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If you grew up in Miami, there are a few things you can count on. Afternoon rainstorms. Cafecito. And seeing an Estrella Insurance commercial every commercial break on Telemundo or Univision.
So imagine our collective confusion when the same Estrella family announced it had opened…a smashburger restaurant. Wait. That Estrella Insurance? Yes. That Estrella Insurance.
In what might be the most Miami business pivot ever, the family behind one of South Florida’s most recognizable insurance companies has officially entered the burger business. The family has opened Star Burger at 4901 SW. Eighth St. on Tamiami Trail. (Near Little Gables, if you will.)
Wait, this isn’t an insurance office?
The name actually makes sense once you think about it. “Estrella” means “star” in Spanish. But if you’re anything like us, your first thought probably wasn’t “of course.” It was, “Do my fries come with roadside assistance?”
The new fast-casual restaurant isn’t some celebrity licensing deal or random side hustle. The Estrella family says the restaurant has been years in the making, built around cattle raised on its own ranch in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. The restaurant serves 100 percent grass-fed, grass-finished beef that’s shipped directly from the family’s ranch to Miami, cutting out distributors along the way.
Screenshot via StarBurger.com
From a Texas ranch to Tamiami Trail
The menu leans hard into Texas-inspired comfort food, with onion-smashed burgers like the “Rancho,” chili-topped burgers such as the Lone Ranger, gluten-free fried pickles called “Dillies,” Texan chili fries, and house-made sauces with names like 305 Favorite and Caribbean Kick.
The inspiration traces back to Estrella Insurance founder Nicolas Estrella, who grew up on a tobacco farm in Cuba before immigrating to the United States. According to the family, owning a cattle ranch and raising quality beef had long been a personal dream. After years of serving the beef to family and friends, his sons decided it deserved its own restaurant.
“Our family has long been committed to caring for the communities we serve, especially in Miami. This is our home,” says Joey Estrella, President of Star Burger. “As food brings people together and nurtures, opening a restaurant felt natural, and we’re incredibly proud to feature an exceptional product that originated from our own land that our family helped cultivate.”
Only in Miami
Still, none of that changes the fact that walking into a burger restaurant owned by Estrella Insurance feels like stumbling into an alternate Miami universe.
We’re just saying, if Sedano’s announces a luxury hotel next week or Flanigan’s starts selling life insurance, we won’t even blink.
Star Burger. 4901 SW Eighth St., Miami; 786-631-9186; starburger.com.
