Miami Spice is back for 2026, and this year marks the program's 25th season. Here is the short version: from August 1 through September 30, hundreds of restaurants across Greater Miami and Miami Beach serve three-course, fixed-price menus. It runs for two full months.

Two months. Hundreds of restaurants. Set prices. What separates a great Miami Spice night from a forgettable one usually comes down to two questions the big aggregator lists never answer: which restaurant, and how do you make the seat worth it?

This guide covers the essentials in order: the 2026 dates, the price tiers, how the season works, how to pick a restaurant by neighborhood, and what a great Midtown Miami menu looks like this year. We will use ZIVA in Midtown Miami as a real-world example of a Miami Spice Mediterranean menu on the plate.

What Is Miami Spice? The Short Answer

Miami Spice is an annual program run by the Greater Miami and Miami Beach tourism bureau (GMCVB), where participating restaurants serve three-course, fixed-price menus for two months each summer.

Prix-fixe means one set price for a full meal, in this case three courses: a starter, an entrée, and a dessert, for a single fixed cost rather than à la carte. It is the reason a room that would normally run well above the ticket becomes a relaxed, affordable night out.

The program is citywide and gives back, too. In 2026, the first $25,000 in diner donations gets matched by the GMCVB, with proceeds supporting Camillus House, a local nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness. That charitable tie is part of what has kept the program going for a quarter-century.

When Is Miami Spice 2026? Exact Dates and How Long It Lasts

Miami Spice 2026 runs August 1 through September 30, two full months of prix-fixe dining.

That is 60 days, one of the longer restaurant-week-style programs in the country. If you are searching "is Miami Spice still on," the answer during those two months is yes. Some restaurants quietly extend their menus into the first weekend of October, but the official window closes at the end of September.

Long season, but the good tables do not wait. Weekend and date-night slots at the rooms people actually want fill early, so booking in August beats scrambling in the last week of September.

How Much Is Miami Spice? 2026 Price Tiers Explained

In 2026, Miami Spice has three main price tiers. Lunch menus run $40. Dinner runs $65 depending on the restaurant. New this year is a premium Reserve tier starting around $95 for more elevated, chef-led experiences.

What changes between tiers is course count, restaurant caliber, and the occasional add-on for a premium dish. The smart move is the same at every tier: read the live menu before you book, because the value can vary a lot from one restaurant to the next. A $65 dinner built around a restaurant's signature plates is a very different experience than one built from its simplest options.

ZIVA in Midtown Miami keeps it easy with a $40 Miami Spice lunch menu and a $65 dinner, both in the classic prix-fixe tiers. No Reserve-tier fine print, just a warm, three-course Mediterranean menu at a set price.

How Miami Spice Works: How to Make the Most of the Season

The season works in four steps: pick a neighborhood, check the restaurant's live prix-fixe menu, reserve early, and confirm the menu is offered on your specific day and service.

Here is what a lot of first-timers do not realize: not every restaurant offers Miami Spice every day or at every service. Many limit it to weekdays, or to certain hours, or to dinner only. The prix-fixe menu you saw online may not be the one running the night you walk in, so it is worth a quick check before you book.

A tip from the regulars: lunch are the easiest, best-value way to try an upscale room in the August heat. Fewer people are competing for a weekday noon table, the pace is slower and more relaxed, and you get the same kitchen at a lower tier. A $40 Midtown Miami lunch is a lovely, low-key way into a room you have been meaning to try.

And do reserve. The best weekend and date-night tables go first, and booking through the restaurant's own reservation platform ties your seat to the correct menu.

Reservations, Weekdays vs. Weekends, and Menu Restrictions

A little fine print worth knowing before you book: some restaurants add a small supplement on premium dishes, some have blackout days, and the Miami Spice menu is often a curated selection of the regular menu rather than the full à la carte lineup. None of that is a catch, it is simply how prix-fixe works.

Weekday versus weekend matters too. Weekday lunch are the easiest tables and often the best value. Weekend dinners fill first. Reserving through the restaurant's own booking link, the way ZIVA does through OpenTable, takes any guesswork out of which menu applies to your reservation.

Choosing a Miami Spice Restaurant by Neighborhood

The easiest way to plan Miami Spice is by neighborhood, not by scrolling a 300-restaurant master list. Brickell, South Beach, Wynwood, Midtown Miami, Coral Gables, and Doral all take part, and each offers a different kind of evening.

The difference between a great Miami Spice night and a so-so one often comes down to logistics. Pick a neighborhood that carries the whole evening, not just the meal: somewhere you can park once, eat well, and linger afterward without a second drive.

Midtown Miami shines on all three counts. It is central, walkable, and full of great dining, with easy parking at the Shops at Midtown. You are minutes from Wynwood and the Design District without the South Beach traffic, which makes it one of the simplest neighborhoods to build a full evening around.

