Maty's

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of Peruvian restaurants in Miami. We love many of them deeply. But none are doing what Maty’s is doing. And a meal here will absolutely change the way you think about Peruvian food. 

Maty’s is run by the same folks who operate the phenomenal Itamae, a Nikkei temple of raw fish. You can still find tiraditos and ceviches on Maty’s menu, which you’ll slurp from the bowl like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons. But entrees like the whole roasted dorade and chicken milanesa define this restaurant. At first glance, they look like plain two-ingredient dishes. Their plating is deceptively simple—but they’re actually harder to pull off than a waterproof bandaid.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

In the same spirit of its food, Maty’s dining room looks uncomplicated at first glance. It doesn't hide behind expensive decor, ostentatious plating, or celebrity partnerships featuring Pharell’s hat collection. It’s large, bright, and booming with music you’d hear on Power 96. But look closely, and you’ll find the restaurant’s inspiration: black and white photos of its namesake, Maty, the chef’s grandmother.

At its core, this is a family restaurant—a bit of a cliché, we know—but Maty’s takes a grandmother’s cooking and tunes it to perfection. The food here is both familiar and exhilarating. It’s like watching your favorite band perform live and falling in love with their songs all over again. These Peruvian dishes you thought you knew so well become entirely new experiences.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

The attention to detail goes beyond the food. Cocktails are balanced and punchy. Servers are attentive, unobtrusive, and measure their success based on how dirty your crisp, white table is. If it looks like the fallout from a toddler’s finger painting, your mess is their accomplishment. And this will be inevitable if you order the oxtail saltado—Maty’s version of lomo saltado that’ll tempt you to hide in the bathroom until everyone leaves so you can steal the recipe. But to be clear, you could never pull this off, so just order it. 

The oxtail saltado is not cheap, but the generous portion and rich flavors justify the $70-plus price. Everything on the menu does. Money spent here is worth the experience. The chef often steps away from the kitchen to speak with guests. You feel cared for at Maty’s—a tragically rare feeling in a city full of fake restaurants looking to scam people faster than a gas pump skimmer. But something very special is happening in (of all places) Midtown. Go now. Return often. Because Maty’s is relentless, and the food is somehow better every time.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Scallop Cebiche

The marinade in this ceviche is spicy and will make you drool like a shot of novocaine. One of these is technically enough for a party of two to share. But you’ll want one all for yourself.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Choclo

The creamy huancaína sauce has some heat. Luckily the big, juicy kernels of Andean corn burst in your mouth like water balloons to extinguish it. And the whole thing tastes like a smoky macaroni and cheese.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Cebiche Mixto

When you’re done devouring all the octopus, crunchy calamari, geoduck, and lobster, use a tortita (which you should also order) to sop up the juice at the bottom of this bowl. Not a single morsel should be left behind.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Dorade

We want to place a gallery label next to this plate. It’s a menacing looking fish, butterflied to look like a two-faced mythical creature that bestows some kind of cosmic knowledge upon you. And it sort of does—because now you know what the best fish in the world tastes like.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Chicken Milanesa

We’re more obsessed with the spinach pesto underneath the crispy chicken than a Roomba with a fringed rug. So drag that juicy chicken along the pesto until you see no more green on the plate.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc

Oxtail Saltado

This is the dish—the one that’ll make the table look like a camp craft station, complete with a trail of sauce leading straight to your plate. That rich sauce coats every millimeter of tender oxtail, crispy potato chunks, and crunchy onions. And probably your face too.