Forget sweater weather. Palace Miami Beach’s new Fall Harvest Menu is bringing pumpkin season to South Beach, and one dish was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

September 4, 2026

Miami has never needed changing leaves, chilly temperatures, or a reason to order another cocktail.

So when Palace invited us in for an early taste of its new Fall Harvest Menu, launching September 21st, I was curious. Pumpkin on Ocean Drive? Sure. Pumpkin in cocktails, arepas, gnocchi, tres leches, and flan?

Now you have my attention.

The idea is actually perfect for Miami. Palace wanted to capture that nostalgic feeling of fall for a city where September still feels very much like summer. Rather than throwing pumpkin spice into everything and calling it seasonal, the kitchen challenged itself to use actual pumpkin across cocktails, savory dishes, and desserts in ways that made sense for the Palace.

And after tasting the menu, I can tell you this: do not dismiss this as a pumpkin-spice gimmick.

Because I am still thinking about that gnocchi.

Let’s Talk About This Gnocchi

I need to start here because pretending otherwise would be dishonest.

The Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi was not simply my favorite dish on the menu.

It was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my entire life.

Yes, I realize how dramatic that sounds.

I stand by it.

Roasted pumpkin, Parmesan, crispy sage, and pancetta come together with brown butter in what can only be described as a ridiculously good bowl of fall comfort food.

It is rich. It is savory. It has that warm nuttiness from the brown butter, saltiness from the Parmesan and pancetta, and just enough pumpkin to make the whole thing unmistakably seasonal without turning dinner into dessert.

And the crispy sage? Do not underestimate the crispy sage.

This was one of those dishes where I took a bite and immediately had to make sure everyone else at the table understood what was happening.

If you order one thing from this menu, order the gnocchi.

Actually, Palace, I have a request: please don’t take this one away when fall ends.

Yes, We Had to Try the Pumpkin Espresso Martini

If there was ever a cocktail designed for Instagram in September, this is probably it.

The Pumpkin Espresso Martini combines fresh espresso, Licor 43, and house-made roasted pumpkin syrup.

Palace predicted this would be one of the stars of the new menu before it even launched, and I understand why.

The important distinction here is that this isn’t simply an espresso martini buried beneath pumpkin spice. The roasted pumpkin syrup makes it seasonal while the espresso and Licor 43 keep it firmly in cocktail territory.

It feels like fall.

It also feels like Miami.

Which is basically the entire point.

Then Palace Put Pumpkin in a Margarita

Because of course they did.

The Harvest Pumpkin Margarita takes reposado and roasted pumpkin, adds Ancho Reyes and finishes everything with a Tajín-cinnamon salt rim.

And I love that Palace didn’t make its two pumpkin cocktails variations of the same drink.

The espresso martini leans into cozy fall flavors. The margarita goes straight back to Miami with tequila, chile and Tajín.

This is pumpkin season with absolutely no intention of putting on a cable-knit sweater.

Burrata, Hot Honey and Pumpkin Walk Into an Arepa…

This might be one of the more unexpected combinations on the menu.

The Pumpkin & Burrata Arepa brings together hot honey, toasted pepitas and crispy sage with pumpkin and burrata.

And this is where I started appreciating what Palace was trying to do with the menu.

Pumpkin isn’t being treated like a flavor that automatically needs cinnamon, sugar and whipped cream. It’s an ingredient.

That was intentional. Palace’s team told us they specifically didn’t want pumpkin to feel forced. They started with dishes and flavors that already made sense for the restaurant and incorporated pumpkin where it could complement them rather than take them over.

That philosophy makes a lot more sense once you’re actually sitting there eating your way through the menu.

And then you remember you’re on Ocean Drive.

In September.

Eating pumpkin and burrata.

Miami is weird. I love it here.

Save Room. Seriously.

Just when you’ve eaten enough pumpkin to reasonably believe you’ve reached your limit, Palace brings out dessert.

And apparently, no, you have not reached your limit.

The Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake layers those fall flavors with mascarpone, dulce de leche and candied pecans.

Then there’s the Pumpkin Coconut Flan, finished with coconut caramel, toasted coconut and candied pepitas.

I particularly like the decision to bring coconut into the flan because this menu works best when it stops trying to imitate fall somewhere else and starts asking what fall should taste like here.

Pumpkin and coconut?

On South Beach?

That makes sense.

This Is What Fall Looks Like in Miami

There is something inherently funny about celebrating fall in South Florida.

Our leaves aren’t changing.

Nobody needs a fireplace.

And if you wear the cute fall outfit you saved on Pinterest in September, you’re probably going to regret it before you make it from the parking garage to the restaurant.

But we still want the season.

That’s exactly what Palace tapped into.

“Miami is full of people who grew up somewhere else,” the Palace team explained, noting that there’s a nostalgia surrounding fall even when South Florida’s weather refuses to participate. The Fall Harvest Menu is their way of bringing some of that feeling to Ocean Drive.

And honestly?

I’ll take brown butter pumpkin gnocchi over sweater weather.

Come for Palace. Stay for the Food.

Palace obviously doesn’t need an introduction when it comes to entertainment. The restaurant has built its identity around the larger-than-life drag experience that has become synonymous with the venue.

But there’s another message behind this menu that Palace clearly wants people to hear:

Pay attention to the food.

The team acknowledges that many guests initially know Palace for its drag and entertainment, but they want the cocktails and dishes to become just as memorable as the show.

After this tasting, I get it.

Because I expected a fun seasonal menu.

I did not expect to leave contemplating how quickly I could reasonably return for another bowl of pumpkin gnocchi.

And yet, here we are.

What You Absolutely Need to Order

If you’re heading to Palace for the Fall Harvest Menu, the Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi is non-negotiable. I don’t give “one of the best things I’ve ever eaten” status lightly.

The Pumpkin Espresso Martini is the obvious cocktail order if you want the full fall experience, while the rest of the menu proves pumpkin deserves considerably more culinary respect than we’ve given it after years of turning it into coffee syrup.

The Fall Harvest Menu launches September 21 at Palace Miami Beach, bringing pumpkin cocktails, savory dishes, and desserts to Ocean Drive.

No sweaters required.

Just please save me some gnocchi.