Miami Spice at ZIVA in Midtown Miami: What Is on the Menu

At ZIVA in Midtown Miami, Miami Spice means a three-course Mediterranean prix-fixe, $40 at lunch and $65 at dinner, served at the Shops at Midtown. ZIVA is located at 3252 NE 1st Ave Ste 109, Miami, FL 33137, at the Shops at Midtown, minutes from Wynwood and the Design District. Reserve through OpenTable at ziva-restaurants.com/reserve.

The lunch menu ($40) opens with a starter that leans bright and Mediterranean: burrata with arugula, warm grapes in verjus butter, roasted tomatoes, and basil; a Mediterranean salmon tartar with cucumber, dill, lemon, and tzatziki; calamari alla arrabiata in a spicy pesto tomato sauce; or the ZIVA Mediterranean salad with taggiasca olives, feta, and herb vinaigrette. Entrées bring a grilled branzino fillet with rice pilaf and roasted vegetables, truffle tagliatelle in a silky mushroom sauce with crimini mushrooms, or a grilled chicken breast. A selection of house desserts closes it out.

Dinner ($65) trades up beautifully. To start, the bluefin tuna tartar with avocado, crispy shallots, and citrus oil is the pick if you want something clean and bright; the shrimp fra diavola brings a little heat. For entrées, the choices read like a proper dinner and not a scaled-down one: a New York strip steak, grilled lamb chops with celery purée and lamb jus, or the black shrimp scampi linguine, squid-ink pasta with seared shrimp in a garlic white wine butter sauce. Dessert is the chef's selection.

So here is the read on what to order from ZIVA’s Mediterranean menu. If you want the full Mediterranean experience, the room, the plating, the pace, dinner is the move. If you want the same kitchen at the easier tier, the $40 lunch in Miami does it beautifully.

Tips to Make the Most of Miami Spice 2026

A few small things separate the diners who get the most out of the season from the ones who do not.

Book weekday lunch for the best availability. Read the live menu before you reserve, every time. Go early in August, before the popular rooms fill and before menus start selling out of their best entrées. And pick a neighborhood you can linger in afterward, so the night does not end when the check lands.

One more thing worth keeping in mind: the tiers are fixed, but the experience is not. The restaurants worth booking are the ones using Miami Spice to show off their signature dishes, not to shrink their menu down to the simplest three courses. Spot the difference and book accordingly.

A Midtown Miami lunch or dinner is an easy, central way to enjoy the season without building your whole night around traffic. Reserve a Miami Spice table at ZIVA and you have a full evening handled in one lovely spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Miami Spice in simple terms? 

Miami Spice is Greater Miami's annual restaurant-months program, where participating restaurants serve three-course, fixed-price menus for two months each summer. It is run by the Greater Miami and Miami Beach tourism bureau and is designed to let locals and visitors try top restaurants at a set price. Menus are offered for lunch, and dinner depending on the restaurant.

When does Miami Spice 2026 start and end? 

Miami Spice 2026 runs from August 1 through September 30, two full months. Some restaurants quietly extend their menus into the first weekend of October, but the official window closes at the end of September. Because popular weekend tables fill early, it is smart to book in August rather than waiting.

How much does a Miami Spice menu cost? 

In 2026, Miami Spice menus follow set tiers: $40 for lunch or $65 for dinner. There is also a new premium Reserve tier starting around $95 for more elevated, chef-led experiences. Prices are fixed per tier, though some restaurants add a small supplement for premium dishes.

How does Miami Spice work? 

Pick a participating restaurant, check its live three-course prix-fixe menu, and make a reservation for a day and service the menu is offered. Not every restaurant offers Miami Spice every day or for every meal, so confirm before booking. Reserving through the restaurant's own booking link is the safest way to be sure the menu applies.

Is Miami Spice worth it? 

For most diners, yes, especially if you already wanted to try the restaurant and the menu features dishes you are excited about. The value is strongest when a restaurant uses Miami Spice to showcase its signature plates rather than a reduced menu. Reading the live menu before booking is the single best way to make sure it is worth it.

Where can I do Miami Spice in Midtown Miami? 

ZIVA in Midtown Miami takes part in Miami Spice with a three-course Mediterranean menu, $40 at lunch and $65 at dinner, at the Shops at Midtown. Midtown Miami is a central, walkable neighborhood that is easy to build a full evening around. You can reserve a Miami Spice table at ZIVA through OpenTable.

Do you need reservations for Miami Spice? 

Reservations are strongly recommended, since participating restaurants fill up quickly during the season. Weekend and date-night tables at popular rooms often book out days in advance. Weekday lunch slots are usually the easiest to get and can be the best-value way to try a restaurant.