Located on S. Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami, Novikov Miami is the world-renowned Chinese-Japanese restaurant’s first U.S. outpost, which is currently celebrating its fifth anniversary in the 305. Novikov Miami is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Last Sunday, we were invited guests of Novikov Miami to experience their famous Sunday brunch that is offered from 11 am to 4 pm. I have visited Novikov’s lively bar many times, but I was excited to try their brunch for the first time.
We arrived at 1:30 pm, just as the scene was starting to heat up. The restaurant is spacious, bright, and welcoming with a terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay. Friendly hostesses greeted us and led us to a table in the center of the action as we passed the in-house DJ spinning electronic music to set the vibe.
At our table, our server, Victoria, welcomed us with a smile and offered us the menu. Novikov Miami offers two unlimited options for Sunday brunch: the Signature Menu for $99 per person or the Premium Menu for $199 per person. Both options come with a choice of cocktails and bottomless Champagne, wine or sake for two hours, in addition to an unlimited buffet of sushi, seafood, and dumplings. From each respective menu, you can enjoy an unlimited variety of appetizers and an entrée (all of which are featured on Novikov’s regular menu) that arrive tableside. Either option is a great value.
We went with the Premium Menu to enjoy the selection of premium cocktails and entrees, as well as Laurent Perrier Rosé Champagne (my personal favorite).
We started our Novikov Miami experience with our cocktail order and a visit to the seafood bar. My guest ordered the popular Wasabi Martini, a spicy twist on the vodka classic. I went with the Oaxacan Sun, which is made with Peloton Mezcal and passionfruit.
The seafood bar at Novikov Miami includes lobster tails, crab claws and cocktail shrimp on ice. A table nearby offers dipping sauces like mustard aioli, cocktail sauce, spicy mayo and yuzu ponzu.
The buffet also highlights Novikov Miami’s popular sushi, nigiri, sashimi and dim sum options, as well as a DIY miso soup station. I could have spent the entire meal at this part of the buffet, but I knew there was more food to be enjoyed. My personal favorites were the Ultimate Spicy Tuna Maki and Black Truffle, Chicken & Morel Siu Mai.
After finishing our cocktails, we began enjoying Laurent Perrier Rosé to accompany the rest of our meal. The Premium Menu features unlimited Wagyu A5 Nigiri and Salmon Toro Nigiri that are torched tableside. We also appreciated the Salted Shishito Peppers and Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Pork which were a nice vegetable complement to the seafood and dim sum meal.
My favorite selections of this part of the meal were the Spicy Prawn Moneybags and especially the Duck & Foie Gras Siu Mai, both paired with a specialty sauce. The Duck & Foie Gras Siu Mai melts in your mouth and offers a rich burst of umami flavor with the duck and foie gras.
Next came the main event: My guest chose the decadent Honey Truffle King Crab Leg, while I went with the ½ Roasted Peking Duck, both of which were accompanied by duck fried rice. I grew up going for Chinese dim sum on Sundays after church, and my dad helped me develop an affinity for Peking Duck, so I had high standards for this experience.
The king crab leg did not disappoint. Rich, buttery and sweet, it was the most unique version of king crab I’ve ever had. And the Peking Duck was delicious: its crispy skin, tender meat, and delicate pancakes were the perfect complement to many of the other dishes we enjoyed.
After our entrees, we took a pause to enjoy the people watching in the packed dining room. We noticed dry ice smoke at other tables and soon realized that our dessert extravaganza would include a smoke show!
Our Chef’s Selection Platter of desserts soon arrived at our table to much fanfare. We sampled Lemongrass Crème Brûlée topped with strawberries and blueberries, a fruit salad served in half a dragon fruit, and Coconut Panna Cotta. This was the perfect sweet end to our decadent experience at Novikov Miami.
300 S Biscayne Blvd,
Miami, FL 33131