Zuccaly Opens an 8,000-Square-Foot Italian Food Hall at The Plaza Coral Gables
Da Silva Hospitality, the group behind Zucca and Hereford Grill, has opened Zuccaly at The Plaza Coral Gables, an 8,000-square-foot Italian food hall with six food stations, a full-service restaurant,
CORAL GABLES — The Plaza Coral Gables already has Michelin-pedigree tasting rooms and a Brazilian steakhouse. Now it has a place to grab a cappuccino, a square of pizza or a plate of short-rib pasta without a reservation.
Zuccaly, an Italian food hall from Da Silva Hospitality, is now open at 111 Palermo Ave., Suite 112, the Miami Herald reported on Nov. 5. Da Silva Hospitality also runs Zucca, the fine-dining Italian restaurant in the Gables, and Hereford Grill on Le Jeune Road in Miami, which relaunched in 2025 as an Argentine steakhouse.
One Roof, Many Ways to Eat
CEO and owner Erasmo Da Silva told the Herald the goal was to create “a true Italian gastronomic ecosystem under one roof.”
The 8,000-square-foot space has six culinary stations, casual seating for quick bites and coffee at one end, and a full-service, sit-down restaurant at the other. A hostess helps first-timers figure out where to go and how to order.
The stations cover:
- Pizza and focaccia: LaBiga Pizza and Focaccia uses biga, a traditional Italian pre-ferment that rests for 48 hours before going into the dough, which then ferments for four more days for a light, airy crust.
- Pasta and risotto: Including dishes like mezzi paccheri with a beef short rib ragù.
- Grill: Steaks and fish.
- Salads and street food: Lighter plates and Italian snacks.
- Dolci: Desserts, gelato, tiramisu, cornetti and bomboloni, Italian doughnuts filled with Nutella or pistachio.
For takeout, a deli market offers rotisserie chicken, salads, vitello tonnato, wagyu carpaccio, fresh burrata, ready-to-serve lasagna and cannelloni, and jarred sauces and spreads.
There is also a deal built for the office crowd: from 4 to 7 p.m., the whole beverage menu is half price during aperitivo hour, including cocktails like the Negroni and the spritz.
The Chef Behind the Stations
The culinary program is led by Da Silva Hospitality corporate chef Manuel Garcia. According to the Herald, Garcia worked in Michelin-starred kitchens in France, including L’Espérance and La Côte Saint-Jacques, before landing at Casa Tua in Miami Beach. He took over the kitchen at Zucca in 2017.
Why the Gables, and Why Now
The Plaza Coral Gables has become one of the city’s busiest dining addresses. Its tenants include the Japanese restaurant Mottai, Mika from chef Michael White, Fogo de Chão, the Michelin Bib Gourmand Cuban spot Sanguich, and Cvi.che 105.
Da Silva is betting that a casual, all-day option fills a gap next to those more formal rooms. “The Plaza Coral Gables is the perfect setting for Zuccaly because it allows us to bring something truly different to the community,” he told the Herald. “We wanted to create a place where younger generations, families, and people of all ages can come together, enjoy great Italian food and share experiences.”
The location gives the concept several built-in audiences: guests at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel, workers in the Plaza’s offices, and families from the surrounding neighborhoods.
Zuccaly also lands as Italian food halls gain ground across Miami. Casa Tua, where Garcia once cooked, now runs Italian food halls in Wynwood and Brickell. And New York’s La Pecora Bianca just opened its first location outside New York elsewhere in the Gables, at The Shops at Merrick Park.
The Business Lesson
For restaurant operators, Zuccaly is an example of a fine-dining group stretching its brand into a format that can earn money all day. Breakfast pastries, lunch slices, happy-hour drinks, sit-down dinners and take-home meals all run through the same kitchen team and lease.
That mix spreads risk across more dayparts and price points than a single dinner-only restaurant can. It also lets customers who might not book a night at Zucca get to know the group’s cooking for the price of a coffee.
Still, Da Silva says the goal is to get people to stay. “We wanted to create more than a dining destination,” he said, describing Zuccaly as “a place where people can come together, connect, and enjoy the simple pleasure of sharing good food and good company.”
Zuccaly is at 111 Palermo Ave., Suite 112, Coral Gables. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available on OpenTable, and more information is at zuccaly.com.