Brickell's One K Raw Aims to Become Your Casual Spot for Great Food

The Miami food scene can seem oversaturated in 2023, according to Miami-based restaurateur and partner of the Dirty Rabbit Group, Coco Coig. However, when presented with the opportunity to give locals a relaxed spot with high-quality eats — where they would want to dine regularly — he immediately jumped for it. With his latest Miami restaurant that focuses on seafood and meats, One K Raw, he and partners Jhota Taborda and Andres San Martin made this high-caliber spot with a relaxed feel a reality at the Miami Fire Station No. 4 at 1000 S. Miami Ave. in Brickell.

"It was about creating that neighborhood restaurant where the food is always great and so is the experience, focusing a lot on the service and hospitality," says Coig. The new establishment, housed next to the popular Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita, includes a sit-down restaurant, outdoor bar, raw bar, and speakeasy.

Coig, a former commercial pilot in Qatar, came to Miami from Spain. He opened Le Chick right outside of Wynwood Walls in Wynwood back in 2017 with business partner and childhood best friend Jorge Sanchez. "Wynwood was at its peak," he says of that era. "It was more like Tony Goldman's dream, what it should have been." He also worked with the Dirty Rabbit Group to open the Dirty Rabbit, Mad Club, La Tiendita Taqueria Wynwood, and the Mad Butcher.

Safe to say, the restaurants he touches turn to gold.
This time his vision for One K Raw was shaped by his time living in Charleston, South Carolina. Therefore, expect a coastal, white-paneled restaurant instead of a glowing neon sign at the front door. "There's a big culture of oyster bars [in Charleston], and it mixes well with lifestyle and international flavors," says Coig. "And I was really amazed by their charm and how hospitality works there. It's so welcoming and homey."

Chef Aleric Constantin, who trained with legendary Miami chef Michael Schwartz, loved the idea and quickly joined the team, creating a menu that amplified that at-home energy.

"I always loved hosting people and cooking for them, and I always had the best experiences from those moments," Coig says. "And I wanted to create that experience in a restaurant. That's why our slogan is 'Welcome home.'"

"I always loved hosting people and cooking for them, and I always had the best experiences from those moments."

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And it truly does feel like you're dining in someone's home. The restaurant is designed to look like the outside terrace of a house in the Florida Keys, with white wood ceilings and a clean marine aesthetic. At the bar, bartenders serve up Coig's favorite, a toasted walnut old-fashioned cocktail made with infused walnut syrup that's smoked and made in house.
The raw bar showcases the fresh oyster offerings, of which Coig is extremely proud. Behind the raw bar, the cooks working in the kitchen are visible to folks at the raw bar and to those in the adjoining restaurant area where food is served family style. While Coig recommends everything on the menu, he especially recommends the Wagyu ragu rigatoni with Mishima Wagyu oxtail, preserved lemon, and shaved Parmesan. He also says you can't miss the tuna tar-tacos with green fruit slaw, charred pineapple, citrus coffee spice, and avocado mousse, as well as the organic half chicken with sweet corn, crisp skin, and pickled fennel.

In addition to lunch, dinner, and weekly happy hour, they also have a Sunday brunch offering from noon to 4 p.m. with Caracas Bakery breakfast pastries, specialty coffee and espresso bar, and bottomless mimosas.

And now for the fun part — the door you see by the raw bar leads you to their speakeasy, One K Room, which Coig describes as their forbidden library with the warm, cozy feeling of a Hamptons home in the 1960s. "You walk into it, and you feel like you're in your grandfather's living room and have never been happier, and nothing has changed." And it's true — you can see the wow factor on people's faces as they enter the speakeasy. The lounge gets lively when DJs spin vinyl under mirrored ceilings from Wednesday through Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

As for what's next, Coig and his partners are working on several different restaurants outside of Miami's busiest areas. "I think Miami is a little oversaturated in the sense that there are great restaurants, but I don't think there are enough people, especially at the prices," he says. With rent that is overly high compared to the income people earn in Miami, he thinks the current restaurant scene is unsustainable.

However, he and his partners are aiming high and expanding north to Weston, opening a Le Chick there, as well as a new concept, Sebastian, which references San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain and will feature wine and international tapas. He's also opening a Mexican taqueria with tequilas and agaves called Tacave in Coral Gables.

One K Raw. 1000 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 786-314-7914; onekraw.com.