Miami Spice Goes to Tuscany at Felice Brickell
There are certain signs that summer has officially arrived in Miami. The temperature refuses to behave. Your sunglasses become a permanent accessory. And suddenly, some of the city's most tempting restaurants are practically
begging you to come inside, sit down and order three courses.
Yes, Miami Spice is back.
And this year, we're taking a little detour to Tuscany. No passport. No overnight flight. No attempting to fit two weeks of Italian outfits into one carry-on. Just head to Brickell, where Felice Brickell is bringing a taste of the Tuscan countryside to the middle of Miami's urban playground. From August 1 through September 30, Felice is celebrating Miami Spice with thoughtfully curated three-course menus inspired by the flavors of Tuscany, with options for both
lunch and dinner. Consider this your permission to take a very long Italian lunch.
First Things First: It's Felice
Before we get to the food, a tiny Italian lesson. Felice—pronounced Fe-Lee-Che—means happy, glad or joyful in Italian.
Appropriate, because it's difficult to be in a bad mood when handmade pasta and Italian wine are involved. The family-owned restaurant group began in New York and built its identity around Tuscan-inspired cuisine, warm Italian hospitality and the idea that a neighborhood restaurant should feel like somewhere you actually want to stay awhile.
Today, Felice has locations across New York, Connecticut and Florida, with Brickell serving as its Miami flagship.
And while Miami certainly doesn't lack Italian restaurants, Felice arrives with a slightly different attitude. This isn't Italy dressed up for Instagram.
It's Italy inviting you to sit down.
Tuscany, Meet Brickell
Walk into Felice Brickell, and the contrast is part of the fun.
Outside: glass towers, power lunches, luxury cars and Brickell moving approximately 200 miles per hour.
Inside: Tuscany.
Well… Tuscany with considerably better air conditioning. The modern Tuscan-influenced dining room is airy and elegant, filled with natural light and warm details. There's a mezzanine for a slightly more intimate experience and a lush patio for those rare Miami evenings when dining outside feels like an excellent life decision.
The restaurant manages to feel sophisticated without becoming stiff—the kind of place that can handle a business lunch at noon, aperitivo after work and a date night that somehow stretches much later than planned. Which brings us to the
main event.
Miami Spice, but Make It Tuscan
Miami Spice is essentially our city's annual excuse to become professional restaurant explorers.
For two glorious months, participating restaurants across Miami offer special prix-fixe menus designed to give diners a taste of what they do best.
At Felice, that means leaning directly into its Tuscan roots.
From August 1 through September 30, guests can enjoy a thoughtfully curated three-course dinner menu inspired by Tuscany. And because apparently Felice understands that some of our best dining decisions happen before 5 p.m., there's a Miami Spice lunch menu, too.
The appeal isn't simply "three courses." It's the chance to experience the restaurant the way Felice makes the most sense: slowly. Start with something fresh. Move into pasta or a beautifully prepared main. Have a glass of wine. Order dessert. Tell yourself you're only staying another 20 minutes.
Stay another hour. That's the Italian way. Probably.
Let's Talk About the Pasta
If you're going Tuscan, pasta is not exactly optional.
Felice's culinary philosophy puts particular emphasis on Italian and Tuscan traditions, including pasta fatta a mano, pasta made by hand. The restaurant describes the slight imperfections in handmade pasta as part of what connects the dishes to Italian home cooking: every shape has character, and every shape is paired intentionally with its sauce. It's a lovely philosophy in a city where perfection is occasionally taken a little too seriously.
Here, imperfect is the point.
The larger menu celebrates Italian comfort through handmade pastas, antipasti, grilled meats, seafood and seasonal desserts, balancing traditional flavors with a polished modern presentation.
In other words, come hungry.
And Then There's the Wine
You didn't think we were traveling to Tuscany and drinking water all evening, did you? Wine is deeply woven into the Felice story.
The restaurant group's wine program includes bottles produced at Fattoria Sardi, its organic vineyard in the Tuscan countryside, including Felice Chardonnay, Sangiovese and Rosato. The broader list explores Italian regions and varietals designed to complement the food rather than simply occupy an intimidating number of pages on a wine list.
This is where dinner can become dangerous, in the best possible way.
One glass becomes, "We should try the Sangiovese." Then somebody says, "Should we get dessert?" Obviously you should get dessert. We're in Tuscany now. Keep up.
The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing Quickly
Perhaps the best thing Felice brings to Brickell isn't a particular dish.
It's a pace.
Miami loves speed. We power lunch. We take meetings while taking meetings. We answer emails at dinner. We order espresso because apparently our existing energy level isn't quite enough.
Italian dining proposes something radically different:
Sit.
Eat.
Talk.
Drink wine.
Stay awhile.
Felice's family-oriented approach to hospitality is built around exactly that feeling, turning a meal into a gathering rather than a transaction.
And Miami Spice may be the perfect reason to try it.
Bring your best friend for a long lunch. Make it date night. Turn a Tuesday into something considerably more interesting. Gather the group that keeps saying, "We seriously need to plan dinner soon," and finally make the reservation.
Because sometimes luxury isn't about doing more.
Sometimes it's having nowhere else you need to be for the next two hours.
But Wait, There's Aperitivo
If you're not quite ready for dinner, or you're very committed to making dinner an extended event—Felice Brickell also offers its take on the Italian aperitivo tradition.
Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., making Felice particularly dangerous for anyone whose office happens to be nearby. A cocktail. A glass of wine. Something small to eat. Then perhaps Miami Spice dinner.
We support this itinerary.
Your Two-Month Tuscan Vacation Starts in Brickell
The beauty of Miami Spice has always been discovery.
It's an opportunity to finally visit the restaurant you've been saving on Instagram for six months, return to an old favorite or simply say yes to lunch somewhere fabulous because, frankly, life is short and pasta exists.
At Felice Brickell, the experience comes with a little Tuscan philosophy attached.
Good food. Good wine. Good company.
And enough time to enjoy all three.
For August and September, consider skipping the flight to Florence.
Put on something fabulous, head to Brickell and let Felice handle the Tuscany part.
Felice Brickell
1450 Brickell Avenue, Suite 110
Miami, FL 33131
Miami Spice: August 1–September 30
Three-course lunch and dinner menus available.
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