Slim's Steakhouse arrived in Bal Harbour with exactly the amount of drama you would expect from Stephen Starr. It is glossy, self-aware, and unapologetically built for people who enjoy a reservation that feels like part dinner, part event. In a city full of big personalities, that is not a flaw. It is the point.
The restaurant opened in March 2026 at Bal Harbour Shops, taking over the former ground-floor space once occupied by Aba. That alone would have made news. But Slim's is more than a real estate shuffle. It is Starr's attempt to plant a classic American steakhouse in one of South Florida's most luxe retail corridors, then dial up the fantasy with cinematic interiors, premium cuts, and a few knowingly over-the-top menu moves.
Why Slim's Matters in Miami Right Now
Miami gets new steakhouses all the time, but not all of them arrive with this level of built-in attention. Miami New Times covered the opening as one of the city's major spring restaurant stories, while Time Out Miami focused on the design, the old-Hollywood tone, and the kind of details that make people post about a restaurant before the entrees even land.
That attention makes sense. Stephen Starr already knows how to package restaurants so they feel larger than life, and Bal Harbour is one of the few Miami-area settings where that approach feels completely natural. People come here ready to spend money, linger, and turn dinner into part of the night's social theater.
Stephen Starr's Playbook, Adapted for Bal Harbour
If you have spent time in Starr restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, or Florida, Slim's will feel familiar in the best way. He likes big personality rooms. He likes polished nostalgia. He likes places that feel expensive without becoming stiff.
At Slim's, that playbook gets a Florida gloss. The room combines checkerboard marble floors, honey-toned leather banquettes, moody lighting, and murals by illustrator Christoph Niemann. Time Out Miami framed it as Hollywood glamour with tropical energy, which is about right. The space wants you to order a martini before you even sit down.
Chef Anthony Micari leads the kitchen, and the menu mostly respects steakhouse tradition while giving diners a few luxury flexes. That balance matters. If the menu leaned too gimmicky, the restaurant would feel like a set. If it went too conservative, it would not justify the buzz.
What to Order at Slim's
The core move is obvious: come here for beef. The restaurant leans into premium cuts, large-format steaks, and the kind of menu language that makes even practical diners start behaving aspirationally.
The headline item is the 36-ounce Owner's Choice Delmonico. It is the sort of steak ordered by tables that want to make a point. There is also Japanese wagyu, raw bar seafood, and classic steakhouse supporting players that keep the whole experience familiar enough for traditionalists.
The menu item most likely to travel across Instagram is the famous $100 cheesesteak, a Miami version of the decadent sandwich first popularized at Barclay Prime in Philadelphia. Here it lands with shaved wagyu beef, black truffle, foie gras, and fried onions on a sesame roll, which is exactly as ridiculous and appealing as it sounds.
Seafood matters too. Slim's is not pretending Miami diners only want red meat, so the menu includes twin lobster tails, Dover sole, and Chilean sea bass, plus oysters and caviar from the raw bar. That breadth helps when your table includes both a steak obsessive and someone who wants a lighter order but still wants the full steakhouse treatment.
The Dining Room and the Crowd
The best way to think about Slim's is as a power dinner room disguised as a glamorous throwback. It can work for business, but it is even better for dates, birthdays, client dinners, and those nights when someone in the group says, "Let's go somewhere fun," and nobody means casual.
Bal Harbour Shops gives it a very specific audience. Expect luxury shoppers, local regulars, people coming from the beach, and out-of-town diners who know the Starr name. The location also means Slim's benefits from built-in traffic without feeling touristy in the worst way.
Because the room is large, it can absorb energy well. That matters in Miami, where some stylish restaurants feel amazing at 9:30 p.m. and weirdly empty at 7. Slim's looks like it was designed to hold a mood from first seating through late cocktails.
How Hard Is It to Get In?
That is the key reservation question, and the honest answer is that Slim's is still in the high-curiosity phase. Newly opened, heavily covered, and attached to Stephen Starr's brand, it is exactly the kind of restaurant people book quickly for prime weekend slots.
At the moment, reservation infrastructure appears less publicly straightforward than a standard OpenTable-only setup, so checking official restaurant and Bal Harbour Shops channels is the smart move. If you want Friday or Saturday at peak hours, do not assume you can casually book last minute.
For Miami diners using reservation-monitoring tools, Slim's is a textbook target. New restaurants often have uneven availability patterns in their first few months, especially when tables are being snapped up by locals, visitors, and social diners all at once.
Price Expectations
This is a splurge restaurant. The steak program, wagyu options, raw bar additions, and location make that unavoidable.
Plan for a high-end check, especially if your meal includes cocktails, seafood starters, sides, and dessert. The standout prices that surfaced in early coverage include the $155 Delmonico and the $100 cheesesteak, which tell you a lot about the ceiling here.
That said, the restaurant is not trying to be inaccessible for the sake of it. It is trying to sell indulgence. If you show up wanting the full steakhouse night, it will happily provide one.
Who Slim's Is Best For
Special occasions: Birthdays, anniversaries, client dinners, and any dinner where the room matters as much as the food.
Steakhouse fans who want personality: If your favorite steakhouses tend to be old-school but you wish they looked a little better in photos, Slim's hits that sweet spot.
Bal Harbour and Surfside diners: The location is genuinely convenient if you spend time in this part of Miami.
Visitors who want a polished Miami dinner: It is easier to recommend than some trendier places because the concept is clear, the service style is familiar, and the experience feels complete.
What Critics and Local Media Are Saying
Miami New Times emphasized the premium cuts and luxury swagger. Time Out Miami highlighted the design and chef Anthony Micari's menu. Miami Herald, paywall also covered the opening, which is a decent signal that the restaurant crossed from industry chatter into broader citywide interest.
The larger point is not that critics have rendered a final verdict. It is that Slim's has already entered the conversation as one of the restaurants Miami people talk about when they ask where the new big-deal dinner is.
Reservation Strategy for Slim's Miami
If you are aiming for prime time, try to plan ahead instead of waiting for same-week availability. New steakhouses with strong press usually stay busy because they work for so many use cases.
Weeknights should be more forgiving than Fridays and Saturdays, and earlier seatings may be easier than peak 8 p.m. onward slots. If the restaurant eventually standardizes its booking on a major platform, availability may still move quickly because the brand recognition is already there.
For diners who hate refreshing reservation apps, this is exactly the kind of restaurant where automation can help. A place with buzz, limited prime inventory, and opening-month volatility is where monitoring tools earn their keep.
FAQ
Where is Slim's Steakhouse in Miami?
Slim's is at Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Avenue in Bal Harbour, in the space once occupied by Aba.
Who owns Slim's Steakhouse?
The restaurant comes from restaurateur Stephen Starr and STARR Restaurants.
Who is the chef at Slim's?
Chef Anthony Micari leads the kitchen.
How expensive is Slim's Miami?
It is firmly in special-occasion territory. Expect premium steakhouse pricing, especially if you order wagyu, seafood, cocktails, and sides.
What is the famous dish at Slim's?
The $100 wagyu cheesesteak is the most talked-about single menu item, though the large-format steaks are the main event.
Is Slim's good for a date night?
Yes. It is one of the stronger new Miami date-night options if you want glamor, energy, and a room that feels worth dressing up for.
How do I get a reservation at Slim's?
Check official restaurant channels early and prioritize weeknights or earlier seatings if you want better odds. Peak weekend times are likely to stay competitive while the opening buzz is fresh.
