Omawei photo
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Miami Beach’s storied Bath Club just got a new reason to slip past the valet and through its grand loggia. Inside the landmark, acclaimed sushi chef Wei Chen has launched Omawei, a ten-seat omakase counter that trades secrecy for spectacle, transforming the private club into one of the city’s most sought-after dining rooms.
Omawei’s name fuses “omakase” and Chen’s own. The restaurant is built around a seasonal, 16-course progression served Edomae-style, with seafood prepared and plated directly in front of guests. Two seatings run Wednesday through Sunday at seven and 9:30 p.m., each limited to just ten seats, at a cost of $295 per person. With this opening, Miami has become a hotspot for incredible omakase restaurants.
What to Expect at the Tasting
The tasting lasts more than two hours and unfolds in stages, progressing from small Japanese-inspired courses to raw omakase and finally to dessert. A piece of kinuta maki serves as a palate reset before the raw sequence begins. Chen draws from his time in Italy and Japan, serving dishes like udon, influenced by Roman pasta, and carefully prepared yellowtail sashimi, as well as occasional wagyu katsu or a milk bread sandwich. Picky eaters be warned, like most omakases, Omawei cannot accommodate diners who are vegetarian, vegan, or those who avoid seafood, raw fish, or soy.
About a dozen rare pours of sake are available by the glass, served in proper stemware, with plans to expand. Full pairings are also offered, along with select wines and beers.
Omawei photo
From New York to Beverly Hills to Miami
Chen’s path to Miami runs through some of New York’s most acclaimed sushi counters. He trained at Neta, 15 East, and Shuko before spending eight years at Sushi Nakazawa, under Daisuke Nakazawa, best known as Jiro Ono’s protégé in the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi. He later helmed Nakazawa Aspen as executive chef and built a reputation for precision and sourcing rare ingredients, from fresh wasabi root to musk melon flown in from Japan.
Beyond New York, Chen has taken Omawei on the road with stints at the Peninsula Beverly Hills and Montage Big Sky in Montana. Now, he brings the concept to Miami with his first long-term residency inside the Bath Club, a private club founded in 1926 that has occasionally hosted public pop-ups but rarely on this scale.
Omawei at the Bath Club. 5937 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; omawei.com.
