It's always difficult to predict which restaurants will tap into the soul of the city. The most interesting ones seem to be those that pop up out of seemingly nowhere and are led by a passionate chef who makes food from the heart.
With that in mind, there are several establishments set to open that have already generated buzz. From an Overtown outpost of a restaurant by a lauded celebrity chef to a burger spot by a local icon, here are the ten restaurants to look forward to in 2020.
Afishonado
grovebaygroup.comOpening 2020
Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford wowed Miami with his South Beach spot, Stubborn Seed. The restaurant, which opened in 2017, quickly drew rave reviews for the chef's innovative tasting menus. Now, Ford, along with Grove Bay Group, will open a 7,000-square-foot seafood-centric eatery in Coconut Grove as part of the neighborhood's Regatta Harbour project.
Burger Beast Burger Joint
8870 Bird Rd., Miamiburgerbeast.com
Opening end of February 2020
Who on Earth can Miami trust more than an actual Burger Beast to make a proper burger? Sef Gonzalez has been Miami's source for burger news and reviews, and now the patty pro is opening his very own restaurant. Burger Beast Burger Joint, located inside Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken, will open sometime in February. The menu will offer burgers made with a special beef blend from Sunshine Provisions, as well as shakes. While you're there, take home a bottle of Beast sauce, Gonzalez's own guava-and-sriracha blend.
Chateau Miami
1500 Brickell Ave., Miamiclayconley.com
Opening early 2020
James Beard nominee Clay Conley returns to the 305 with Chateau Miami. The restaurant, slated to open in the 1931 mansion Chateau Petit Douy, will offer open-fire cooking and progressive global cuisine. Conley, who owns the wildly successful Buccan in Palm Beach, will offer dishes such as a fonduta raviolini with quail egg, bacon, peas, and Parmesan; charred organic carrots with black hummus and black harissa; and a brunch medianoche.
The Doral Yard
8455 NW 53rd St., Doralthedoralyard.com
First phase opening February 2020
If you've been mourning the closure of the Wynwood Yard, there's good news: The Doral Yard is slated to open in February. The new iteration will offer the same aspects of the Wynwood Yard but in a more polished setting. Food concepts will include Della Bowls, Paleta Morelia, Pokekai, Santo Dulce Churros, Tip, and Un Pollo.
El Bagel
6910 Biscayne Blvd., Miamielbagel.miami
Opening January 2020
Matteson Koche's El Bagel will finally open a brick-and-mortar location on Miami's Upper Eastside. The bagel café will offer sandwiches on Koche's beloved six-ingredient bagels, including bacon, egg, and cheese ($10) and lox supreme ($12), alongside funkier creations such as King Guava ($9), with its namesake marmalade, potato sticks, cream cheese, and a fried egg; and the Que Fancy, a collaboration with local sushi spot Itamae that features an everything bagel with wasabi cream cheese, salmon roe, cucumber, microgreens, shaved red onion, and dill.
Shuji Hiyakawa
Photo courtesy of Food for Thought Miami
Hiyakawa
2700 N. Miami Ave., Miamiwabisabibyshuji.com
Opening 2020
Chef Shuji Hiyakawa, of Wabi Sabi by Shuji, and Alvaro Perez Miranda, who launched the Vagabond Restaurant & Bar with Alex Chang, will open a 36-seat Japanese restaurant on the ground floor of the Cynergi building in Wynwood. At Hiyakawa, the chef will focus on a broader range of Japanese cuisine featuring seasonal ingredients and dishes, as well as agemono (deep-fried dishes), yakimono (grilled or pan-fried), shirumono (soups), zensai (appetizers), and sushi, along with sake, beer, and wine. Hiyakawa will also offer an omakase menu comprising chef selections from each category, creating an ever-changing progression.
Margot Natural Wine & Aperitivo Bar
Ingraham Building, 21 SE Second Ave., Miamibar-lab.com
Opening early 2020
Bar Lab's Margot will soon open in the Ingraham Building, joining Timon Balloo's eponymous eatery. Margot's partners — Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi — will offer wines and low-alcohol cocktails made with amaro, aperitifs, and vermouths. The bar's wine selection will specialize in natural, or "natty," wines — ones made organically or biodynamically with minimal intervention and without chemicals or preservatives and made from sustainably grown grapes by smaller producers and in small batches. A few wines at Margot before dinner at Balloo sounds like the makings of a perfect Miami evening.
Off Site
offsite.miamiOpening 2020
Steve Santana (Taquiza) and Adam Darnell (Boxelder) have signed a lease in Little Haiti just south of the Citadel (where Santana has an outpost of Taquiza) for a nanobrewery. Off Site will offer craft beer and a menu featuring breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches.
Red Rooster Overtown
920 NW Second Ave., Miamiredroosterharlem.com
Opening January/February 2020
Chef Marcus Samuelsson will finally open an outpost of Red Rooster, his Harlem eatery, in the 305. Red Rooster Overtown will include a 209-seat main dining room, expansive garden patio, balcony terrace, and multiple private dining rooms in a historic building that once housed Clyde Killen's Pool Hall, a 1960s hot spot. The highly anticipated restaurant will specialize in comfort food rooted in traditional Southern cuisine and will also offer performance and exhibition space for local talent.
Unbranded Brewing Co.
1395 E. 11th Ave., Hialeah786-332-3097
unbrandedbrewing.com
Opening 2020
Moving into a 30,000-square-foot building in the Leah Arts District, Unbranded Brewing will finally bring fresh beer to Hialeah. The taproom will pour a variety of "unbranded" beers, meaning they won't necessarily conform to Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines. The taproom will also serve Texas-style barbecue and Cuban dishes in a rustic setting.
