Photo by Saladino Design Studio
Audio By Carbonatix
A new Coral Gables spot that just opened a few months ago is one of the world’s most stunning restaurants.
Mottai, the Japanese restaurant that opened at the Plaza Coral Gables in February, was just named one of the 16 most beautiful restaurants in the world for 2026.
The recognition was given by the Prix Versailles, an annual international architecture and design award. The awards program highlights standout spaces globally across restaurants, hotels, airports, and museums.
The list includes restaurants in Monaco, Hong Kong, London, Dubai, and Cape Town. Mottai is the only Florida entry, and the recognition came less than four months after opening.
Photo by Saladino Design Studio
What is Prix Versailles?
This year’s restaurant list spans 16 venues across 11 countries. Mottai is one of only three U.S. entries, alongside Lucia in Los Angeles and Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn in Beverly Hills.
Prix Versailles said the design draws on traditional Japanese spatial philosophies that emphasize discipline and minimalism. The open sushi bar, set beneath a canopy at the center of the room, is what the organization called an “interactive ritual.” It lets diners watch the kitchen team work throughout the meal.
Photo by Saladino Design Studio
The space was designed by Miami’s Saladino Design Studios. It draws from “French Japonisme,” meaning it has European architectural bones with Japanese details.
Marble tables and deep blue velvet seating fill its 150-seat dining room. It’s all anchored by white crane wall art, with uplighting that shifts the room from lunch to late dinner.
Photo by Saladino Design Studio
A Brazilian group, a Miami chef
Mottai is the U.S. debut of Brazil’s Attivo Group, a hospitality company with 13 locations across Brazil. The group brought in chef Brian Nasajon, who opened Beaker & Gray in Wynwood and Mason in Midtown. Nasajon ran SushiSamba’s two Miami outposts earlier in his career, so a Japanese menu wasn’t unfamiliar.
Executive Chef Moritz Esser runs the kitchen. Meanwhile, Sushi Chef Hiroshi Shintaku, who came from Makoto and Hiyakawa, heads the counter. The menu runs from cold small plates like hamachi with white soy ponzu and jalapeño, hirame with spicy pomelo and lemongrass. It also includes larger plates like the Sugi Katsu (cobia, ponzu aioli) and a Kinoko Hot Pot prepared tableside with yuzu soy, egg yolk, chili crunch, and steamed rice. The sushi program features nigiri and sashimi across toro, kinmedai, hotate, uni, and ikura.
In December, Prix Versailles will name three of the 16 winners as World Title holders. Mottai is in the running.
Mottai. 2881 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables; mottaimiami.com.
