A Fish Called Avalon Restaurant in South Beach, Miami: An Unforgettable Seafood Experience

A Fish Called Avalon restaurant is a premier seafood lover’s destination on any trip to Miami. Located in the heart of the South Beach district, its inventive menu creates an elevated dining experience in a laidback, upscale atmosphere.

When you’ve had the luxury of tasting so many truly memorable meals in your travels, sometimes it can be difficult to find a place that sets itself apart. In the vibrant landscape of a city with countless standout restaurants, A Fish Called Avalon Restaurant in South Beach, Miami is a place in this city of incredible restaurants doing exactly that.

Whether you are spending one week in Miami, passing through and taking a food tour of Little Havana your way, or taking a moment to enjoy the magic of South Beach—with its notable sites like the Wolfsonian Museum and art deco walking tours of its iconic buildings—A Fish Called Avalon ticks so many boxes when it comes to what a memorable trip to Miami should entail.

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Finding A Fish Called Avalon

Located in the heart of South Beach on Ocean Drive at 7th Street, A Fish Called Avalon is on the main floor of the Avalon Hotel, an iconic South Beach Art Deco building.

It’s so iconic, in fact, that the 1955 Oldsmobile found permanently parked in front of it is one of the most photographed cars in the United States, and even appears in the famous video game Grand Theft Auto: “Vice City”. The building itself has also made an appearance in several Hollywood films, including Scarface and Miami Vice.

A Fish Called Avalon has been delighting diners with their dynamic seafood dishes for 30 years. They’ve even served an impressive array of celebrities over the past three decades, including Harrison Ford, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, and Guy Ritchie.

It’s impossible to miss the restaurant, with its unmistakable Art Deco neon “AVALON” sign shining its bright green light onto the Ocean Drive strip below. Once you’ve snapped a few pictures from across the road of the Avalon sign, the Oldsmobile and the hotel, you’ll make your way to the restaurant for an unforgettable seafood dining experience.

Situating Yourself at A Fish Called Avalon Restaurant

Because of its location in this bustling district of South Beach, it’s the perfect restaurant to come to people watch and enjoy the enchanting part of the day where the sunny evening turns to night. No meal here is rushed, lending you the time to savour delicious crafted cocktails, indulge in expertly prepared seafood, and watch the world and daylight pass you by.

When Chris and I visited, we were struck by how intimate the dining experience at A Fish Called Avalon feels, despite being in the middle of such a busy part of the city. Between its warm ambiance, white linen tablecloths, low lighting and live music, it definitely offers a romantic reprieve here in South Beach.

I’d recommend finding yourself a table outside. Although the indoor dining room is special in its own right, the intimacy of dining outdoors with the sights and sounds of South Beach all around you is a very Miami experience.

A Fish Called Avalon is also the only restaurant on Ocean Drive with a license for live music, which you can frequently hear from its patio. We were serenaded by a three-piece Latin-Caribbean band throughout the evening, creating the ideal backdrop for the showstopper of a meal we were about to indulge in.

A Cocktail Experience to Remember

Before settling in to dinner, celebrating at A Fish Called Avalon has to include trying one of their specialty cocktails. Their cocktail menu is routinely changing, with no shortage of creative options on offer. Many of their cocktails tell a story about their history, and the locations from which they source inspiration for the flavours at their restaurant.

The restaurant’s cuisine is significantly influenced by Cuban seafood dishes, and their cocktails are a reflection of that. During the time of our visit, we opted to try two of their specialty cocktails. We were delighted by the 1941 and the Havana Super 88.

The 1941 is a celebratory drink that feels like vacation in a glass; Tiki cup and all! This drink expertly combines dark rum, pineapple rum and Cointreau, and weaves pineapple juice and almond into the drink to round out a smooth and sweet finish.

The Havana Super 88 is a cocktail consisting of the perfect blend of Brugal 1888 rum, Aperol, and vermouth. According to their most recent cocktail list, it looks like its name has been changed to the “Golden Triangle”, but regardless of what it’s called, it’s a delight. During our visit this cocktail was even served in a vintage Havana-inspired Oldsmobile toy car, just like the one parked out front.

The presentation of this cocktail made for a fun and photo-worthy moment at our table. Chris and I each wanted pictures with it, which almost never happens to us in our travels! It made for a memorable cocktail order, and there’s something about having your own toy Oldsmobile parked at the table that really adds to the novelty of this whole experience at A Fish Called Avalon.

