{"id":220775,"date":"2026-04-06T17:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/220775\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:05:09","slug":"tiger-saliba-rebuilds-bey-bey-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/220775\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Saliba Rebuilds Bey Bey Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the heart of Sunset Harbour, the Lebanese-Yucatecan dining destination, Bey Bey, reopened its doors. Ahead, Haute Living sat down with creator, Tiger Saliba, for an exclusive look inside the new Bey Bey.<\/p>\n

\"TigerPhoto Credit: Michael Persico <\/p>\n

HAUTE LIVING: Can you walk us through the reopening of Bey Bey?<\/p>\n

TIGER SALIBA: When we acquired the space in 2023 \u2014 after its initial opening \u2014 the kitchen wasn\u2019t built to the standard we needed. More importantly, it didn\u2019t allow for live-fuel cooking, and for me, that was a dealbreaker. I\u2019ve loved cooking over fire since I was a kid; real charcoal and wood are central to how I think about food. We operated as a pop-up with Chef Geoff Lee, and the response was strong, but demand quickly outpaced our ability to execute because the infrastructure wasn\u2019t there. Chef Geoff did an exceptional job within those limits, but we chose to do it properly: we closed, went through the permitting process, and rebuilt the kitchen from the ground up around a proper charcoal-and-wood hearth.<\/p>\n

Today, everything that leaves the kitchen is cooked over live fire \u2014 a rare setup in the city. Once we committed to rebuilding, it felt natural to expand the culinary vision. Chef Geoff traveled to M\u00e9rida to meet Roberto Sol\u00eds, and from the start, there was mutual respect. Their exchange of techniques and fire traditions is what ultimately shaped the relaunch and allowed Bey Bey\u2019s vision to fully evolve.<\/p>\n

HL: Bey Bey is rooted in the Lebanese phrase \u201cBeyte Beytak\u201d \u2014 \u201cmy home is your home.\u201d What inspired you to bring that sentiment to Miami?<\/p>\n

TS: \u201cHome\u201d is everything to me. I grew up in a five\u2011generation house my great\u2011great\u2011grandfather built; home was identity, memory, grounding. After everything unraveled and I had to leave my country, shaping this space gave me a way to rebuild what I\u2019d lost. Designing Bey Bey felt like designing my own home in a new country. From the moment you walk in, it doesn\u2019t feel like a restaurant: the kitchen counter is a real kitchen counter, the bar sits at kitchen height, and refrigerators are integrated into the back bar like at home. The living room reads like your best friend\u2019s tasteful 1970s house; the garden, tile, textures, and artwork \u2014 some pieces flown in from Beirut or donated by partners \u2014 carry memory. These aren\u2019t decorative choices; they\u2019re personal. The place is meant to embrace, not impress, and that warmth is immediate and genuine.<\/p>\n

\"TigerTiger Saliba<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: World Red Eye<\/p>\n

HL: Bringing Chef Roberto Sol\u00eds (from Huniik, ranked among the World\u2019s 50 Best) to Miami for his first U.S. project is a major coup. What are some standout dishes on the menu? What about cocktails?<\/p>\n

TS: Guests consistently rave about the short rib \u2014 it\u2019s become a signature that captures the depth and intensity of our live\u2011fire approach. Personally, the kibbeh steak tartare is my obsession: I love tartare, and our version channels that through a Lebanese lens \u2014 elegant, precise, and craveable. I recommend it to every table and still get excited about it every time. Cocktail highlights and the broader beverage program are evolving; we\u2019re building toward something very considered to match the food.<\/p>\n

HL: In terms of design, Michael Dolatowski\u2019s design creates a lush garden, jewel-toned dining room, and intimate \u201cLiving Room\u201d lounge that feels like a stylish friend\u2019s home. What was the inspiration behind this?<\/p>\n

TS: Once the name and philosophy\u2014Beyte Beytak\u2014were clear, everything clicked. Michael presented mood boards and immediately understood the emotional brief, not just an aesthetic one. The design felt like a direct extension of the concept: warmth, intimacy, and lived\u2011in elegance. It unfolded naturally because the partners and I knew what Bey Bey needed to feel like, and Michael had the sensitivity to execute it exactly.<\/p>\n

\"TigerPhoto Credit: Michael Persico <\/p>\n

HL: You built an iconic nightlife and hospitality scene in Beirut with venues like B018, \u00dcberhaus, and others. What was the hardest part about leaving that legacy behind, and what gave you hope when you arrived in Miami?<\/p>\n

TS: I didn\u2019t leave by choice\u2014I was pushed out. It was survival. I\u2019d built an empire in Beirut and had always dreamed of coming to the U.S., but life and responsibilities kept me there until everything changed. Leaving feels like living two lives; who I was then and who I am now don\u2019t fully overlap. What gave me hope was Miami\u2014the light, the green, the ocean breeze, the openness of the people\u2014landing here during a brutal period, and during COVID, no less.<\/p>\n

HL: Looking ahead, what\u2019s next for you in Miami\u2019s hospitality scene?<\/p>\n

TS: Right now, it\u2019s about focus \u2014 making sure Bey Bey and Caf\u00e9 du Bey are executed at the highest level and built to last. I have big ambitions for expansion and maybe even someday, a Hotel du Bey. And we have immediate plans to build a 360-degree back-bar to pursue a world-class cocktail program. But right now, I am laser-focused on fine-tuning the experiences that are slowly evolving into what we aim for them to be at Bey Bey and Caf\u00e9 du Bey.<\/p>\n

HL: What can we expect this season from Bey Bey in terms of programming? Anything else?<\/p>\n

TS: We want the places to feel alive year\u2011round\u2014nearly 365 days. Caf\u00e9 du Bey will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and extend into evenings and late nights on weekends, with community moments like cheese & wine nights and backgammon gatherings. Bey Bey will have a weekly rhythm: a Taco\u2011Tuesday\u2013style Mexico\/Lebanon mash\u2011up; Wednesdays with guest chefs; weekends anchored by our core food programming. We\u2019re launching lunch in February\u2014clean, grill\u2011forward bowls, salads, and lighter yet satisfying options. The wine program will expand toward one of the strongest selections in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the heart of Sunset Harbour, the Lebanese-Yucatecan dining destination, Bey Bey, reopened its doors. Ahead, Haute Living…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220776,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[100065,100066,100067,100068,100069,100070,100071,100072,100073,100074,123,125,100075,100076,124,100077,100078,100079,100080,100081,100082,100083,100084],"class_list":["post-220775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-bey-bey-kitchen-rebuild","tag-bey-bey-miami","tag-bey-bey-reopening","tag-bey-bey-sunset-harbour","tag-beyte-beytak","tag-charcoal-hearth-miami","tag-kibbeh-tartare-miami","tag-lebanese-mexican-fusion-miami","tag-lebanese-yucatecan-cuisine","tag-live-fire-cooking-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-hospitality-tiger-saliba","tag-miami-live-fire-restaurant","tag-miami-news","tag-roberto-solis-first-us-project","tag-roberto-solis-miami","tag-short-rib-bey-bey","tag-sunset-harbour-dining","tag-sunset-harbour-restaurant","tag-tiger-saliba-bey-bey","tag-tiger-saliba-miami","tag-wood-fired-cooking-miami"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}