\u201cNamed for his grandmother, this is a place where snagging a seat at the chef\u2019s counter is a must,\u201d it states. \u201cThe menu is hyperlocal and rotates often, so don\u2019t be surprised when something runs out. Fear not, however, as the excellent staff will help you discover your new favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mutra\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mutra-dining-room-by-n-a-photography.jpg\")
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Notable dishes include \u201ca show-stopping plate of beets in a pool of ajo blanco and topped with beetroot sorbet,\u201d per the guide. \u201cThe signature lamb kebab with smoked aubergine cream and tomato oil is pure comfort, as is chicken a la Tunis, juicy and flavorful with harissa-studded chickpea tomato stew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuhallebi, a creamy Middle Eastern milk pudding, is a sweet and satisfying finale,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n
Mutra is the first restaurant under strict kosher supervision to earn a Michelin star, and it is the only restaurant in Miami to receive a new star. It also has a Hebrew sign at its entrance stating, \u201cyou are blessed when you arrive, and you are blessed when you leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ruling on the restaurant shows that the guide is \u201cextremely true to the food, how you execute your dishes,\u201d the chef told JNS.<\/p>\n
Mutra, which opened in February 2025, is named for Shabtai\u2019s grandmother, whose cooking and hospitality continue to influence the restaurant\u2019s philosophy.<\/p>\n
The Jerusalem-born chef has said that the menu draws heavily on childhood memories and the flavors of the city where he grew up.<\/p>\n
Werzberger, the partner and investor, told JNS that the restaurant began after Shabtai worked for his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cChef Raz was working as my private chef when he prepared one of the most memorable holiday meals my family had ever experienced,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cWe never knew what that style of Michelin-caliber cuisine even looked like, because we had never experienced it before in the kosher world.\u201d<\/p>\n
That experience led Werzberger to encourage Shabtai to open a restaurant.<\/p>\n
![\"Mutra\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mutra-exterior-by-n-a-photography.jpg\")
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\u201cI felt the kosher world deserved to experience that level of culinary creativity,\u201d Werzberger told JNS.<\/p>\n
Another partner in the venture, Noa Figari, originally worked with Shabtai as a real-estate agent and helped locate the restaurant\u2019s North Miami space, before joining as Mutra\u2019s director of operations.<\/p>\n
The restaurant\u2019s menu changes every three to four months and features dishes rooted in Middle Eastern and Israeli culinary traditions made with contemporary techniques.<\/p>\n
Current offerings include \u201c1 perfect falafel,\u201d a falafel croquette served with tahi-amba and Israeli salad and \u201cchicken liver dreaming to become foie gras,\u201d a chicken liver p\u00e2t\u00e9 with silan, pistachio crumble and shallots.<\/p>\n
Continuing the theme of inventive names, the restaurant also offers \u201clet\u2019s ruin something pretty,\u201d a roasted beet dish with beet sorbet, ajo blanco and almonds. Other menu items include \u201cIsraeli Nam-Tok,\u201d \u201cTunisian Mole\u201d and the restaurant\u2019s signature \u201cchef\u2019s cut butchered in house.”<\/p>\n
Shabtai said that the team tried to operate at a Michelin-star level from its earliest days, despite not knowing if inspectors had ever visited.<\/p>\n
![\"Mutra\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mutra-family-photo-by-n-a-photography.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always acted as if we had a Michelin star,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cWe didn\u2019t say, \u2018We want a Michelin star\u2019 when we opened, but it was a way of operating.\u201d<\/p>\n
He described Michelin inspectors as anonymous evaluators, who assess restaurants based on quality of ingredients, technique, the chef\u2019s philosophy, execution and consistency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Michelin judges you, they don\u2019t just judge you when coming in once,\u201d he said. \u201cThe inspector, when he arrives, has a view of if I\u2019m the guest, why do I want to come back here?\u201d<\/p>\n
That philosophy, he said, extends beyond the food and encompasses hospitality from the moment guests arrive.<\/p>\n
For Werzberger, the award carries significance beyond a single restaurant.<\/p>\n
![\"Mutra](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/chefs-counter-by-n-a-photography.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the first dish I tasted from Chef Raz, I knew he was different from any other chef whose cooking I had ever experienced,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cHe has a gift that I wanted to share with the world, and especially with the glatt kosher community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recognition comes as South Florida\u2019s kosher dining scene has expanded in recent years, fueled by a growing Jewish population and increased demand for upscale kosher options.<\/p>\n
Shabtai hopes that the achievement encourages other chefs and restaurateurs to pursue similar ambitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that one day an investor, chef, cook comes and says, \u2018I can do it also,\u2019\u201d he told JNS.<\/p>\n
Asked what comes next, Shabtai and Werzberger suggested that the Michelin star is only the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis recognition will affect what we do, because it now becomes the starting point for what we are planning next, with God\u2019s help,\u201d Werzberger told JNS. \u201cMutra is not just a kosher restaurant. It is a new experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shabtai was more direct about his ambitions. \u201cI want two stars,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cAt Mutra and another project we are working on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israeli-born chef Raz Shabtai learned that his restaurant Mutra, in North Miami, had become the world\u2019s first kosher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[210713,13111,150035,210717,612,210716,210714,37037,102,210712,210718,6636,10095,6943,56,54,55,210715],"class_list":["post-620412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-asian-cuisine","tag-cooking","tag-cuisine","tag-european-cuisine","tag-food-and-drink","tag-food-and-drink-preparation","tag-food-watchlist-articles","tag-foods","tag-health","tag-michelin-guide","tag-middle-eastern-cuisine","tag-nutrition","tag-restaurant","tag-u-s-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-western-cuisine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}