Fabulous shopping and exceptional dining just north of Miami

The Aventura Mall in Miami has lots of great dining options


South Florida visitors renting cars should definitely make a trip to the awesome Aventura Mall in North Miami (19501 Biscayne Boulevard). The flagship triple-story mall houses many global top performers such as the most lucrative Abercrombie in the United States, a massive Crate & Barrel, the latest and greatest Nordstroms, as well as 248 other shops and restaurants. It's the fifth largest mall in the United States.


Recently, the mall welcomed its latest addition, The Grill on the Alley. The South Florida outpost of this Beverly Hills favorite combines the flavors of great American steakhouses like Capital Grille with modern Italian-American cooking in a sophisticated yet unpretentious setting. The Grill’s team pays close attention to quality and consistency, focusing heavily on the freshness and superiority of meats, seafood, and vegetables used. Simple dishes such as the jumbo shrimp cocktail and the grilled herb chicken with grilled vegetables (cooked over oak wood chips) steal the show though savory staples like the penne with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives still merit distinction.


Five minutes north of the Aventura Mall, the brand new Village at Gulfstream Park welcomes visitors to experience an entire enclave of world-class dining. In particular, Tonino Lamborghini’s Caffe Corsa transplants a little piece of Northern Italy to North Miami (600 Silks Run Road, Suite 1210, Hallendale Beach). Italian-born executive chef Paolo Del Papa prides himself on creating homemade pastas, pizzas, primis, and secondis that would make Nona proud. The cheese plates and marinated vegetable plates offer vast choices, like carciofoni marinati (olive oil marinated baby artichokes, lemon juice, and fresh time), caponata di melazane (marinated roasted eggplant, pine nuts, anchovies, raisins, orange zest, and fresh basil). The homemade pastas such as the gnocchi with zucchini pesto, shrimp ragout, and grape tomatoes and main dishes such as the branzino al forno (roasted mediterranean sea bass, lemon artichokes, and asparagus) delight multiple generations of Italian immigrants, savoring a true taste of home.


Both restaurants and the mall are less than a five minute drive from Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club and a 20-minute drive from Downtown Miami hotels such as the Epic Hotel.