The South Beach Seafood Festival returns October 21 through 24 for its 14th year, and the 2026 edition opens with something it has never done before: a single dinner that seats six of the chefs who built modern Miami dining at one table. The festival also unveils its biggest VIP Chef Showdown yet, with 18 chefs competing across nine head-to-head battles at Lummus Park, including two new categories, Battle Burger and Battle Fish Sandwich, alongside seven returning fights.
This year’s chef battles, hosted additionally by partners of Halpern’s Steak and Seafood, include:
Battle Seafood Pasta: Returning Champion Billy G’s Chef Billy G vs. Chef Cesar Espinosa, sponsored by Cucina Della Cucina
Battle Burger – NEW: Skinny Louie’s Chef Gonzalo Rubino vs. Hole in the Wall Chef Sam "Jerome" Diedrick, sponsored by Mishima
Battle Surf n' Turf: El Toro Loco’s Chef Aldo Espinosa vs. Smith & Wollensky Chef Jonathan Nunez, sponsored by Ruby Sea’s
Battle Shrimp: Returning Champion Golden Rule Seafood’s Chef Generric Kyles vs. Zaytinya Chef Daniel Marin, sponsored by Censea
Battle Taco: Returning Champion LIME Fresh Mexican Grill’s Chef Sharon Fernandez vs. Latin House Grill Chef Sergio Mazuelos
Battle Tuna: Bistro Collins at Loews Miami Beach’s Chef de Cuisine Jorge Saavedra vs. NOMA Beach at Redfish, Tracy Block, Sara Liss, Chef Cesar Zapata sponsored by Anova
Battle Salmon: Returning Champion American Social’s Chef Ryan Leonard vs. returning Champion JW Marriott Turnberry’s Chef Jorge Negron, sponsored by Multi-X
Battle Ceviche: Aguasal at Andaz Miami Beach’s Chef Jose M. Hermosa De La Puente vs. Buccan Chef Ken Basulto, sponsored by Mark Foods
Battle Fish Sandwich (Grouper) – NEW: Casa Gianna’s Chef Zakiah Brown vs. CJ's Crab Shack Chef Anner Castillo, sponsored by Seafarer’s
Made in Miami, the new Wednesday-night opener at Phuc Yea, pairs co-hosts Cesar Zapata and Pubbelly's Jose Mendin with GOYA's Fernando Desa, Michael Beltran of Ariete and Chugs, Eduardo Lara of Wolf of Tacos and Eileen Andrade of FINKA for a four-course collaboration honoring the heart and soul of Miami's culinary scene, each course a different pairing of chefs, with Herradura Tequila pairings throughout and the promise of entertainment after the last plate.
Thursday moves to Miami Beach for An Evening in Miami Beach, two one-night-only pairing dinners at restaurants that need no introduction to anyone who eats here. Rao's Miami Beach hosts a multi-course dinner built around tasting through 30 years of Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and Macchialina's Michael Pirolo pairs the restaurant's handmade pastas with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey cocktails and pours from its wine program.
Friday is the night the festival is known for. The Tequila Herradura VIP Chef Showdown takes over the GOYA Culinary Village at Lummus Park with 18 chefs across nine head-to-head battles, two of them new this year. Battle Burger pits Skinny Louie’s Chef Gonzalo Rubino against Hole in the Wall’s Chef Sam “Jerome” Diedrick, while Battle Fish Sandwich, featuring grouper, brings together Casa Gianna’s Chef Zakiah Brown and CJ’s Crab Shack Chef Anner Castillo. The returning categories carry their own storylines, with returning champions among this year’s competitors, including Billy G facing Cesar Espinosa in Battle Seafood Pasta and Golden Rule Seafood’s Generric Kyles taking on Zaytinya’s Daniel Marin in Battle Shrimp. Battle Ceviche features Aguasal at Andaz Miami Beach’s Chef Jose M. Hermosa De La Puente against Buccan’s Chef Ken Basulto.
Guests taste every dish in the Battle Pavilion, vote, then watch the chefs cook live on the Jack Daniel's LIVE Stage in front of a judging panel that includes Mendin, Desa, Donatella Arpaia of NOMA Beach at Redfish, and Fresh From Florida's Justin Timineri. The bartender showdowns are back the same night, with a Herradura mystery-ingredient final and a Pacifico cocktail round staffed by the competing restaurants' own bar teams.
Saturday's Seafood Slam is the main event, four blocks of Lummus Park turned into an all-inclusive beachfront tasting from more than 40 South Florida restaurants, timed to the opening of stone crab season. The lineup so far includes 305 Rum Cake, American Social, Area 31, Baia Beach Club at the Mondrian South Beach, Cafe Bernie, Cafe Avanti, Charleston Coffee Roasters, Chef Anthony’s Smoked Fish Dip, Chef Billy G, CHO Funky Asian Bistro, Doma, Epic Catering, Fin’s Kitchen Caribbean Grill, Italian Fork, Jarana, JP’s Delights, Laudy Bar Craft Kitchen, LCKY CHKN, Magie Wine Bar, Meat Market Boca, Orilla Bar & Grill, PG Tropicals Redland Guava, Pubbelly, Tartufo Prestige, The Citadel, The Social Club, The Thorn and Uppertea, with additional restaurants and vendors to be announced before the festival. Guests can also sip their way through standout beverage experiences featuring Herradura Tequila’s Pop Up Party with Nashville’s DJ Grant Fisher alongside The Sylvester and America’s Backyard, and Wodka Vodka’s Experience featuring delicious bites and pairing cocktails from Hutong and The Dead Flamingo. Best of the Fest voting, presented by Baptist Health South Florida, will determine the day’s favorite bite.
Around the food, the park fills in beyond unlimited food and beverage tastings, guests can explore the marketplace of Milam's Market’s local South Florida vendor showcase, Jack Daniel’s Ready to Drink Experience, Wild Fork Foods' live-fire grilling experiences featuring sampling from 20 seafood partners, the Whitehaven's Sauvignon Blanc sip n lounge experience, Gosling Rum’s new activation, and High Noon’s Lifeguard celebration with DJ Anthony the Great. Guests can also hydrate throughout the day with Callaway Blue Spring Water, learn about the all-new Another Hendrick’s Gin, and catch Fresh From Florida's inaugural “Shuck'n the Sunshine State” Oyster Shucking Competition, presented additionally by Baptist Health South Florida,, hosted in partnership with Ryan Norris and Nick Frame of Indian River Oyster Company, among other experiences. The Milam’s Markets Home Chef Competition returns for a second year, with South Florida home cooks competing live on the Milam’s Culinary Stage and an entry deadline of September 23.
"What has always made the South Beach Seafood Festival special is the incredible community of chefs, restaurants and hospitality professionals who come together each October," said Valerie Roy, Director of Marketing and Client Strategy at CI Management. The festival, previously named the best seafood festival in the country by the Travel Channel, draws more than 16,000 attendees and benefits CI Foundation's EAT SMART program, which provides healthy meals and nutrition education in Miami-Dade public schools. Tickets for all four days are on sale at sobeseafoodfest.com, along with a weekend package that includes two nights at Loews Miami Beach.