With Miami’s enviable weather, spring is the time to come be in South Florida and a slew of restaurant heavy hitters are coming our way this season including eateries from Brad Kilgore, Joël Robuchon, Michael Beltran and more. These are 13 restaurant and bars to get excited about this spring.
Chug’s
Key Players: Michael Beltran
Address: 3444 Main Highway, Coconut Grove
The first of two eateries Beltran is bringing to Coconut Grove this spring, Chug’s will be an all-day diner with a Cuban twist. Expect items like breakfast sandwiches, fritas, a variety of pastelitos and grab-and-go snacks.
When it’s opening: April
The Egg Spot
Key Players: Igor and Fred Niznik
Address: 228 Southeast 1st Street, Downtown Miami
A spin off The Butcher Shop, this new eatery will serve the restaurant’s most popular brunch dishes, as well as an assortment of new breakfast options, a coffee bar and and plenty of grab-and-go options.
When it’s opening: Spring
Ember
Key Players: Brad Kilgore
Address: 151 NE 41st St Unit 117, Miami, FL 33137
Brad Kilgore’s second food and beverage outpost, housed right under his recently opened Kaido,Ember will focus on classic and modern bistro fare, wood-fired dishes, steakhouse-style meats and sides. The restaurant will also boast a wine selection of more than 100 bottles and a full-service bar focusing on interpretations of classic bourbon and martinis as well as vintage liquors.
When it’s opening: April
Navé
Key Players: Michael Beltran and Justin Flit
Adding to his growing culinary takeover of Coconut Grove, for Beltran’s second restaurant coming to the neighborhood this spring he is teaming up with Justin Flit of Proof. Housed next door to Ariete and the recently re-opened Proof it’ll be heavy bent toward pastas, pizzas and seafood (even though we’re told the menu is still in development) alongside a cocktail program created by beverage director Felipe Ojeda.
When it’s opening: June
Laid Fresh
Key Players: Steven Haigh and chef Michael Lewis, the duo behind KYU
Address: 250 NW 24th Street, Wynwood
Taking over the space previously occupied by Dizengoff and Federal Donuts, this egg-focused eatery will offer brunch-like selection of dishes made with plenty of eggs, bacon, along with a selection of salads, fried chicken sandwiches, gluten-free options and sweets. Drink choices will feature cans of wine, bubbles and local beer along with mugs of mimosas.
When it’s opening: End of March
La Estación American Brasserie
Key Players: Juvia Group
Address: 600 NW 1st Ave, Miami
The team behind Juvia and Sunny Poke will debut a more American-inspired eatery this spring inside MiamiCentral. The menu will feature dishes like barbecue ribs, burgers, soups, salads, steak frites, along with a selection of Japanese items, inside the 240-seat, 10,000-square-foot restaurant and bar.
When it’s opening: Spring
L’Atelier and Le Jardin
Key Players: Joël Robuchon’s restaurant group, chef Leo Pablo
Address: 151 NE 41st Street, Miami, FL 33137
Could it be? Four years after announcing that Joël Robuchon’s world-renowned eatery L’ Atelier de Joël Robuchon would be making its Magic City debut — it looks like the doors might finally be close to opening. The chef who has more Michelin-starred restaurants than anyone else in the world, and passed away last summer, built a large restaurant empire that continues to grow in the wake of his death. Expect classic French eats — at a rather high price points — from L’Atelier, while more contemporary French cuisine at Le Jardin.
When it’s opening: June
Offsite
Key Players: Steve Santana and Adam Darnell
Address: 8250 NE 2nd Avenue, Mimo
Steve Santana of Taquiza has teamed with Boxelder Craft Beer Market’s Adam Darnell for their a restaurant and nano brewery. The menu is loosely based around Santana’s Super/Good Chicken Sandwich, and the beers, brewed in-house, will focus on crispy light lagers, pilsners, and the occasional hazy IPA.
Osaka
Key Players: Diego De La Puente and Diego Herrera
Address: 1300 Brickell Bay Drive, Brickell
Nikkei restaurant Osaka — which boasts nine locations in South America — marks its North American debut with its Miami outpost, bringing to the city a menu that merges Japanese techniques with Peruvian flavors and ingredients.
Projected Opening: March
Pubblica Italiana and Dalia
Key Players: INK Entertainment, chef Patrick Ochs
Address: 640 Ocean Drive, South Beach
After a $110 million makeover, the former Park Central Hotel on Ocean Drive is transforming into the Celino South Beach Hotel — and with that transformation comes two new eateries: Pubblica Italiana and Dalia. Led by the team behind Eater 38 member Byblos, Pubblica Italiana will feature Italian cuisine while Dalia will have more a of Mediterranean slant.
Projected Opening: May
Time Out Market Miami
Key Players: Didier Souillat, Time Out
Address: 1601 Drexel Avenue, South Beach
The incredibly popular Time Out Market is heading to South Florida with a food hall consisting of 17 different eateries for its first U.S. outpost. The market has tapped some of the area’s biggest culinary players like Norman Van Aken, Giorgio Rapicavoli, Jeremy Ford, Michael Beltran and Alberto Cabrera to open up inside its 17,500-square-foot space.
Projected Opening: April
Olee Fowler, Eater Miami.
