José Andrés, a Filipino Breakout and a SoHo Pasta Import: Miami's Late-October Restaurant Rush

MIAMI — Season hasn’t officially started, but Miami’s restaurant operators aren’t waiting. In the span of about 10 days, a celebrity chef returned to Miami Beach, a pop-up duo opened the kind of Filipino restaurant the city has been missing, a New York pasta favorite crossed the country, and two homegrown hospitality groups added new concepts.

For anyone who runs a restaurant, invests in one or just needs a place to take a client, here’s what opened and why it matters.

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, Miami Beach

José Andrés’ group is back in Miami Beach. Bazaar Meat opened Oct. 22 inside the Andaz Miami Beach Resort & Spa at 4041 Collins Ave., according to Miami New Times.

The return is notable. The José Andrés Group operated The Bazaar at the SLS South Beach from 2012 until it closed in March 2023, the Miami Herald reported. The new restaurant leans into meat: dry-aged steaks cooked over open flame, Spanish jamón Ibérico and the group’s “caviar cones,” plus a Miami-only take on its airbread inspired by the Cuban sandwich, according to New Times. The Herald lists hours of 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with reservations through OpenTable.

For the hotel, a marquee chef restaurant is a draw for locals as much as guests, the kind of anchor resorts use to compete for weekday dinner traffic.

Anako, Little River

The opening that may matter most to Miami’s food culture is also one of the smallest. Anako, a Filipino restaurant at 8222 NE Second Ave., opened Oct. 22, New Times reported. It comes from chefs Leicel Ros and Nancy Dominguez, the duo behind the former Sili pop-up at 1-800-Lucky.

The restaurant has just over 40 seats, an open kitchen and a separate walk-in cocktail bar. The menu puts a modern spin on Filipino family recipes, with dishes like pork-and-shrimp lumpia, slow-braised oxtail kare-kare and Wagyu bistek tartare, according to New Times.

It’s also a familiar path for local entrepreneurs: prove demand with a pop-up in a food hall, then open a brick-and-mortar room of your own.

A Pasta Bar, Sunset Harbour

New York’s A Pasta Bar opened its Miami Beach location at 1784 West Ave. on Oct. 21, according to New Times. The SoHo restaurant brought its marble pasta bar and a 17-seat chef’s counter, along with a Miami-exclusive saffron pasta finished tableside with bone marrow and a five-course pasta tasting menu. It also offers gluten-free, vegan and protein-enriched pastas, and a daily aperitivo from 5 to 7 p.m.

Sunset Harbour keeps attracting New York concepts, and an early-evening aperitivo window is a smart play in a neighborhood full of residents and gym-goers who eat early.

Teo Teo, MiMo

Not every opening is a splurge. Teo Teo, from the team behind Caracas Bakery, opened Oct. 18 right next door to the bakery at 7285 Biscayne Blvd., New Times reported. The Venezuelan spot keeps it simple: half or whole rotisserie chickens with potatoes, carrots and dipping sauces, plus a chicken Caesar sandwich on baguette.

It’s a textbook example of a small operator growing by adding a second, simpler concept next to a proven one, sharing a neighborhood following without duplicating the original.

D’s Rooftop, Coral Gables

On Oct. 29, Gioia Hospitality opened D’s Rooftop on the penthouse level of Daniel’s Miami at 1518 San Ignacio Ave. in Coral Gables, according to the Miami Herald. The upscale sports bar takes over the former La Terrazza space, once a private club and event venue, atop a steakhouse the Herald notes was named one of the best in the world by The World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants. The rooftop is open 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Turning underused event space into a recurring, ticket-free revenue stream is a move more restaurant owners with private rooms may want to study.

The Bigger Picture

Put together, the openings show the range of money flowing into Miami dining right now: a global chef brand paired with a luxury hotel, an out-of-town import betting on a wealthy neighborhood, two local groups extending brands they already built, and a pop-up team taking the leap to its own lease.

There’s more on the way. The Miami Guide lists upcoming arrivals including Kush Wynwood, Michelin-starred chef Michael Beltran’s Bar Nacional on Calle Ocho and Uchibā at Mary Brickell Village, all expected this fall or winter.

For business owners booking dinners this season, the short version is that there are plenty of new rooms to try, at nearly every price point.