![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screen-Shot-2026-03-17-at-5.16.24-PM-1.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMiami Beach restaurant Paya has closed after less than two years by acclaimed chef Niven Patel signaling a rough period for Sunset Harbour.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Miami Beach restaurant founded by an award-winning local chef has quietly closed, but he hopes to open “something better.”\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMiami Beach restaurant Paya has closed after less than two years by acclaimed chef Niven Patel signaling a rough period for Sunset Harbour.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Paya photo<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Carbonatix](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tts-pre-loader.gif\")
<\/p>\n
Audio By Carbonatix<\/p>\n
The \u201ctaste of paradise\u201d in Sunset Harbour has come to an end. Paya<\/a>, the island-inspired restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Niven Patel <\/a>and his Feal Hospitality partner, Mohamed Alkassar, officially closed its doors on March 2.<\/p>\n The restaurant, located at 1209 17th St., enjoyed a relatively short run after its September 2024 debut<\/a>. Conceived as a \u201clove letter to Miami,\u201d the menu drew from Patel\u2019s experiences in the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys, bringing together Caribbean, Southeast Asian, and Spanish flavors with local produce sourced from Patel\u2019s Homestead farm, Rancho Patel.<\/p>\n Despite its high-profile pedigree, the restaurant served its final dinner on March 1. According to a Miami Herald article<\/a>, Alkassar declined to provide specific reasons for the closure but noted that the transition is part of a strategic pivot.<\/p>\n Ghee Indian Kitchen photo<\/p>\n An \u201cEdgy\u201d New Concept on the Horizon<\/p>\n The space won\u2019t stay dark for long. Alkassar, a Miami Beach local who lives just blocks from the restaurant, told the Herald that he plans to bring a new concept in the same space as early as next month. While Patel will not be part of the new venture, Alkassar intends to lean into what he described as \u201cSouth Beach\u2019s edge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d never close a restaurant in my backyard without opening something even better,\u201d Alkassar told the Herald, adding that he plans to bring back the outdoor block parties that became a signature of the Paya patio.<\/p>\n The Future of Feal Hospitality<\/p>\n The shuttering of Paya follows a particularly brutal stretch for the hospitality group. Last July, the team\u2019s highly acclaimed Italian concept, Erba, closed its doors in Coral Gables <\/a>after less than two years. Despite critical acclaim and landing on things like Esquire\u2019s Best New Restaurants list, Erba struggled through a tough summer that saw many other high-end Miami spots fold.<\/p>\n While they are parting ways on the 17th Street address, Patel and Alkassar remain partners under their Feal Hospitality umbrella. The group is currently shifting its focus to expanding Ghee Indian Kitchen, its popular Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Indian restaurant<\/a>.<\/p>\n The duo recently opened a Ghee location in Wynwood plus expanded the brand outside of Florida with a debut in Atlanta last October. The Georgia expansion has been so well-received that the partners are currently scouting a second Atlanta location, with Alkassar noting that the city is becoming a \u201csecond home\u201d for the brand.<\/p>\n For now, Patel\u2019s presence continues through Ghee, while Miami Beach waits to see what Alkassar has planned for the 17th Street pivot.<\/p>\n Paya. 1209 17th St., Miami Beach. Now closed.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Food Alerts: Miami Bites newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tTHANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tCLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"the](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ghee_4.png\")
Chef Niven Patel (right) is a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: South, while restaurateur Mohamed Alkassar (left) got a 2023 nod for Outstanding Restaurateur.<\/p>\n![\"mafaldine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/230924_erba_41666.webp.jpeg\")
Esquire food and beverage editor Kevin Sintumuang has praised the former Erba for its handmade pastas<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Olee_Fowler.jpg\"){kind=avatar}
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n