Sereia photo
Audio By Carbonatix
The southern stretch of Main Highway in Coconut Grove is getting a new restaurant. Manoli, a Greek restaurant led by chef Emmanouil “Manoli” Aslanoglou, is set to open early summer at 3540 Main Hwy. For those who recognize the address, it most recently housed modern Portuguese restaurant Sereia. It unexpectedly closed in May 2025 after 14 months.
Sereia closed despite being added to the Florida Michelin Guide and earning local recognition. It never quite found its footing at the address. Head chef Miguel Massens told New Times at the time that the “refined version” of Portuguese cuisine was a difficult sell. He also noted that being at the “tail end of the Grove” made it easy for foot traffic to miss.
Emmanouil “Manoli” Aslanoglou photo via Facebook
A Michelin-Trained Chef with Greek Roots
Aslanoglou has cooked at Michelin-starred kitchens including Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in England and Arzak in Spain. He also helmed the historic Vassilenas restaurant in Athens, appeared on MasterChef Greece, and most recently worked at Nammos in Southampton. The restaurant bears his name, and the menu reflects it. Expect shared plates rooted in family recipes, with a few nods to American favorites, all prepared with Greek influences.
“Manoli is deeply personal to me,” Aslanoglou says. “It reflects the way I grew up eating in Greece, food made with care and meant to be shared. I wanted to bring that feeling to Miami, where every table feels like home, and every meal feels like a celebration.”
What’s on the Menu
The 140-seat restaurant is split across indoor, outdoor, and bar areas, with white tones, light woods, and soft blues, and sculpted wall niches. Small plates include dolmades, saganaki, and crispy feta wrapped in phyllo with thyme honey. There will also be keftedes, Mediterranean mussels, and gyro tacos made with Black Angus ribeye. A raw bar will offer bigeye tuna tartare, beef tartare, and seasonal oysters. Additionally, a classic avgolemono soup will be made with roasted chicken, egg, and lemon.
Housemade pastas like pastitsio, makarounes, and Athenian lobster sit alongside grill dishes like Greek-style lamb chops, prime beef, and whole branzino. The meal ends with a dessert trolley rolled to the table. Here, guests can choose from profiteroles, baklava, chocolate cake, crispy cream custard, yogurt with preserves, and Greek doughnuts.
The cocktail program, called “Sober Souls Diaries,” is from beverage manager Fotis Mexi. It draws from the Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides, with each drink framed as part of a larger narrative arc. The “Hybris” is made with vodka, citrus, cardamom, nutmeg, kumquat, and saffron-lavender foam. Plus, the aperitif-style “Mira” pairs Mastiha, St. Germain, basil-peach, and Aegean bubbles. A wine list rounds things out with a focus on Greek producers.
Manoli joins a block that already has the Taurus and the Michelin-starred Ariete as neighbors.
Manoli. 3540 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove; instagram.com/manoligreek. Opening early summer 2026.
