Here's Where to Get Your Food Festival Fix in Miami

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It’s festival season in Miami, and no we’re not talking about music festivals. It’s all about the food festival scene on MIAbites. Once the summer ends, it seems like there’s a different food festival happening nearly every month and we love it. Whether you’re looking to get a serious seafood fix, want to know more about Miami’s vegan options, or are just in it for the celebrity chef sightings — there’s something for everyone.

SOBE Seafood Festival

October 16th - 20th (ENDED)

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What began five years ago as a one day festival has now grown into a week of dinners and events. Come prepared to indulge at pop-up cafes from leading Miami restaurants with the freshest seafood items to choose from. The South Beach Seafood Festival brings fine dining to the sand with stone crabs from Joe’s Stone Crab, shrimp diavola from Cibo Wine Bar, fresh oysters from the Shelborne, sushi from Dragonfly, lobster morsels from Lobster Bar Sea Grille, famous shrimp tacos from Naked Taco, and so much more. Enjoy complimentary cocktails from Jack Daniel’s, Herradura, and Finlandia Vodka. Enjoy specialty cocktails at Finlandia’s special bar by some of Miami’s top bartenders.

Pre-festival events include:

  • Tuesday -  An Evening at Joe’s, featuring epicurean masterpieces from historic Miami seafood restaurant, Joe’s Stone Crab.This incredibly exclusive event hosts 50 VIPs in Jesse’s Room, the famous private space where greats like Al Capone and Frank Sinatra cracked claws.

  • Wednesday - Cooking and Cocktails, featuring six unique courses co-created by celebrity Chef Sean Brasel and Goya Foods Executive Chef Fernando Desa paired by Herradura. This 75-person pairing dinner is made for Surf n’ Turf lovers seeking a true culinary experience.

  • Thursday - Crabs, Slabs and Cabs, one of SoBe Seafood Week’s newest seafood events. A cocktail-hour-style event hosted at the Shelborne South Beach VIP pool garden. Featuring food and wine pairings featuring the best of Surf N Turf from award-winning chefs, this 200-person party is for those who love to mix and mingle while they indulge.

  • Friday - VIP Chef Showdown, the ultimate night of competition where the best South Beach chefs hit the sand for an epic throwdown beach bash. 14 chefs. 7 battles. Sounds by Yissel. Taste every seafood dish and #ChooseYourChamp because you’re the judge!

Saturday’s festival ticket includes all drinks, food is to be purchased separately. Grab your tickets here and use code FINLANDIA20 for 20% off your tickets!

Location: dinners all over Miami Beach, festival at Lummus Park South Beach.

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PIG 9 Pork Is Good

Sunday, November 4th

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PIG 9 is gearing up to be the best yet. With over 2000+ pounds of Pork is Good(ness), craft cocktail pairings by David Cedeno (formerly of the Anderson), free flowing local beer, and 25+ chefs. Get ready for a pork filled good time. The concept of P.I.G. (Pork is Good) is to challenge chefs to make the most of a basic core ingredient – the whole pig. It’s also a celebration of how diverse and delicious pork can become in the hands of talented chefs who hail from the most extreme ends of the culinary spectrum, from food trucks to five-star hotels.  Fans of PIG in previous years know it’s all about the locals at this festival.

This year’s chefs include:

  • Steve Santana - Taquiza

  • James Strine - Buccan WPB

  • Brian Mullins - Ms Cheezious

  • Josh Gripper - The Dutch MB

  • Roel Alcudia - Mandolin

  • Clark Bowen - Boulud Sud Miami

  • Tim Lipman - Culinary Cafe & The Parched Pig WPB

  • Jeremiah Bullfrog - Square Pie City

  • Babe Froman - Babe’s Meat Counter

  • Jose Mendin - Pubbelly

  • Karla Hoyos- Bazaar

  • Scott Linquist - Coyo Taco

  • Alex Meyer - La Pollita

  • Danny Ramirez - The Westchester

  • Valerie Chang - Itamae

  • Alexander Powell - Market at the EDITION

  • Alberto Cabrera - Marabu

  • Niven Patel - Ghee

  • Andrew Zarzosa - Yuzu

  • Cake - Cake Thai

  • Tom Bils + Joshua Gonzalez - Mama’s Boys

  • Cleophus “Chef Ophus” Hethington - Ębí Chop Bar

  • Alissa Frice - Frice Cream

  • Chase Rodriquez - Sabal coffee

Tickets start around $50 and you can grab yours here.

