Peacock Garden Bistro, Miami

Palm trees sway over an outdoor patio, while ferns and broad-leaf plants unfurl in the garden below. On the adjacent patio, people whittle away at brightly colored glasses of mimosa, taking reprieve from the sun. Indoors, wooden floors and vintage tables and chairs give the restaurant historic flavor.

With such a lush, tropical ambiance, Peacock Garden Bistro reminds guests exactly where they are: Coconut Grove, a dense, verdant neighborhood in Miami. Its name, too, hints at its location by paying tribute to the Peacocks, one of the founding families of the surrounding community. But perhaps even more than the establishment's name, its cuisine keeps guests firmly rooted in southern Florida with fresh, coastal favorites like lobster pasta, seared jumbo scallops, and spicy mahi-mahi fish sandwiches flavored with Jamaican jerk spices.