Restaurant in Miami, United States
High-energy steakhouse; book ahead on weekends.
A Pearl Recommended Restaurant for 2025, Papi Steak is a high-energy Miami Beach steakhouse from Groot Hospitality with a 275-bottle wine list and $$$-tier pricing. It earns its cost for celebration dinners and group occasions, but the theatrical atmosphere means it is not the room for quiet conversation. Book a week ahead for weekends; availability is generally easy to secure.
With a cuisine pricing tier of $$$, a 275-bottle wine list, and a 4.1 Google rating across more than 2,100 reviews, Papi Steak is a high-energy Miami Beach steakhouse that earns its price point for the right occasion — but only if you know what you are walking into. This is a Groot Hospitality production (the group behind some of Miami's most theatrical dining rooms), which means the service and atmosphere are calibrated for celebration and spectacle. If you want a quiet dinner focused purely on the steak, look elsewhere. If you want a special-occasion night out in Miami Beach where the room is part of the experience, this is a strong booking.
Papi Steak sits at 736 1st St in Miami Beach, operated by Groot Hospitality — the group co-founded by David Grutman, whose properties are known for high-production environments with serious food credentials underneath the energy. The restaurant carries the name and co-ownership of David "Papi" Einhorn, with Chef Justin Woodward (listed as Chef in the venue record alongside David Einhorn) and General Manager Davide Imperioso running the floor. Wine Director Esteban Arce oversees a list of 275 selections across 1,560 bottles of inventory, with particular depth in France and California , a genuinely serious program for a room that could easily get away with something much thinner.
The atmosphere at Papi Steak runs loud and social, particularly as the evening progresses. This is a Miami Beach room: the energy is part of what you are paying for, and the crowd dresses accordingly. If you arrive early in the dinner service you will find a more workable noise level; later in the evening the room fills and the volume climbs. For a business meal requiring quiet conversation, the room is not the right fit. For a birthday, an anniversary, or a group celebration where energy matters as much as the food, it works well.
Pearl has designated Papi Steak a Recommended Restaurant for 2025 , a signal that the overall experience holds up to scrutiny at this price tier. The service philosophy here is aligned with the theatrical register of the room: attentive, polished enough for the $$$+ spend, but built around hospitality that matches the occasion rather than formal fine-dining protocol. That is not a flaw; it is a deliberate positioning choice, and it works if your expectations are set correctly. Compare this to a room like L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami, where the service architecture is entirely different, and you understand the distinction immediately.
The wine program deserves specific attention. A $50 corkage fee is on the higher end for Miami, which is worth knowing before you plan to bring a bottle. The list itself , $$$-priced, France and California-weighted, 275 selections , is deeper than most steakhouses at this level. For wine-focused diners, this is a meaningful differentiator. For comparison, the wine depth here is more serious than most of the city's high-energy dining rooms. If you are exploring Miami's broader dining and drinking scene, see our full Miami bars guide, our full Miami wineries guide, and our full Miami restaurants guide.
Dinner is the only service offered. Budget at the $$$ cuisine tier , meaning a typical two-course dinner per person runs $66 or more before beverages and tip. Wine adds meaningfully to that total given the list pricing. This is not a casual drop-in; plan the spend accordingly.
Reservations: Easy to book; advance planning recommended for weekends and large groups, but this is not a hard-to-secure table by Miami Beach standards. Booking difficulty: Low to moderate , book a few days to a week ahead for weeknight dinners, longer for Friday and Saturday. Budget: $$$+ per head for food; wine adds considerably given the $$$-tier list and $50 corkage. Meals served: Dinner only. Corkage: $50 per bottle. Dress: Miami Beach smart-casual to dressed-up; the room skews stylish, particularly later in the evening. Wine list: 275 selections, 1,560 bottles of inventory, France and California strengths. Address: 736 1st St, Miami Beach, FL 33139.
Explore more: Miami restaurants | Miami hotels | Miami bars | Miami experiences
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Papi Steak | — | |
| Ariete | $$$$ | — |
| Boia De | $$$ | — |
| Cote Miami | $$$ | — |
| Stubborn Seed | $$$$ | — |
| Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann | $$$$ | — |
A quick look at how Papi Steak measures up.
Yes, Papi Steak works for groups, but book well ahead for anything larger than four — Miami Beach weekend demand fills this quickly. The $$$ cuisine pricing means group tabs add up fast, so factor that in before committing. For a more intimate, quieter group dinner, Cote Miami offers private room options that may suit a structured occasion better.
Bar seating is a realistic option if you haven't secured a reservation, though this is not a venue built around a quiet drinks-and-snacks bar format. Given the high-energy Groot Hospitality profile, expect the bar area to be as lively as the dining room. If bar dining is your preferred format for a steak meal, Cote Miami's bar counter is a more structured alternative.
Papi Steak is a Groot Hospitality venue on Miami Beach with $$$ pricing and a nightlife-adjacent energy, so dress on the sharper end — polished casual at minimum, going-out attire is common. You won't be turned away for a blazer, but you may feel overdressed relative to the room. Avoid anything too casual given the price point.
For a more intimate, chef-driven dinner at a similar price point, Ariete in Coconut Grove or Boia De in Little Haiti are Pearl-recommended alternatives with stronger culinary focus. Cote Miami is the direct steakhouse comparison — more formal, Korean barbecue format, and similarly priced. If the scene and energy of Papi Steak is what you're after, there isn't a close substitute in Miami Beach at this tier.
Yes, with caveats. The $$$ pricing, 275-bottle wine list, and Pearl-recommended status (2025) make it a credible special occasion choice if high energy suits your group. For a quieter, more intimate celebration, Stubborn Seed or Ariete will feel less like a night out and more like a considered dinner. Papi Steak is better suited to birthdays and group milestones than to anniversary dinners for two.
Book at least one week out for weeknight visits; two or more weeks for Fridays, Saturdays, or any holiday weekend. By Miami Beach standards this is not a difficult reservation, but Groot Hospitality venues fill on short notice once the weekend approaches. Mid-week bookings are generally easier to secure on shorter notice.
Solo dining here is possible but not the natural fit. The high-energy format is geared toward groups, and the $$$ cuisine pricing makes a solo visit expensive relative to the experience. If you're dining alone and want serious food, Boia De's counter or a seat at Cote Miami's bar will deliver more culinary return on a solo spend.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
