Sapore di Mare Italian Seafood - Coconut Grove

A small coastal Italian seafood room on Main Highway in Coconut Grove, known for clam linguine and salt-crusted whole branzino.

Checked October 2026

Best for a seafood dinner for two in the Grove where the pasta and the whole fish are the point. The trade-off: a $$$ check with 20% gratuity already added, a tight room and a dress code.

What to order

The showpiece is the Branzino al Sale, a whole fish baked in a sea salt crust for $90. The regular oven-roasted branzino with vegetables is $49 if you want the fish without the theater. On the pasta side, the linguine alle vongole is $26, and you can add sea urchin for $12 or bottarga for $6. The homemade tagliolini with mussels, clams, squid and shrimp runs $29. The seafood risotto with sea urchin and lemon zest is the big spend at $46. Start with the frittura di mare, fried calamari, shrimp and sand smelt, at $34. It's easy to share.

A small room with rules

The couple behind it, an interior designer and a former freestyle bartender, previously ran places in Miami Beach and on Biscayne Boulevard before choosing the Grove. They describe the restaurant as small, with few tables and coastal decor, and it recently moved to a new spot on Main Highway within walking distance of the old one. The size shapes the house rules. There's no beachwear, no flip-flops and no sleeveless shirts. Strollers aren't allowed inside, kids are expected to stay seated, and only trained service animals are allowed indoors. Google gives it 4.5 from about 1,500 reviews, with a wine list of 100-plus bottles.

Reading the check

Read the bottom of the menu before you tip. A 20% gratuity is already included for every table, so don't add a second one by accident. Corkage is $40 if you bring a bottle. Cash and debit payments get an automatic discount. As with any Miami-Dade spot that serves alcohol, there's also a 1% county tax on food and drinks. Lunch runs noon to 4 pm, until 4:30 on Tuesdays. Dinner is 5 to 10:30 pm every day of the week. There's a gap between services, so plan around it.

Reservations

Online booking covers parties of up to 8. For bigger groups, call the restaurant directly.

Dress code

No flip-flops or sleeveless shirts, so change out of beach clothes first.

Good to know

Strollers aren't allowed inside the dining room, so plan for that if you're bringing a baby.

Questions people ask