New Restaurants to Try This Week: Just Salad, La Fuga, and ThoroughBread Pizza

South Florida’s latest round of restaurant openings includes La Fuga, the new Italian restaurant at the Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort; two health-focused, fast-casual establishments, Fresh Kitchen and Just Salad; and ThoroughBread Pizza by Stanzione 87 owner Franco Stanzione.

Know of any openings that aren’t on our list? Email cafe@miaminewtimes.com.

Just Salad

800 Brickell Ave., Miami
866-673-3767
justsalad.com NYC-based fast-casual restaurant chain Just Salad has opened its newest restaurant in Miami. The establishment offers guests its most sustainable design to date, with an eco-conscious, first-of-its-kind fast-casual experience. Driven by a mission to make zero-waste dining a reality, Just Salad’s Brickell location features a number of climate-forward programs, from chairs made with recycled materials and reclaimed wood and real moss accents to receptacles made using recycled steel drums and a library wall with used books sourced from Books by the Foot. And of course, there’s the chain’s signature reusable bowl program. By purchasing a bowl for $1, guests can receive a free salad topping with every reuse while choosing from a menu that offers more than 15 chef-designed salads and warm bowls alongside wraps, avocado toast, soups, and smoothies. To further incentivize healthy food choices, Just Salad is offering a $5 meal day as an in-store promotion from February 23 to 25. Customers who order in store on February 23 (from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.) and February 24 and 25 (all day long) will receive a discounted $5 meal. On Friday, March 3, the “VIP Bowl Day” will offer $5 meals for reusable bowl customers who purchase meals in store. Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fresh Kitchen

3201 N. Miami Ave., Miami
305-239-6005
eatfreshkitchen.com Fresh Kitchen, the build-your-own-bowl, quick-service restaurant, has opened its 13th Florida location in midtown Miami. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and offers online ordering/takeout and group catering. The Tampa-based restaurant, known for its health-minded menu options, offers a variety of fresh-to-order bowls that allow guests to create their own meals or opt for chef-made signature dishes. All food is cooked with olive oil, veggies are hand-cut daily, and the entire menu is 100 percent gluten-free, with vegan options available. Meals can be paired with the restaurant’s freshly brewed teas or lightly sweetened juice frescas, prepared in house daily using cane sugar. Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

La Fuga

2900 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale
954-908-7308
shorebreakfortlauderdale.comLa Fuga, a coastal Italian restaurant led by local chef Michael Mayer, has opened at the new Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. La Fuga translates to “the escape,” the original name of the property that opened in Fort Lauderdale in 1949. Taking up residence at the art deco boutique property, the destination restaurant serves Mayer’s take on authentic Italian fare, from handmade pasta and locally sourced seafood to wood-fired pizzas and salads accented with fresh local produce and herbs. The menu opens with antipasti dishes like the polpo alla griglia (grilled octopus paired with cannellini beans, and a savory cracked olive salad) and cozze e salamari alla piastra (a combination of PEI mussels and calamari made with lemon butter, gremolata, and Calabrian pepper). Don’t miss the ravioloni all’aragosta fra diavolo, a lobster and ricotta ravioli served with lobster tail in a spicy tomato cream sauce. At the bar, enjoy an extensive selection of handcrafted cocktails, including the “Caffè,” a martini shaken with Brugal añejo tequila, Caffè Borghetti liqueur, and a fresh shot of espresso while the house-infused limoncello makes for the perfect digestif. Sunday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.

ThoroughBread Pizza

236 NE Fourth St., Miami
786-360-1852
thoroughbread.miamiMiami restaurateur Franco Stanzione – best known for Stanzione Hospitality Group and Stanzione 87 – has opened his newest establishment in downtown Miami. ThoroughBread Pizza is the group’s latest take on an affordable, fast-casual pizzeria with a menu that combines old-world tradition and new-world innovation. With a reputation built on Stanzione’s flagship pizzeria, Stanzione 87, and the Citadel’s Ash! Pizza, ThoroughBread adds a new take with its fast-casual approach to pizza. The 11-inch pies start at $10, and guests can travel down the assembly line to watch as their pizza is composed and cooked. Build your own with more than 25 topping options, or choose from a half-dozen wood-fired signature pies. They include the “Super Saver,” topped with tomato sauce, homemade mozzarella, mushrooms, sausage, green peppers, black olives, red onions, and pepperoni; “Carpe Diem,” with bacon, pesto, and smoked mozzarella; and the “Barbaro,” a four-cheese cream sauce of shredded mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, and smoked mozzarella finished with garlic oil. Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.