Paya photo
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The “taste of paradise” in Sunset Harbour has come to an end. Paya, the island-inspired restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Niven Patel and his Feal Hospitality partner, Mohamed Alkassar, officially closed its doors on March 2.
The restaurant, located at 1209 17th St., enjoyed a relatively short run after its September 2024 debut. Conceived as a “love letter to Miami,” the menu drew from Patel’s experiences in the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys, bringing together Caribbean, Southeast Asian, and Spanish flavors with local produce sourced from Patel’s Homestead farm, Rancho Patel.
Despite its high-profile pedigree, the restaurant served its final dinner on March 1. According to a Miami Herald article, Alkassar declined to provide specific reasons for the closure but noted that the transition is part of a strategic pivot.
Ghee Indian Kitchen photo
An “Edgy” New Concept on the Horizon
The space won’t stay dark for long. Alkassar, a Miami Beach local who lives just blocks from the restaurant, told the Herald that he plans to bring a new concept in the same space as early as next month. While Patel will not be part of the new venture, Alkassar intends to lean into what he described as “South Beach’s edge.”
“I’d never close a restaurant in my backyard without opening something even better,” Alkassar told the Herald, adding that he plans to bring back the outdoor block parties that became a signature of the Paya patio.
Erba photo
The Future of Feal Hospitality
The shuttering of Paya follows a particularly brutal stretch for the hospitality group. Last July, the team’s highly acclaimed Italian concept, Erba, closed its doors in Coral Gables after less than two years. Despite critical acclaim and landing on things like Esquire’s Best New Restaurants list, Erba struggled through a tough summer that saw many other high-end Miami spots fold.
While they are parting ways on the 17th Street address, Patel and Alkassar remain partners under their Feal Hospitality umbrella. The group is currently shifting its focus to expanding Ghee Indian Kitchen, its popular Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Indian restaurant.
The duo recently opened a Ghee location in Wynwood plus expanded the brand outside of Florida with a debut in Atlanta last October. The Georgia expansion has been so well-received that the partners are currently scouting a second Atlanta location, with Alkassar noting that the city is becoming a “second home” for the brand.
For now, Patel’s presence continues through Ghee, while Miami Beach waits to see what Alkassar has planned for the 17th Street pivot.
Paya. 1209 17th St., Miami Beach. Now closed.
