At the food hall inside the 60,000-square-foot development, the hungry and eager stood shoulder-to-shoulder in long lines for everything from Ashley and Franco Stanzione's pies — such as the truffle shuffle ($18), with cream, black-and-white truffle purée, and fresh mozzarella — to Steve Santana's benchmark tacos as well as dishes from Wynwood's Palmar, such as crispy shiitake-edamame potstickers, duck confit dumplings, and royal red shrimp with a fermented Fresno chili emulsion and scallions. Richard Hales' popular Miami mainstay, Sakaya Kitchen, will offer the restaurant's classic favorites.

Ash! Pizza Parlor's Franco Stanzione tossin' pies. See more photos from the Citadel's preview event here.
Photo by Zachary Fagenson
Filling out the hall's roster are Bianco Gelato; a revival of Coconut Grove's 33 Kitchen; Meet 'N Cheese; Society BBQ; Rare Burger; Il Nuts; Caribbean concept Manjay, serving conch fritters ($8), griot ($12), and vegan roti ($8); and a perfunctory bar.
The sprawling development also includes an eclectic flea market selling a variety of wares, including kombucha, clothing, leather goods, and jewelry.
Outside, NE Second Avenue was blocked off for a concert, which partially obscured the din of protesters standing opposite the development and in front of a building that was supposed to house a new location for Velvet Creme Donuts.

A tender moment with Taquiza's iconic blue corn tortillas. See more photos from the Citadel's preview event here.
Photo by Zachary Fagenson
The Citadel's owners and boosters have made a strong push to insist the complex is located in the City of Miami's Little River neighborhood, even as city lawmakers in 2016 codified Little Haiti's boundaries to include the area west of NE Second Avenue and south of the Little River canal, which is where the Citadel is located. Little Haiti activists have long decried the infiltration of developers into the neighborhood and their tactics of raising rents or not renewing leases in order to empty buildings ahead of redevelopment. Such was the case in the complex just south of the Citadel, an under-construction strip mall that once housed a Haitian travel agency, a botanica, and a small takeaway café.

Protestors outside the Citadel. See more photos from the Citadel's preview event here.
Photo by Zachary Fagenson
The Citadel. 8300 NE Second Ave., Miami; 305-908-3849; thecitadelmiami.com. Scheduled to open February 2019.