Red Ginger to Close for the Summer, Reopen With More Casual Menu

Red Ginger, the Asian-inspired restaurant located at 736 First St. in South Beach, will close for a summer revamp, almost a year to the date of its initial June 19, 2015 opening. 

The restaurant will close after dinner service Saturday, June 11, and reopen with a reworked menu in time for Miami's fall season.

Jared Galbut, managing principal for Menin Hospitality, said the restaurant would undergo a change mostly in menu and feel. "We really heard a lot of customer feedback of what people wanted to see. We're making the restaurant more casual and a little more everyday. That's really what our other concepts are, and we wanted to match that." Menin Hospitality also owns and operates Radio Bar, Bodega, Pizza Bar,
and the soon-to-open Bakehouse in Miami Beach, to name a few.

According to Galbut, the restaurant had to close for a while to undergo the transformation. "It's not something we could do in a day, and summer is the best time to reconcept the place and bring to life what our guests wanted."

Galbut was adamant about the fact that Red Ginger would reopen."We are 1,000 percent, definitely reopening. That's our block. We have Radio Bar, and we're opening Bakehouse. That is our space, and we are coming up with a very cool, very exciting take on our concept."

The concept, by the way, will remain Asian, with an expanded sushi menu. Menin Hospitality's culinary director, Bernie Matz, will lead the kitchen and develop the dishes. "He's great, and he cultivates good, young talent," Galbut said.

The decor won't change much. "It's just going to be freshened up. It's beautiful, and we put a lot of work into the space."

In a review, New Times food critic Zachary Fagenson said, "Red Ginger has the potential to be something special in South Beach." Let's hope the revamp proves to be the spark that ignites the culinary flame.