The restaurant first opened in spring 2024 in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of South Beach, offering a Lebanese-inspired dining experience meant to feel like a home away from home. Bey Bey, named after the Lebanese expression meaning "my house is your house," was launched by co-owners Tiger Saliba and Samuel Baum.
Saliba, a Beirut-based restaurateur, and Baum, a nightlife veteran, opened the spot with the goal of creating something more personal than the flashier, tourist-heavy restaurants that dominate the neighborhood. That's why the restaurant was also designed with locals in mind, split into three areas: a cozy dining room, an outdoor garden, and a lounge-like living room.
Now, the team is preparing for a relaunch in early fall, this time with chef Roberto Solís joining as executive chef.
Roberto Solis is best known for his restaurant Huníik, which ranks on Latin America’s 50 Best list. He’s also cooked at renowned kitchens like Noma, The Fat Duck, and Per Se.
Bey Bey photo
A New Era of Bey Bey with Executive Chef Roberto Solís
A native of Mérida in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Solís is best known for his restaurant Huníik, which ranks on Latin America's 50 Best list. He's also cooked at renowned kitchens like Noma, the Fat Duck, and Per Se."This will be my first culinary offering in the United States, and there is no place other than Miami for it," Solís shares with New Times. "People come to Miami looking to be excited and inspired by new ways of understanding how we're all connected. For me, nothing connects us more than food."
The updated concept will feature a wood-fired, charcoal kitchen and a menu that explores the crossover between Yucatecan and Lebanese cuisines, two food cultures with more in common than meets the eye. Saliba says the idea came together after a research trip to Mexico City and the Yucatán, where the team met Solís and were struck by "his artful, stunning culinary creations" and the natural similarities between the two cuisines.
"There is a powerful bond between these two seemingly disparate cultures," he says. "We're thrilled to celebrate that through food." Chef Geoff Lee, who led the kitchen at Bey Bey’s original launch and was formerly of Byblos, will stay on as chef de cuisine.
The restaurant has not yet announced an exact reopening date. But with a new direction and leadership in place, it's one to watch — especially for those curious about how Mexican and Lebanese flavors can meet over open flame.
Bey Bey. 1330 18th St., Miami Beach; instagram.com/beybey. Opening fall 2025.
