Food writers are "infatuated" with three Florida restaurants.
Let us explain. The Infatuation, a national restaurant review website known for its opinionated dining guides and recommendations, named Miami's Phở Nam and Yasu Omakase, along with Emelina in West Palm Beach, to its list of America's Best New Restaurants Of 2026, released Monday.
This isn't a typical "best of" ranking based on diner reviews.
"According to our back-of-the-cocktail-napkin math, our team ate at more than 2,600 new restaurants across the country this year," The Infatuation said. "After weeks of debate and nights spent obsessing over details like utensil drawers and ham carts, we've narrowed that number down to 25."
The selections are restaurants that left a lasting impression on the publication's food writers.
Located in downtown Miami, Phở Nam earned recognition for its Vietnamese cuisine, particularly its flavorful broths and elaborate presentation.
The moment the food writers knew they loved the restaurant was when "our server parked a shiny phở cart right next to our table like it was bottle service," according to The Infatuation.
The publication recommended ordering Vietnamese pizza, bún bò huế, bánh xèo and avocado mousse, along with specialty teas.
The reviewers also reported an average Saturday night wait of 43 minutes without a reservation and an average check of $125 for two people.
Emelina, a Cuban-inspired fine dining restaurant in West Palm Beach, impressed reviewers with its inventive interpretations of traditional Cuban cuisine.
The moment the food writers knew they loved the restaurant was when the chef transformed yuca into three different preparations — a fritter, a foam and a sauce — in a single dish.
Unlike a traditional à la carte restaurant, Emelina offers a 10-course seasonal, omakase-style tasting menu that puts the dining experience in the chef's hands.
The publication highlighted the restaurant's chef's counter experience, three dessert courses and upscale presentation.
According to The Infatuation, the average check for two diners is approximately $780.
Miami's Yasu Omakase, located in the Design District, also earned a spot on the national list for its Japanese tasting-menu experience.
The restaurant specializes in omakase, a style of dining in which the chef selects and prepares a succession of dishes for guests.
The Infatuation praised the restaurant's willingness to incorporate unexpected ingredients, including guava, into its Japanese cuisine.
The intimate restaurant has just eight seats, according to the publication, and features a counter constructed from 600-year-old wood.
The average check for two diners is approximately $764.
The restaurants selected for the national list are found in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
"They include a place with an entire menu of steak frites, a date night spot in a Central California strip mall, an all-day café in cattle country, and a tasting menu on the non-billionaire side of Palm Beach County," The Infatuation said. "Regardless of where they fall on the walk-in-only-to-white-tablecloth spectrum, we'd recommend them to pretty much anyone."
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