19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
This year has been tough on Miami restaurants. Here's what closed in 2025 so far
The year 2025 has been a rough year — particularly in the late spring and early summer — for Miami-area restaurants.
With so many new restaurants opening in the past several years, a large number closings are almost certainly an inevitability. Many restauranteurs and chefs admit they're hurting. The high prices of food, rent and insurance weigh heavy on them and their customers — especially the locals who can't flee for cooler climates for the entire slow season.
Here are some of the notable closings around Miami this year. Some say they'll return, while others vanished quietly. Long-time spots thanked their customers and strode into the sunset with more than a little pride, knowing that 10 years or more is an eternity in restaurant terms. Especially in Miami.
EntreNos: This Michelin-starred gem, which focused on Florida ingredients from its fish to its pork to its produce, shared space with Tinta y Cafe in Miami Shores. After two years, when the lease was up, chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez moved on. Should we mention they claim they are reopening at some point?
Erba: Nobody involved seems to want to talk about the closing of this fine Italian restaurant in Coral Gables, owned by Nolan Reynolds International and showcasing the culinary talents of Chef Niven Patel (who also is the creative force behind Paya in Miami Beach; Ghee Indian Kitchen in Kendall and Wynwood; and NiMo in Tequesta). All we know is you can't make a reservation any more.
Maty's: James Beard Award-winning Chef Val Chang's love letter to her Peruvian grandmother closed in Midtown Miami. The shutdown was a double whammy: It also signaled the impending closure of her brother Nando's exquisite omakase space Itamae Ao, as the restaurants shared a space.
Byblos: This Mediterranean gem is closed while its home at the Royal Palm South Beach Miami hotel is undergoing a $100 million renovation project.
Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat: The Asian-inspired restaurant located in the South of Fifth neighborhood of Miami Beach says it plans to only close for the season. There's no reopening date.
Itamae Ao: If we hadn't heard that Chef Nando Chang was seeking a home for his amazing Michelin-starred omakase counter, we'd have filed this under 'huge losses.' But Chang has said he is searching for a new spot. Fingers crossed.
Kush Wynwood and Stephen's by Kush: These local favorites from Matt Kuscher's hospitality group are expected to reopen.
La Mar by Gastón Acurio: The Peruvian-style restaurant on the water lost its home when it was decided the Mandarin Oriental would be demolished, but there are plans to reopen in Brickell.
Piegari: This Italian restaurant, one of many in Wynwood, closed after only a year but reports that it plans to reopen with 'necessary changes and improvements.' Will it? Stay tuned.
Torno Subito: The Italian restaurant atop Julia & Henry's food hall insists it will reopen in the fall, despite the fact that development in that part of downtown Miami hasn't quite caught up to it yet.
Belmont Spanish Restaurant: Twelve years of Spanish cuisine and culture ended in January when Belmont left Miracle Mile.
Le Zoo: Stephen Starr's French brasserie closed after 10 years at the luxurious Bal Harbour Shops.
Ms Cheezious: The food truck still exists, but the brick-and-mortar spot in MiMo, conceived in 2010, is no longer in business
Red South Beach: When its owners were unable to reach an agreement with the landlord, the luxury steakhouse closed after 17 years.
Sugarcane: The influential OG of Midtown Miami announced early in 2025 that it was ending its run after 15 years.
Villa Azur: The Mediterranean restaurant and party spot closed after 13 years in Miami Beach.
Caffe Vialetto: This beloved Italian spot for celebrating milestones in Coral Gables shut down after 26 years.
Osteria del Teatro: This Italian spot on 79th Street Causeway almost made it to 40 years in business. Instead, it closed after 37.
Sardinia: After just shy of 20 years, this Italian restaurant in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach known for its wood-burning oven and robust wine list, said goodbye.
Ensenada: The coastal Mexican spot from Brooklyn left its Vagabond Hotel space in the MiMo neighborhood after only six months.
RedFarm: The Chinese dim sum giant from New York shut down operations in Coconut Grove a year after its opening.
Sereia: This elegant Portuguese restaurant from Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa shut down after a year.
Velvet Taco: The brand from Dallas still operates a location in Fort Lauderdale, but its time in Wynwood ended after less than a year.
Fiola: The glamorous Italian restaurant in Coral Gables closed but only to make way for Gioia Hospitality's new venture, the upscale Daniel's Steakhouse, which has been a big hit in Fort Lauderdale.
Ostrow Brasserie: Chef Olivia Ostrow's kosher French restaurant shut down in the Buena Vista neighborhood, with Ostrow moving on with Maison Ostrow in a bigger space (the former Osteria del Teatro) in North Bay Village.
Wabi Sabi: The MiMo location is gone, but in its place is Midorie, one of the other Japanese concepts from restaurateur Alvaro Perez-Miranda (also the force behind the Michelin-starred Ogawa in Little River).
Aba: This Mediterranean spot from Chicago moved on from its space in Bal Harbour Shops after two and a half years.
Chica: The Latin restaurant from Venezuelan-born celebrity chef Lorena Garcia, located in the old Soyka space in Miami, announced its closing on OpenTable.
Harry's Pizzeria: The South Beach and the Coconut Grove locations of the pizza spot from Chef Michael Schwartz quietly shut down.
Like Mike: The Italian restaurant in Coconut is now the home of its Italian neighbor restaurant, Sapore di Mare.
Planta Queen: The Coconut Grove and Fort Lauderdale locations of this vegan spot are both closed.
Tablé by Bachour: You might never have known this French spot from Antonio Bachour had closed if you didn't drive past it in the Design District and notice the windows papered over.
