greek taverna situated directly on the Intracoastal Waterway -- it's just the restaurant's lively waitstaff making sure your experience here is 100% Greek.
Cap's Place Island Restaurant (Lighthouse Point; tel. 954/941-0418): The only way to get to this rustic seafood restaurant, the former bootlegging and gambling hangout of Al Capone, is by boat, but don't be dismayed -- it's not the least bit Disneyfied. Churchill, Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and Sly Stallone have all indulged in this delicious taste of Old Florida.
Farmers Market Restaurant (Fort Myers; tel. 239/334-1687): The retail Farmers Market next door may be tiny, but the best of the cabbage, okra, green beans, and tomatoes ends up here at this simple eatery, frequented by everyone from business executives to truck drivers. The specialties of the house are Southern favorites like smoked ham hocks with a bowl of black-eyed peas.
Fourth Street Shrimp Store (St. Petersburg; tel. 727/822-0325): The outside of this place looks like it's covered with graffiti, but it's actually a gigantic drawing of people eating. Inside, murals on two walls seem to look out on an early-19th-century seaport (one painted sailor permanently peers in to see what you're eating). This is the best and certainly the most interesting bargain in St. Petersburg.
Moore's Stone Crab (Longboat Key, off Sarasota; tel. 941/383-1748): Located in Longbeach, the old fishing village on the north end of Longboat Key, this popular bay-front restaurant still looks a little like a packing house (it's an offshoot of a family seafood business), but the view of the bay (dotted with mangrove islands) makes a fine complement to stone crabs fresh from the family's own traps.
Pebbles (Lake Buena Vista; tel. 407/827-1111): This local chain has a well-earned reputation for great food and drink without having a menu that prices itself off the planet.
Singleton's Seafood Shack (Mayport/Jacksonville; tel. 904/246-4442): This rustic Old Florida fish camp has kept up with the times by offering fresh fish in more ways than just battered and fried. Yet it has still managed to retain the charming casualness of a riverside fish camp. Even if you don't want seafood, this spot is worth stopping at, if only for a feel of Old Florida.
Hopkins' Boarding House (Pensacola; tel. 850/438-3979): There's a delicious peek into the past at this Victorian boardinghouse, surrounded by ancient trees and a wraparound porch with old-fashioned rocking chairs. Everyone eats family style -- at your elbow could be the mayor or a mechanic, for everyone in town dines here. Platters are piled high with seasonal Southern-style vegetables from nearby farms. In true boardinghouse fashion, guests bus their own dishes.
The Boss Oyster (Apalachicola; tel. 850/653-9364): This rustic, dockside eatery is a good place to see if what they say about the aphrodisiac properties of Apalachicola oysters is true. The bivalves are served raw, steamed, or under a dozen toppings ranging from capers to crab meat. They'll even steam three dozen of them and let you do the shucking. Dine inside or at picnic tables on a screened dockside porch.
