Florida is home to some of the best museums and cultural attractions in the country and as more visitors choose to dine at on site, cafes and concession stands are no longer an afterthought, but now a deliberate part of the arts and culture experience with a standalone destination. The museum and restaurant experience are both enhanced by the other creating a culturally immersive activity for all.
Bistro at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College
Bistro at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, is a chef-driven culinary concept helmed by the brilliant Chef Kaytlin Danagaran. The restaurant is inside the museum, which is housed in a historic high school in Sarasota, FL. Bistro features a Florida farm stand-inspired menu focusing on locally sourced and seasonal ingredients that can be enjoyed within the interior dining space complemented by thoughtfully curated exhibits, on the go, or outdoors within the Museum Plaza. Menu specials will be featured on the blackboard behind the counter, a nostalgic nod to the former high school. Chef Dangaran, who is making waves in the area as a leading female chef, hosts cooking classes and demos for guests to learn, taste and celebrate.
Address: 1001 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236
Verde at the Perez Art Museum in Miami
Tucked inside the breathtaking Pérez Art Museum Miami is the casual, modern restaurant Verde. Known for its sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, diners sip craft cocktails as they watch sailboats and cruise ships sail from Mainland Miami to South Beach. Verde is a Mediterranean-American cuisine restaurant with both indoor and expansive outdoor seating with lush vegetation cascading from the canopy’s overhang. Led by Executive Chef Jeremy Shelton of Constellation Culinary Group, Verde is known for its waterfront brunch on weekends and its Thursday night happy hours + dinner, known for garden-in-a-glass cocktails and museum activations.
Address: 1103 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132
The Restaurant at the Norton
The Restaurant at the Norton is the premier dining destination located inside of the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, FL. Operated by the renowned Constellation Culinary Group, The Restaurant offers light, modern-American fare with nods to coastal influence. Offering beautiful views of the museum’s sculpture garden, Chef Jair Solis takes inspiration from the current exhibitions on site to create a thoughtful and curated listing of entrees, starters and cocktails.
Address: 1450 S. Dixie Highway West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Food@Science Café at Frost
Come for the science, stay for the food. Visit Food@Science at Frost Museum of Science for a science inspired lunch and enjoy Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. After exploring the show-stopping Oculus aquarium, an eye opening show at the planetarium or digging for dinosaur bones at the Mini-Camp: Dino Explorers event, aspiring scientists can munch on some brain food to power through the day. The café elevates the Frost Science Museum experience by offering themed menu items related to the museum exhibitions.
Address: 1101 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132
BRAVA! At the Adrienne Arsht Center
For theater and a show, BRAVA!, located on the second floor of the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House, sets the mood for the evening filled with entertainment and art. Helmed by the team at Constellation Culinary Group, the expansive menu is heavily inspired by classic French cuisine. The perimeter of the dining room is lined with large-scale photography of the Arsht Center and two walls covered in white orchids that serve as the restaurant’s main focal points. The dining room is outfitted with black wooden tables, plush cerulean chairs, and a warm mustard sofa, creating an inviting setting for pre-show dinners and drinks.
Address: 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132