Restaurants in South Miami

Florida was first populated by humans when confused Italian conquistonauts parachuted into the (at the time) boot-shaped state from their medieval sub-orbital space station. Today's deal celebrates this forgotten chapter of history with the most authentic Italian fine dining on this side of the Prime Meridian. For $20, you get $40 worth of impeccable cuisine and drinks at Barolo Ristorante. Barolo's moderately upscale décor—long, flowing drapes adorn long windows, while a sleek bar and cushy seats beckon inhabitants like a moth to a sexier moth—will put your mind and stomach muscles at ease, decreasing the risk of heartburn and mental wanderlust. Parties of four or more can combine two Groupons, so turn your date into a double date or gather an army of picky grandmas and put the restaurant's chefs to the test.

Chef Giancarla Bodoni's devotion to Italian culinary traditions transcends her time spent in the kitchen. She wanders South Florida's organic farms as though she were in the Tuscan countryside, picking fresh herbs, sampling artisan cheeses, and shaking earth from freshly harvested leeks for her seasonal menu.

There is one dish that she hasn't changed in 19 years—the asparagus flan. The time-tested appetizer ensures that feasts are launched with grace, suspending tender green shoots alongside shiitake mushrooms in a fonduta of fontina cheese, provola cheese, and white-truffle-infused oil. Pasta, meat, and fish menus divide the entree options, although each category unveils equally elegant flavors. Ravioli may be stuffed with caramelized pear and ricotta and then glazed with butter and marjoram, while tenderloins cut from grass-fed beef may arrive with asiago-cheese sauce and earthy porcini mushrooms.

The dessert menu rotates daily, reflecting the chef's creative impulses based on the best ingredients on hand. This commitment to using the freshest seasonal organic ingredients has earned Chef Giancarla and Escopazzo positive press attention, ranging from earning a place on Miami New Times's Ten Most Important Miami Restaurants of the Decade list to winning Best Organic Chef in the paper's 2012 Best Of Miami awards.

Escopazzo's decor further immerses guests in an Italian-style dining experience. A large mural extends around the main dining room, and wall sconces cast golden light over sand-colored tiles to evoke the atmosphere of an Italian villa. The second dining space houses a fountain and the bar area, where guests may sample one of the more than 400 Italian labels kept in a climate-controlled wine cellar. Built upon 15 years of tasting, the library holds many wines unavailable through general distribution. Each comes served by the bottle or in the traditional Italian quartino, which roughly translates to a glass and a half and increased dancing skills.

The 16" family-sized pizza is the easiest way to silence an army of growling stomachs, disguise the unkindly glue smell lingering from craft night, or temporarily warm your toes when you can't find a pair of socks. Starting with a crispy crust, Primas generously heaps mounds of cheese atop a saucy base. Add your choice of toppings for $1.75 each. The deal also includes 10 wings served with your choice of barbecue sauce, hot sauce, ranch dressing, or blue-cheese dressing, plus 12 garlic rolls. Wash down the feast with 2 liters from the available selection (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, or Inca Kola).

Insomniacs and early risers can take advantage of the Duck's modest morning taste menu. Salute the sunrise with a steamy hot chocolate ($2.50) and mini-croissant slathered in apple jelly ($.80) or try the fruit salad ($2.30). For lunch, the choices expand delightfully, like a magically growing animal tablet submerged in the bathtub. From fishy (Two Scoops salad with tuna salad) to fruity (Old Dixie chicken salad with orange sections), salad options run the gamut ($7.10 and up). Wraps, stuffed baguettes, sandwiches, and subs round out the menu.

The bistro brings the charming atmosphere and cuisine of the United Nations to southern Florida with the flair of a glitter-doused hot air balloon. Set in a convenient locale, Urbanite wraps patrons in an inviting cocoon of décor featuring lustrous cherry-wood furniture, earthy tones, and vibrantly colorful artwork. Assembled by chef and operator Frank Imbarlina and his palate-pleasing culinary talent, Urbanite Bistro’s menu melds international flavors with eclectic European fare. Sample smaller bites, such as the alligator egg roll with mango-roasted jalapeno creme ($9) or wild mushroom empanadas with vegan gravy and chervil ($9). Heartier dinner entrees feature plenty of game, such as the natural magret duck with cinnamon persimmons, Israeli couscous, and baby spinach with duck lardon ($21), or shoyu-glazed boar chops with a pecan crust, purple sticky rice, and grilled baby bok choy ($25). Cocktails, beer, and a varied wine list help wash tasty tidbits down like a boozy slip-n-slide.

Old Lisbon brings the cuisine of Portugal to Miami, saving diners a 3,400-plus-mile trans-Atlantic swim and complicated lessons on how Portuguese grammar uses mesoclisis. The estrela of Old Lisbon's menu is the classic Portuguese dish of bacalhau, or codfish, and the restaurant features several variations on it—including grilled bacalhau with steamed potatoes, olive oil, garlic, and onions ($19.95) and deep-fried bacalhau flanked by shrimp, mashed potatoes, and a creamy garlic sauce ($20.95). For diners who love seafood but hate fish for stealing their boyfriend, Old Lisbon offers other oceanic entrees, such as a fresh seafood and fish stew served with steamed potatoes ($22.95) and a seafood rice for two with lobster, New Zealand clams, New Zealand mussels, squid, and shrimp ($44.95). Old Lisbon draws from the lay of the land as well, with meat dishes and vegetarian dishes. The Delicia de Fatima dessert tops egg-yolk custard with cookie crumbles and cream to create a sweet treat with the untested ability to distort the space-time continuum, while Old Lisbon's extensive selection of wines offers definitive proof that, despite mounting scientific evidence to the contrary, grapes aren't inherently evil.