A 16th-floor restaurant with some of downtown Miami's widest water views is coming back with a new look and a new menu.

Area 31 reopens Thursday on the 16th floor of the Kimpton Epic hotel, the Miami Herald reported. The room, which looks out over Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, got a $2 million makeover.

The food

Executive chef Alvaro Rayón de Jaime is cooking Spanish and Mediterranean food with seafood at the center. Dinner includes scallop crudo, arroz de pulpo, the daily catch, Florida grouper or red snapper, a seafood tower, seafood frites and snow crab fried rice, according to the Herald.

For meat eaters, there is Australian wagyu, rack of lamb and rotisserie chicken.

Breakfast runs on weekdays and includes a dish called The Crabby. Brunch takes over on weekends.

The room

RoseBernard Studio led the redesign. The new space has an indoor dining room, a bar and the Ember Lounge next to it, plus the outdoor terrace.

Lead bartender Eric Vargas runs the drinks. Later in the evening, DJs, percussionists and live musicians play, the Herald reported.

Hours

  • Breakfast: 7 to 11 a.m., Monday to Friday.
  • Brunch: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
  • Dinner: 6 to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and 6 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

Reservations are on the Area 31 website. The hotel is at the mouth of the Miami River, at the edge of Brickell and downtown; see the hotel's page for directions.

Looking for more new tables nearby? See our Uchiba Brickell preview.

The mouth of the Miami River with downtown towers along the water
The mouth of the Miami River beside the Epic. Source