Sant Ambroeus photo
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Milanese café institution Sant Ambroeus has officially signed a lease for its second Miami location – even as the first location in the Magic City hasn’t opened yet.
The brand will occupy 5,000 square feet on the ground floor of MIRAI Design District, a new mixed-use project at 4218 NE Second Ave. designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, targeting a 2028 opening with a full-service restaurant, coffee bar, and outdoor dining. Fabrizio Casiraghi, the Milan-born AD100 interior designer who has worked on several of the brand’s locations globally, is designing the space.
Sant Ambroeus announced earlier this year that it would debut its first location in Miami at a 7,000-square-foot spot at the Fifth Miami Beach, 950 Fifth St. It will be located in the South of Fifth neighborhood with an expected opening in 2027. The MIRAI announcement means the brand has committed to two Miami locations before either has served a customer.
Sant Ambroeus photo
An international name betting big on Miami
Founded in 1936 by two pastry chefs just steps from Teatro La Scala, the café started as a patisserie for artists and intellectuals. It soon became the place where Milanese families go on Sunday mornings to drink cappuccino with their grandparents. When it crossed the Atlantic in 1982, landing first on Madison Avenue, it added dinner.
Managing partner Gaetano Guarducci says that grandchildren come in with stories about their grandparents visiting the Madison Avenue location in the 1980s. It now has five Manhattan locations, plus Palm Beach, Aspen, South Hampton, and Paris. Miami joins Los Angeles and Dallas as the brand’s next markets.
“MIRAI immediately felt aligned with that philosophy,” says Gaetano Guarducci, managing partner of SA Hospitality Group. “The architecture, the emphasis on thoughtful design, and the evolving energy of this part of the Design District made it feel like a natural fit.”
Sant Ambroeus photo
Into a Crowded Field
The Miami Design District already has many Italian options. Some of them are Contessa, Mother Wolf, Torno Subito, Le Specialità, MC Kitchen, and Sofia, all within a few blocks.
Sant Ambroeus is angling for something different with the all-day café crowd. This spot will be built around coffee and pastries as much as it is around dinner reservations. The Miami Design District location is slated to debut in 2028.
Sant Ambroeus MIRAI Design District. 4218 NE Second Ave., Miami; santambroeus.com. Opening 2028.
