El Cielo Restaurant Miami Michelin Star: Vegan Menu Review

If you are planning a milestone celebration or looking for the ultimate special occasion spot, finding a high-end restaurant that beautifully caters to plant-based diets can be a challenge. That is why we wanted to share our experience at El Cielo Restaurant Miami.

While this famous destination is not a fully plant-based establishment, they are incredibly happy to customize their legendary 18-course menu for vegan and gluten-free guests. But does it truly deliver an elite Miami Michelin Star experience for plant-based foodies? Let’s break down exactly what you can expect so you can decide if it’s worth adding to your luxury bucket list.

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What to Know Before Visiting Cielo Restaurant Miami?

El Cielo Miami is an incredible Colombian restaurant in Brickell, a concept from Juan Manuel Barrientos, a brilliant Colombian chef who holds two Michelin stars. There are currently four locations of El Cielo:

• Medellín, Colombia
• Bogotá, Colombia
• Washington, DC, USA (which was the first restaurant to earn a Michelin star)
• Miami, USA (which earned its second Michelin star)

The restaurant pays tribute to Colombian cuisine, but in a highly sophisticated way. It’s an innovative, 18-course culinary journey designed to engage all your senses, not just your taste.

Disclaimer: I am vegan and gluten-free by preference. The restaurant is not plant-based, but they do accommodate the courses for a vegan and even gluten-free version, which is exactly what we did to celebrate my birthday. I also mentioned some non-gluten-free options that my husband enjoyed, so always confirm the ingredients with the restaurant.

Prices and Offerings

El Cielo Miami offers two main options for guests:

• The Experience Menu: An 18-course journey with dynamic pricing starting from $245 to $289 (prices vary depending on the day of the week).
• The Bar Experience: A pairing cocktail with snacks starting at $98. For the bar experience, you will be seated at the bar area and served 3 snacks paired with cocktails. Even though it is a bar area experience, the snacks are high-cuisine preparations that still keep the upscale essence of the restaurant.

They also offer a wine pairing starting at $197 and a champagne pairing starting at $175. We did not do any pairing, but I ordered a Burricornio, a popular cocktail at the restaurant inspired by the Disney movie Encanto. It is made with Tanqueray gin, champagne, lavender, and butterfly pea tea, which magically changes color when you add a shot of lime juice. You can check the website for other cocktail options.

Location and Arrival Experience

The restaurant is located in the heart of Brickell, near the Miami River. To find the entrance, you actually have to walk around to the back of the Brickell on the River condominium building, toward the Miami River channel, as the restaurant sits right along the waterfront.

Here are the best options for getting there:

• Rideshare: You will be dropped off at the Brickell on the River condominium building and then walk around to the back of the building to find the entrance (this is what we did).
• Valet Parking: If you are driving, there is a valet available directly at the Brickell on the River condominium building.
• Self-Parking: For nearby parking garages, you can check out the SpotAngels Parking Website here to find the closest available options.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by the host. Once you enter the restaurant, you will find an open kitchen concept, so you can see exactly how the chefs are plating the courses for the diners. On the opposite side, you find the bar (which is where you’ll be seated if you opted for the Bar Experience).

The decoration features bright colors, white chairs, and light wooden tables with light accent walls in combination with cream walls. Unlike a typical restaurant layout that stretches deep into a building, this floor plan is wide and shallow. The entrance sits right in the middle, with the dining tables spreading out to the left and the restrooms to the right.

The restaurant is incredibly bright because the exterior wall is entirely made of glass, offering a stunning view of the Miami River. We visited in May, right before summer, when the sun sets later in the evening. Our reservation was at 7:00 PM, and we spent about 3 hours dining. Because it was still sunny when we arrived, our glass-wall view allowed us to watch the entire beautiful transition: from golden hour to sunset, into dusk, and finally seeing all the Brickell buildings light up against the night sky.

Reservations at El Cielo

• Hours: Wednesday to Monday from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM. Closed on Tuesdays.
• Dietary Restrictions Note: Since we are vegan and I am also gluten-free by preference, we needed to notify them when booking our reservation. Be advised that if you need your menu customized for any allergy or dietary restriction, you must book it at least 24 hours in advance. El Cielo also requires that all members of your party order the same menu when seated at the same table.
• Where to Book: Reservations are highly recommended, especially if you need to request a customized menu. You can easily make your online reservation right here.
• Dress Code: Business casual.