The Menu at A Fish Called Avalon

The menu at A Fish Called Avalon is just as exciting as its cocktail list. With head chef Kal Abdalla at the helm, each dish has been perfectly created to emphasize the flavours and freshness of the fantastic seafood menu they have on offer.

If you aren’t a fan of seafood, there are other options on the menu. Chris and I opted for all of the seafood during our meal. We were spoiled with incredible seafood dishes when we lived in Turkey for three years, so we were excited to dive into Chef Kal’s menu.

We approached the menu looking to try as many dishes as possible, so we opted to share several appetizers, and one seafood main for our courses. If you and your party are also people who appreciate great seafood and don’t mind sharing, I’d highly recommend taking this route too, so you have the opportunity to try as many dishes as possible.

We started our appetizer course with the Spicy Bigeye Tuna Tartare. The tuna is incredibly fresh and melts in your mouth, and would be perfect on its own, but the layers, textures and flavours brought into this dish are outstanding. The tartare is lightly tossed in sesame oil and tamari, and beautifully stacked in the centre of the plate, wrapped inside a single slice of fresh cucumber.

The Tuna Tartare has rotating accent flavours, like kimchee, orange, jalapeno, cilantro, wasabi and ginger. Whichever accents are presented with your dish, you can trust they’ll pair perfectly when you dive in.

Up next, we set our sights on the Grilled Spanish Octopus. I have to admit that after being spoiled with incredible and perfectly prepared octopus dishes in Turkey, I was on the fence as to how I’d feel about this dish. Octopus is a challenging dish to grill correctly, and although there are so many places who get it right, those who get it wrong can quickly tarnish the dish. Rest assured—Chef Kal has passed his expertly prepared octopus with flying colours!

The grilled octopus is a refreshing dish, served stacked and topped with a fennel salad with watercress vinaigrette, and Madeira squid ink reduction. It is a beautifully presented dish, which is just as exciting to indulge in as it is to photograph.

Our final choice from the appetizer menu was the Bang Bang Shrimp dish. This dish was a beautiful combination of Caribbean, South Asian and Middle Eastern flavours. The shrimp was grilled to perfection in a brown sugar butter sauce with tumeric and curry, and served on a delightfully tasty bed of cucumber mint yogurt and pepper relish.

We had a challenging time choosing our seafood entree since there were so many amazing options, but were so happy to have settled on the Macadamia-Crusted Snapper. This was my first time tasting the combination of smooth macadamia nuts in a seafood dish, and I’m disappointed I went so many years of my life without it. Served alongside spinach risotto and a raspberry Beaujoulais beurre blanc sauce, this was a decadent dish that had both Chris and I swooning.

Despite being so satisfied with our meal, we couldn’t leave without trying their award-winning Key-Lime Pie for dessert. This pie has taken first place in the American National Pie Championships, and with its rich pecan crust, fresh local lime filling and homemade whipped cream, it isn’t difficult to understand why.

Savouring South Beach from Avalon’s Balcony

As you sip on a tropical cocktail and watch the pink clouds change colour over the ocean, listen to the lilting Latin music and the lively pedestrians on Ocean Drive, and feel the warm breeze and soothing swoosh of the porch fans on your skin, you realize sitting on the balcony of the Avalon Hotel really is South Beach.

So much about this restaurant and its location represents what travelling to Miami is. It’s a window back in time, it’s an opportunity to connect with the Americana and the legends, celebrities and history that have roamed these same streets, and it’s the postcard perfect moment that brings you to this perfect precipice that blends natural surroundings with local culture.

South Beach is a place where the world comes to let loose, lean in to reasons to celebrate, connect with strangers and friends alike, and delight in the magic that is delicious local cuisine and fare in this special corner of Miami. You can find all of this here at A Fish Called Avalon.

We want to humbly thank Greater Miami & Miami Beach for hosting us as media. All opinions are our own.

A Fish Called Avalon Restaurant in South Beach, Miami: An Unforgettable Seafood Adventure for the Senses

Finding A Fish Called Avalon

Situating Yourself at A Fish Called Avalon Restaurant

A Cocktail Experience to Remember

The Menu at A Fish Called Avalon

Savouring South Beach from Avalon’s Balcony

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