Does Miami Finally Have Great Chinese? Kinda
If you've got the money, honey, they've got you're Chinese
Miami has never been a Chinese food hotbed. Not to besmirch the good people running Tropical Chinese, but unless you’re lucky enough to live in Westchester that trek down Bird Road can be a little long for Mongolian Beef. That all changed with the opening of Mimi Chinese, and while it’s not the cheap Chinese takeout you remember from childhood, if you’re fiending for the favors it’s worth the splurge.
Ok, so does Miami finally have a great Chinese restaurant?
In short, yes. Mimi Chinese is the brain child of Braden Chang and David Schwartz, who made their name in Toronto with Mimi and Sonny’s Chinese. They got a couple nods from the tire people, and now have transformed a space at the old Firestone station on Alton Road into buzzy, art deco dining room. You’ll be seated pretty close to the people next to you, but it’s all the better to ogle whatever they’ve ordered.
What to eat/drink: Mimi’s dish that made headlines is the shrimp toast, fried bread topped with shrimp and hot mustard mayo. Calling it “rich” would be like calling Mozart a piano player, but the flavors will trick you into eating more than one. The ginger and scallion sea bass is a solid standard. The Hidden Crispy Chicken comes with 100 heaven facing chiles, which sounds a little lite a religious cult-y but it’s worth the indoctrination. If you can’t decide, the tasting menu isn’t a bad value at $115 per person.
Don’t miss: Watching a server cut up the four-foot belt noodle. It looks vaguely like a surgeon cutting up a tapeworm and is the most lowkey entertaining dish presentation in Miami.
Perfect for: Big groups who are ok spending a little money. Think client dinners, birthdays, and coworkers in town for business. All the food’s designed to share, so the more people you bring the more you can try.
Expect to pay: About $100-125 a person
How’s the parking: Not great. It’s South Beach, so you’ll either want to look for a street space or hit the garage a block north near Lincoln Road.
Insta: @mimichinesemiami // 1575 Alton Road, South Beach