02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
A new ‘pizza and wine' spot from the owners of Macchialina opens in Miami
The team from one of Miami Beach's most beloved Italian restaurants has opened a new — and very different — spot in Little River.
Bar Bucce, from Chef Mike Pirolo, Jennifer Chaefsky and Jacqueline Pirolo of Macchialina, bears little resemblance to the cozy, friendly and insanely popular Miami Beach restaurant, which manages the tricky feat of luring both tourists and locals with great food, warm service and intriguing wines.
Bar Bucce is a bit less formal — which is not to say Macchialina is stuffy in any way, because it's not. Instead, the new spot is three things in one: a pizzeria, a retail wine shop and food market.
Jacqueline Pirolo, who was just awarded the Michelin Sommelier Award for 2025, said it aims to be a neighborhood space.
'It's meant to be a space for everyone in the Little River community, whether you're looking to host a killer dinner party or just want a place to wind down with pizza and a glass of wine after work,' she said.
Inside, Bar Bucce, which will be run by chef de cuisine Marcellus Ramsey and general manager Olivia Kiddon, offers a market and a kitchen with counter and coffee service, while a 2,000-square-foot garden that seats 120 offers outdoor tables and self-serve wine stations. The idea is that during the day, it's a market where you can grab a slice or coffee or prepared Italian dishes. At night, you can grab a bottle of wine or stick with a glass, choose your pre-prepared meal at the counter and servers will plate the food and carry it to you.
Some of the items available include baked ziti, eggplant parm, chicken cutlets fried to order and a variety of sandwiches. You can also order prepared salads and starters like grilled mushrooms, roasted peppers and zucchini scapece, fried zucchini chips tossed in vinegar and fresh mint.
And if you're looking for gifts, there are plenty of items to create a food basket — salumi, cheese, preserves, fresh pasta, homemade pomodoro sauce and pantry goods.
The biggest draw is likely to be Mike Pirolo's highly sought-after pizzas, which use his special dough recipe that's made with a poolish (a fluid yeast-cultured dough) and high-protein flour with a 72-hour fermentation period.
Varieties include classics like the margherita and marinara as well as special creations like the shrimp pie (tomato, cream, rock shrimp, sweet onion) and the soppressata (sauteed leeks, button mushrooms, mozzarella, marscapone cream, stracciatella and no sauce). The 16-inch pies range between $29 and $38, with slices at lunch costing $5.
The wine shop offers more than 100 international wines, with a focus on low intervention grapes and unique varietals and prices starting at $30. You'll also find more than 20 spirits, including vermouth, sherry and sake. Jacqueline Pirolo assures us that 'sake and pizza is a thing.' There's only one way to find out.
'We want to offer our guests an approachable wine and spirits experience,' she said.
At the moment, Bar Bucce is only open from 5 p.m. five days a week but plans to open lunch and daily service soon. Seating is first come, first served, with no reservations accepted.
Bar Bucce
Where: 7220 N Miami Ave, Miami
Hours: Currently 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Monday, but the opening time will be extended to 11 a.m. The market will also plans to transition to daily operations.
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