Location: Little Haiti’s Cultural Complex

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SEED Food & Wine Week

November 7th - 11th

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The original plant-based food and wine festival, SEED FOOD & WINE WEEK presented by Whole Foods Market (SEED), is returning to Miami for its fifth year. SEED is a one-of-a-kind regional event that celebrates delicious plant-based foods, fine wine, craft beer and spirits, lifestyle products and companies. The line-up of talent includes celebrities, chefs, athletes, authors, and influencers whose focus is plant-based food, holistic wellness, and raising awareness about conscious and sustainable living. More than ten events throughout Miami-Dade County will include upscale dinners, fitness events, seminars and the return of the nation’s first plant-based ″Burger Battle″.

This is the perfect festival for those who live a vegan lifestyle or who are interested in learning more. Guests will get plenty of exposure to Miami’s budding vegan scene with events happening all week long.

Ticket prices vary per event. The event list and tickets can be found here.

Location: Various locations in and around Wynwood

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Doral Food and Wine Festival

November 10th & 11th

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Back for its 3rd year, Doral Food and Wine Festival will be celebrating the theme World Flavors,. This year’s festival will have a grand tasting pavilion featuring over 30 restaurants from Doral and surrounding areas. Wines of the world will be featured as well as a variety of spirits to pair with dishes made by some of the area’s best chefs. The festival will feature live cooking shows and tastings with interactive spaces, music, artists, celebrities, chefs and special guests. This year, the festival is happy to introduce the Veza Sur Brewing Doral Beer Garden where the brewery will feature over 10 unique styles of their own craft beers.

Featured restaurants include:

  • Cancun Grill

  • 107 Steak & Bar

  • Umami

  • La Fontana

  • Burgerim

  • Green Plate Asian Bistro

  • Blue Matisse Restaurant

  • Cinebistro

  • And more

Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased here.

Location: Doral Central Park

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Food Network & Cooking Channel’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival

February 20th - 24th, 2019

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Easily the most well known of the food festivals is  Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF®). Returning in February for its 18th year, the five-day, star-studded Festival is composed of  more than 100 events spanning Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. To date, the Festival has raised more than $28 million in support of its mission to EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE. with the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University.

The Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village featuring Mastercard Grand Tasting Tents & Culinary Demonstrations takes place on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24.  Signature evening offerings begin on Thursday, February 21 with Italian Bites on the Beach sponsored by HCP Media and the Miami Herald Media Company hosted by Giada De Laurentiis, and continue Friday, February 22 at the Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris.  The party keeps going on Saturday, February 23 at the Beachside BBQ hosted by Guy Fieri, which will feature special musical performances from Cassadee Pope and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Closing out the weekend on Sunday, February 24 is BACARDÍ’s Beach Carnival hosted by Andrew Zimmern.

Brand-new events taking place at the 2019 Festival include:

  • Bites & Beats on the River hosted by Adam Richman

  • Wine & Cheese Happy Hour hosted by Martha Stewart

  • Taste Jamaica hosted by Cindy Hutson & Delius Shirley

  • Mangia After Dark hosted by Marc Murphy

  • Rosé Pool Party hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian

  • Sunset Stone Crab hosted by Emeril Lagasse

Mastercard pre-sale tickets for the festival begin Monday, October 8th here. General ticket sales begin at midnight on Monday, October 22.    

Location: All over South Beach and Ft. Lauderdale Beach