Coconut Grove has never exactly lacked steakhouses. But very few make you feel like you’ve stumbled into a Buenos Aires dinner party where football is religion, fire is a cooking technique and Diego Maradona somehow controls the mood from beyond the grave. That’s the energy inside 1986 Steak House.
1986 is an Argentine steakhouse rooted in the art of asado, named after Argentina’s legendary 1986 World Cup victory led by Maradona himself. And they lean all the way in. His face is on the wall and even immortalized as a cocktail vessel that somehow feels both absurd and completely correct.
Behind the project is Grupo Orfano, the hospitality group behind 18 restaurants throughout Argentina, Mexico, and the United States. But the heartbeat here is Chef Marcel Daguerre, who I first met at our SoBeWFF where guests practically hovered around his empanada station waiting for a taste. The restaurant itself revolves around fire. Chef Marcel commands two roaring parrillas through an open kitchen window like an orchestra conductor with smoke instead of sheet music. One grill is dedicated entirely to meats including beautifully displayed dry-aged cuts aging in-house. The second handles seafood, vegetables, and everything else lucky enough to touch flame.
Our first bite was the Sweetbreads served two ways with caviar and lemon foam. It immediately introduces you to the char that does all the talking. Then came the Octopus Carpaccio, sliced nearly translucent with bright citrus, peppery arugula, and perfect amount of acid. Of course, the Empanadas had to happen. Fried in beef tallow because Argentina isn’t interested in vegetarianism. They arrive blistered and crunchy with fillings like Prime Beef, Spinach & Cheese, and Pesto Ham & Cheese. We ordered all three and we’d run the exact order back immediately.
All meats here are seasoned with Argentine salt and paired with a chimichurri made using imported Argentine spices that genuinely can outshine the meats in a good way. We went with the massive 28oz T-Bone accompanied by Japanese Sweet Potato with miso butter. A Lobster Tail with mashed potatoes followed shortly after, but the side dish MVP was the Papa Al Plomo. Think loaded baked potato cooked directly in embers. And because life requires greenery, the Kale Salad with apple, avocado, shredded carrots, and pecans ended up being one of the smartest things we ordered.
The grilled Banana Split arrives with the peel still intact, warm from the fire and topped with dark chocolate alongside homemade dulce de leche ice cream. Hot, cold and smoky. The Cheesecake with berry compote and chocolate crust also deserves its flowers.
Then there’s the cocktail program, which could honestly stand on its own as a destination. The drinks were developed by the team behind Tres Monos, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, with Agostina Gerling leading the program locally using Argentine ingredients that feels genuinely fresh for Miami’s cocktail scene. The Chimi Highball has Johnnie Walker Black, pineapple, honey, ginger ale and chimichurri (yup). The Diego’s Julep arrives in a Maradona-shaped tiki mug with strawberry, mint, grapefruit, miso, and amaros for a refreshing and bright drink. Meanwhile the Tom & Cherry leans Negroni-adjacent with Glenfiddich 12, sweet vermouth, cherry, jasmine, and layered amaros. But the drink that completely stopped me in my tracks was the Matetini. Hendrick’s Gin, vermouth, fino sherry, huacatay, and yerba mate blended into something that felt both wildly creative and perfectly restrained. As someone who builds cocktails myself, this was one of those rare drinks that makes you pause mid-sip and clap aloud.
By the end of dinner, 1986 Steak House felt confident and rooted in tradition. And we barely scratched the menu. Next time, the bubbling Provoleta with Neapolitan sauce is a must. The Fernet Con Coco cocktail is calling my name. And I already know those charcoal-seared Dulce de Leche Crepes are getting ordered before anyone even asks. Safe to say 1986 scored with us.