Instead Of Closing, Some Restaurants Are Passing The Torch \u00a0<\/p>\n
Selling often leads to selling out. But Off Site, Knaus Berry Farm<\/a>, and The Gibson Room<\/a> are all proving that a restaurant can pass the torch without letting the flame go out. The local brewer who took over Off Site put his beers on tap and renamed it No Seasons<\/a>, but he kept the menu and old traditions intact (like the complimentary Friday beer chug). Knaus Berry Farm\u2019s new owners went through painstaking steps to preserve its soul and its cinnamon rolls<\/a>. And the old Gibson Room\u2019s menu wasn\u2019t drawing in the regulars it needed to survive. But instead of closing, they handed their kitchen to Miami Slice<\/a>. It\u2019s still a great place for a cold martini, but now they\u2019re serving excellent burgers and slices that feel more spiritually aligned with Coral Way. <\/p>\n A Little River Reality Check<\/p>\n Little River was always going to change, but there was a second there when it seemed like it would be a home for scrappy local spots like Low Key<\/a>, Rosie\u2019s<\/a>, and The Center For Subtropical Affairs (later Understory<\/a>). We\u2019re not so sure anymore. Low Key is gone, Rosie\u2019s never got the restaurant they needed, and we fear that Understory<\/a> is now a condo in waiting. The nearby ZeyZey<\/a>, though technically in Little Haiti, also announced in an interview<\/a> last year that it will eventually close when construction begins on the development across the street. The latest Little River opening, Fooq\u2019s<\/a>, seems more spiritually aligned with Brickell or Wynwood, with its valet-only parking lot, $225 New York strip, and upstairs bottle service. Still, there are reasons for optimism in Sunny\u2019s<\/a> and Bar Bucce<\/a>, two shiny new Little River spots that prove you can be big and grassroots. We\u2019d like to see more of that. <\/p>\n photo credit: Mariana Trabanino<\/p>\n video credit: Julia Malave<\/p>\n video credit: Mariana Trabanino<\/p>\n photo credit: Jordan Frey Photography<\/p>\n What The Hell Happened to Ice Cream?\u00a0<\/p>\n The state of ice cream in Miami is in steady decline thanks to wellness culture. The proof is in the avalanche of frozen yogurt shops that have recently opened, like Myka<\/a>, Meli<\/a>, and a few others that also sound like characters from a children\u2019s book about animals that can talk. There\u2019s also Banana Daddy<\/a>, a banana-based soft serve shop (we have two of those now<\/a>, in case you\u2019re keeping score). Our aggressive cultural health kick might explain the sad downfall of good, old-fashioned ice cream. Those shops are not opening nearly as fast, though we\u2019re thankful for Charlie\u2019s<\/a> second location in Westchester<\/a>. They\u2019re not trying to nourish your gut microbiome, which is precisely what makes it so good. <\/p>\n photo credit: Virginia Otazo<\/p>\n video credit: Virginia Otazo<\/p>\n video credit: Virginia Otazo<\/p>\n photo credit: Virginia Otazo<\/p>\n Dinner Spots Want In On Breakfast <\/p>\n Great news for morning people: three of our favorite dinner spots are getting into the breakfast game. When you already have a talented baker on the team and a dining public that\u2019s never been more obsessed with laminated dough, why not? To Be Determined<\/a>\u2019s new breakfast service runs from Wednesday to Saturday (8am to 2pm) and Sundays (10am to 3pm). They\u2019re serving a fantastic croque monsieur, some rotating baked goods, and getting morning mileage out of their espresso machine. Gramps Getaway<\/a> is currently soft-launching Gramps Luncheonette<\/a> Monday through Thursday, from 8am to noon. Those pastries are not only stellar, but come with a waterfront view. And Over Under<\/a> is setting its alarm on Sunday mornings for Flagler St. Bakery, a new pop-up that\u2019ll operate like a ventanita, selling some excellent baked goods, sandwiches, and coffee. <\/p>\n Italy Is Sending Us Their Most Dramatic Restaurants<\/p>\n The first page of Francesco Martucci’s menu lists seven different accolades, including \u201cworld\u2019s best pizza chef,\u201d \u201cpizza of the year 2025,\u201d and \u201cmaestro della pizza.\u201d The owner of the restaurant group that brought Milan\u2019s Le Specialit\u00e0<\/a> to the Design District said in an interview<\/a>, \u201cMiami was missing a restaurant focused on pizza at this caliber\u201d (yeah, not quite<\/a>). News broke at the beginning of the year that Il Mannarino<\/a>, a Milan butcher shop and restaurant, is coming to Midtown\u2014and pretty much every ensuing article used the word \u201cfamous\u201d in the headline. All of these Italian restaurants have chosen Miami as their first US location, which is exciting, don\u2019t get us wrong. But, frankly, everyone is being a little dramatic about it. Before you call yourself the best or world famous, you\u2019ve got to prove it (and, so far, none of these places have). <\/p>\n Counter Service Isn\u2019t Just For Fast Food Anymore <\/p>\n More and more lately, we\u2019re not placing our orders with a server standing next to our table. We\u2019re walking up to a counter, where a dedicated employee punches it into a screen. Counter service is not a new thing, but it has traditionally been more of a fast-casual thing. That\u2019s starting to shift. First, with Bar Bucce<\/a>, then with Drinking Pig<\/a> (where you place your order at the host stand), and most recently with Vecinos<\/a>. These places still have servers, who you can flag down to ask for a new drink or dessert (we\u2019ve been calling them \u201cfloating servers\u201d). We\u2019re still getting used to this system, but, as people who\u2019ve spent a collective 75 hours waiting for checks, we must admit that it is nice to pay upfront so you can just leave when you\u2019re done. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n People Are Pumped About Casual Restaurants<\/p>\n The most exciting openings of the year so far have also been the most casual ones. Frankie & Wally<\/a>\u2019s lines wrap around the building on weekends, Pluma<\/a>\u2019s fried chicken sandwiches are great, and we bring up Fiorito Almacen<\/a>\u2019s choripan at least three times per week. Fast-casual spots like Chuggie\u2019s<\/a>, Ted\u2019s<\/a>, and My Cousin Nick<\/a> have also graced our Hit List<\/a> recently. With the exception of a couple of great omakases (hello, Yasu<\/a> and Elyu<\/a>), we\u2019ve yet to feel as pumped about the big, flashy, expensive openings of 2026. This trend speaks to price fatigue, sure, but also signals Miamians\u2019 desire to not have to dress up and jump through so many emotional hoops for a great meal.<\/p>\n![\"Frozen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Miami_Meli_MarianaTrabanino_iPhoneContent_EDIT_01_iwstoc.jpeg\"\/)
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