Inside the Vegan Miami Michelin Star Tasting Menu

El Cielo’s menu changes around every four to six months. However, there are permanent courses like Chocotherapy and Lick Me (which both have vegan-style versions that we will cover below). Keep in mind that what we experienced might not be the exact courses you will find during your visit.

If you are searching for fine vegan dining or the ultimate fancy vegan Miami experience, this menu will blow you away. Here is a breakdown of our journey:

The Welcome Palate Cleansers

The experience starts with two refreshing shots to clean the palate. The first is a vibrant fruit punch shot, followed by the Segundo, a frozen soursop rum shot that is meant to be eaten with a spoon.

Savory Colombian Bites

The third dish was my absolute favorite, a black truffle fritter that was perfectly crunchy on the outside. This course was meant to be eaten in just one bite, offering an explosion of flavor and a soft texture on the inside.

Moving right along, we were served the flower fair, a beautiful plate covered with flowers, featuring a rice paper cone filled with a flavorful mix of mushrooms and delicious edible flowers.

This beautifully transitioned into a vegan version of their dry “shrimp” rice empanada topped with a lime mousse, inspired by the coastal flavors of La Guajira in Colombia.

The final savory bite of this sequence was the stone vegan crab empanada. It consisted of two empanadas shaped like a crab, served with two sauces to fill them with: one cold pineapple sauce and a warm criollo sauce (which was easily my favorite).

Sensory Showstoppers

At this point in the evening, the famous Chocotherapy arrived. This is an incredibly sensorial course where the restaurant truly plays with your senses. You place your hands in a receiving position over a bowl to begin a mini-spa treatment. Warm, coconut-based chocolate is poured over your hands, followed by ground coffee with sugar to exfoliate. Since your hands are covered, it mimics your childhood era of eating with your hands (literally, you have to lick your fingers to taste this course). Afterward, they pour warm water over your hands to clean them, leaving your skin feeling super soft with an incredible, sweet scent of chocolate.

Shortly after, we were presented with the Tree of Life. It is a tree constructed with wire, and the leaves are made of vegan cheesy cassava bread. It comes with a creamy butter to spread on the bread. This course is the only one that stays on your table a little bit longer because it is meant to be eaten slowly alongside the rest of the upcoming courses.

Pro Travel Tip: Experience the vibrant skyline of Miami with this popular Miami River, Downtown, and Brickell Night Cruise

The Journey Continues

Our culinary tour continued with a vegan version of corn chawanmushi, followed smoothly by a vegan version of hiramasa golden berry with achiote drops, and a delicious vegan mushroom version of encocado.

Then came a mushroom dish in a sawtooth cilantro sauce. The sauce and mushroom combo was my least favorite, but ironically, it was my husband’s absolute favorite of the night.

Playful Palate Cleansers & Desserts

To prepare our mouths for the final phase, we experienced another sensorial course called Lick Me. It is meant to clean your palate, and the interesting part of this dish is that they don’t give you utensils, so you are literally meant to lick the plate to eat it. It is a playful, enjoyable course with a refreshing flavor.

For dessert, we were served the Lulo. Lulo is one of the fruits that represent Colombia. Although this dessert looks exactly like the fruit on the outside, it’s not the actual fruit! It is a dessert where everything is edible, featuring a super crunchy outside with a moist cake on the inside. The course plate even comes with a QR code, which takes you to a link where you can see other incredible creations made with the lulo fruit.

This was followed by a guava and amaretto tart. This one was my least favorite because I am not a guava person, so I only took a bite and let my husband eat the rest since he loves guava.

The Grand Finale

The night concluded with the Coffee Field. This is a sensory invitation to a Colombian coffee farm where the farmers wake up early while the morning mist and fog are still rolling in. This atmosphere is represented by placing actual small coffee plants on the table, and the experience of drinking your morning coffee is represented with a morning fog. This is followed by hydrated rose petals that you rub on your hands—a perfect, soothing way to complete the experience.

The Restaurant Experience and Service Quality

The full experience is surprisingly delicious. It is truly more of an experience than just food because each bite is a culinary tour designed to showcase the beauty of Colombian culture.

The waiters are incredibly knowledgeable about the ingredients of each dish and their representation and connection to Colombian culture. We have visited several Michelin star restaurants around the world, and by far, this El Cielo Miami Michelin dining event is the most interactive we have ever seen.

Even though there are 18 courses, we felt that the portions were perfectly calculated so you could comfortably eat everything. Eating at El Cielo is more about the memorable experience than the food itself, and it is something that everyone needs to try at least once.