Elena Vasquez

Elena Vasquez

Seafood & Coastal

Miami, FL

3 Reviews
3 Restaurants

About Elena Vasquez

Elena Vasquez grew up on her family's fishing boat in the Florida Keys, and she can tell you the exact day a piece of fish stopped being fresh. After earning her degree in marine biology, she realized she'd rather eat the ocean than study it.

Elena's reviews focus on seafood, coastal cuisine, and the waterfront dining experience. She covers everything from dock-to-table oyster bars to upscale ceviche spots, always with an emphasis on sustainability and freshness. She won't hesitate to call out a restaurant serving frozen fish as "fresh catch."

She splits her time between Miami and occasional trips to the Pacific Northwest for salmon season. Her writing is vivid, salty, and as refreshing as a cold beer on a pier.

Reviews by Elena Vasquez

South Beach Seafood at Its Absolute Best

★★★★★ 4.5

Coral & Brine

Seafood Miami $$$ Jan 12, 2026

Coral & Brine does what so many Ocean Drive restaurants fail to do — it serves genuinely excellent food in a beautiful setting without coasting on the view. The raw bar is the place to start: oysters from six different coasts, each with its own mignonette, and littleneck clams that taste like the At...

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Calle Ocho's Best-Kept Secret

★★★★☆ 4.4

Mariscos Playa

Latin Seafood Miami $$ Jan 2, 2026

Mariscos Playa is the kind of place that doesn't show up on tourist guides, and the regulars like it that way. The aguachile is incendiary — shrimp cured in lime and habanero, served with cucumber and red onion on a tostada. It wakes up every taste bud you have. The fried whole red snapper is magni...

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The Freshest Fish You'll Ever Eat

★★★★★ 4.7

Captain Pete's

Seafood Miami $ Dec 28, 2025

There is no pretension at Captain Pete's. There are no tablecloths, no cocktail menu, no Instagram moments. There is, however, the freshest fish you will eat in your life, because Captain Pete was pulling it out of the water six hours before you ate it. The fish tacos — grilled mahi on a corn torti...

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