Since October, 100 Miracle Mile has had three restaurants. Chef Clay Conley and the Ember Group opened Buccan Sandwich Shop there on May 9 and Buccan on May 22. In October they finished the set with Imoto, a smaller Asian-inspired room around the corner on Galiano Street.
That one address shows what happened across Coral Gables this fall. Most of the openings landed at a handful of places that already hold several concepts: the 100 block of Miracle Mile, The Plaza Coral Gables and the Shops at Merrick Park. Over the same weeks, two independent chef-run dining rooms on Galiano Street and Ponce de Leon Boulevard closed. If your usual dinner spots were on those streets, your rotation probably looks different now than it did in August.
Three doors at the west end of Miracle Mile
The Miami Herald calls Imoto the third part of Conley's "Miracle Mile trio." It's the second location of his Palm Beach restaurant, and its menu draws on his time living and working in Tokyo. The room is much smaller than Buccan, with banquettes, a sushi bar and a cocktail bar. The menu opens with shareable plates like crispy Peking duck tacos and lomo saltado gyoza, then moves on to nigiri, rolls, tuna foie sliders and Kurabuta short rib burnt ends.
"At Imoto, I get to combine my love of Japanese food with innovative techniques," Conley told the Herald. When the paper asked about competition back in May, he said, "We just do what we do well," and pointed to good execution and hospitality.
A few doors east, Bonsai Sushi opened September 23 at 111 Miracle Mile, in the former Chicken Kitchen space. The Venezuelan chain's local menu runs from sushi to Asian Chicken Curry, Lomo Saltado and Pad Thai, according to The Burn Miami. At 65 Miracle Mile, next to Motek, construction on a new spot called Cocoliche was moving along in October.
Farther east, YoYo opened September 11 at 239 Miracle Mile. It puts a frozen yogurt and coffee café, Swedish-Miami bites and a yoga and Pilates studio under one roof. Canelita Cheesecake had a shorter run. It opened at 374 Miracle Mile over the summer and had closed by early October, preparing to move to 31 NE 17th St. in Miami.
The Plaza adds an Italian food hall and a zero-proof shop
The biggest single opening of the season wasn't on Miracle Mile. Zuccaly opened October 8 at The Plaza, 111 Palermo Ave., Suite 112. It's an 8,000-square-foot Italian food hall with a market and a full bar, from Zucca restaurateur Erasmo da Silva's group, as Miami New Times reported. It has six stations:
- Pasta & Risotto
- LaBiga pizza
- Grill & Fish
- Il Giardino
- Dolci & Gelato
- Sandwiches
Rienne opened at the same complex and celebrated its grand opening by late October. It calls itself an alcohol-free "Atelier," with nonalcoholic wines and botanical spirits you can taste there or take home.
The pattern holds on Giralda Avenue too. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop quietly opened at 154 Giralda Ave., in the former Candle Land space, with retro and unusual sodas next to the candy. MELI Frozen Yogurt opened its second store at 6601 S. Red Road in September and is building a third at 256 Giralda Ave. A representative told The Burn the target is early 2027. Chef Jorgie Ramos is also planning a lunch pop-up of his Barley Tavern concept at Cebada Rooftop, 124 Giralda Ave., before the restaurant moves to a permanent home.
Merrick Park gets a New York first
La Pecora Bianca opened November 2 at 360 San Lorenzo Ave. in the Shops at Merrick Park. It's the New York Italian chain's first location outside the New York City area. The Infatuation's review points to dishes like rigatoni alla vodka and eggplant parmigiana. Joe & The Juice is also coming to the center's second level, next to Equinox.
The Shops at Merrick Park lights its tree tonight, Thursday, November 19. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., Santa and the ceremony start at 6:50 p.m., and the tree lights at 7 p.m., per the City of Coral Gables event listing.
Where the dining rooms went dark
The fall's two closings were both single-room restaurants run by their chefs, and both were dinner destinations.
Sra. Martinez served its last dinner at 2325 Galiano St. on Saturday, September 26. Michelle Bernstein and her husband and business partner, David Martinez, had brought it back on December 13, 2024, twelve years after the original closed. The revival had a dining room, a covered patio, a cocktail lounge and a stage for live music. Miami New Times reported that the couple plans to keep the space and is already working on what comes next.
Pastor at Pascal closed five weeks later. Its last service at 2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. was October 31. The restaurant began as Pascal's on Ponce in 2000, and Chef Alberto Pastor later gave the French menu a turn toward his Basque heritage. "Thank you, Coral Gables, for welcoming us into your lives," the team posted, as The Burn Miami reported. The announcement hinted the concept could return somewhere else.
The 2600 block of Ponce leans toward daytime
The block where Pastor at Pascal closed is filling in with places that do most of their business before dark. Across the street at 2626 Ponce de Leon Blvd., in the former Sospiro space, The Screaming Parrots Cafe began a soft opening in late October. It's a Japanese-inspired café serving matcha, coffee, crepes, soufflés and Basque cheesecakes. Two doors down, at 2614 Ponce in the former Canton Too space, H&H Bagels is in development.
A few blocks north, Lira House, a Lebanese restaurant, is planning a location at 223 Valencia Ave. in the former Maroosh space.
Havana Harry's came back by changing as little as possible
The season's best news for longtime regulars came from Le Jeune Road. Havana Harry's, the Cuban restaurant founded in 1995, reopened Monday, October 19, at 4612 S. Le Jeune Road after more than a year closed. During the closure, ownership announced work on the kitchen, plumbing and interior, Miami New Times reported.
It also fits the season's pattern, because Havana Harry's is now part of a group. Centurion Restaurant Group bought it in 2022. Founder Carlos Centurion told New Times:
"Our responsibility was never to reinvent Havana Harry's. It was to protect what generations of guests have loved, while building a restaurant that will serve this community for many years to come."
The ropa vieja and Cuban sandwiches are still on the menu. The renovated dining room now has green leather booths, mosaic tiles and tropical greenery.
The next cluster is near the University of Miami
The next group of openings is planned for the Thesis Hotel at 1350 S. Dixie Highway, across from the University of Miami. Katsuya is expected there in the first half of 2027, and a Mediterranean restaurant from chef Fabio Trabocchi is expected sometime in 2027, according to Miami New Times. Like the Buccan trio and Zuccaly, it's a multi-concept project built around one address.
Until then, the holiday calendar runs through the same clusters:
- Thursday, November 19: Tree lighting at the Shops at Merrick Park, starting at 5:30 p.m., with Santa and the ceremony at 6:50 p.m. and the lighting at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 2, through Sunday, December 6: The Merrick Festival Caroling Competition at 550 Biltmore Way, with an awards show on Tuesday, December 8.
- Tuesday, December 8: The Annual City Hall Menorah Lighting, with hot beverages, doughnuts, crafts and chocolate gelt.
A pre-caroling dinner at Imoto, a holiday-guest lunch at Zuccaly and a Sunday ropa vieja at Havana Harry's are all a short drive apart now.
If you own a home or are looking near Miracle Mile, the 2600 block of Ponce or Merrick Park and want to talk through what this fall's openings and closings could mean for it, Pam Mayers and The Mayers Group would be glad to walk those blocks with you. Let's Connect: Schedule a Consultation.
