New Menuless Miami Restaurant Is Turning Heads, but Is It All Hype?

"Carne or pesce?" That's the only question you'll hear a server ask you at San Lorenzo, a new Italian waterfront restaurant in Little River...that has no menu. Priced at $140 for two people, guests will have only a few choices; everything else is in the chef's trusted hands.

San Lorenzo is 84 Magic Hospitality's second restaurant in Miami after the group opened Cotoletta, a quaint Italian restaurant in Coconut Grove that only serves one main dish: cotoletta alla milanese. Therefore, they know a thing or two about making us intrigued.

But why open a new restaurant with no menu? When you go into someone's home, you don't get a menu, and that's exactly what the owners want the restaurant to feel like. "What Cotoletta has done is prove the importance of having restaurants that are really strong in your identity," says third-generation restaurateur Andrea Fraquelli of 84 Magic Hospitality. "We bring old-fashioned things into a new light, holding on to all the traditions, but somehow adding this thing that people don't do anymore, which is not giving a choice. We're going to be narrow and determined to give you just the best things, and I think people are gonna love what they get."

New Times got to experience the no-menu restaurant ahead of its opening on May 31, and here is everything you should know before going, which really isn't a lot.

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One Choice, No Menu (But Here's What You Can Expect)

The service starts with antipasti, which Fraquelli says he would eat with his nonna before any meal. Usually, New Times would now list some of the highlights we tried, but at San Lorenzo, guests will only know what they are tasting once it is set at the table (and we don't want to spoil it).

What we can say is that most of the antipasti is fresh and vegetarian. For a little hint, Cotoletta regulars know no one does veal like Fraquelli's uncle, chef Giulio Rossi. As a small homage to their first restaurant, a vitello tonnato (a classic Piedmontese dish featuring thinly sliced, cold veal served with a creamy, tuna-based sauce) is served to every guest before the entrée.

Now, the fun begins.

There are three main dish options, one of which is seafood pasta (Rossi's lobster, crab, or king prawn), or another dish, which is why they ask if you'd prefer fish or meat. All of the pasta here is made in-house, and the fish is always the catch of the day for the best quality.

The restaurant, a 44-seat indoor dining room designed by Eduardo Suarez and Alessio Bernardinito, is filled with authentic Venetian lighting and a romantic 30-seat terracotta terrace overlooking the river. The bar mirrors the kitchen philosophy with only one brand per spirit and select wines. The Greek vodka behind the bar was handpicked for the dry martini, and the wines were curated to complement the table's choice of entree. Desserts are offered for an extra charge.

Bringing Something Special to the Magic City

Founded by Ignacio Lopez Mancisidor, Mattia Cicognani, and Fraquelli, 84 Magic Hospitality's original plan was always to open San Lorenzo, but opening Cotoletta in Coconut Grove first helped them create a community in Miami.

When Cotoletta opened in Miami in October 2024, its premise of only serving one main dish attracted crowds. These crowds soon became loyal regulars because of the group's classic values: only phone reservations, service done the old way, where every server knows every neighbor, and one dish done perfectly. Because of this, San Lorenzo is now a reality.

"This beautiful spot by the river is the reason why I moved to Miami," says Fraquelli. "I walked onto the premises, through the restaurant, and I told Ignacio this was it, and it was always going to be called San Lorenzo. We came to Miami with no reputation, and we have found a loyalty within this community of people. Now Miami feels like home, and I wouldn't change it for the world."

Perhaps it's the lack of choice that translates into honed excellence, or it's because of Fraquelli's criteria of only making restaurants he would either dine at with his wife or happily work from. But once again, the group has brought something special to Miami with San Lorenzo. "It's the magic of the characters involved, from the kitchen porter to me and everything in between," says Fraquelli. "It starts to get very philosophical, and I do love it for that reason, but it's not something you can touch. These are my favorite people, and we are here to make people feel better when they leave than when they arrived."

San Lorenzo is open Wednesday through Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m. — just get ready to let the server know if you'd like "carne or pesce."

San Lorenzo. 620 NE 78th St., Miami; instagram.com/sanlorenzo.miami. Reservations only via phone at 786-828-7136.