{"id":302331,"date":"2026-06-10T09:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/302331\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:08:10","slug":"casa-vialetto-draws-crowds-in-coral-gables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/302331\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa Vialetto draws crowds in Coral Gables"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Restauranteur<\/p>\n

Restaurateur Marcelo Chopa in the dining room of his new Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables.<\/p>\n

Pedro Portal<\/p>\n

pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

These days, busy is a way of life for Marcelo Chopa.<\/p>\n

The chef and restaurateur, who just opened Casa Vialetto on Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables, can\u2019t quite believe the flurry of diners flocking to his new restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been crazy,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt\u2019s been nonstop. I need to catch up on paperwork! But I\u2019m happy, so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rush shouldn\u2019t be much of a surprise for Chopa, who has been a Gables fixture since he moved to Miami-Dade from Buenos Aires more than 30 years ago. After working in restaurants around the city, in 1999, he and then-partner Ernie Fernandez opened the incredibly popular Italian restaurant Caffe Vialetto, which became a go-to spot for family milestones and friendly gatherings. Patrons raved about the food and the hospitality, praising the genuine family-style feel of the place.<\/p>\n

\"Patrons Patrons enjoy lunch at Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Chopa and Fernandez sold the property and closed the restaurant<\/a> last summer, setting off widespread mourning. Now, Chopa has opened Casa Vialetto, his first restaurant on his own, a sister to the original Caffe Vialetto. It\u2019s still Italian, still warm, still hospitable. And Coral Gables (and beyond) is responding enthusiastically to its opening.<\/p>\n

You can see it in the way Chopa greets every guest at the door, shaking hands or embracing them like old friends, grinning and eager to show off the new space.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost all of them have been clients from Caffe Vialetto,\u201d Chopa says. \u201cThere are a few new clients, and they have repeated already. But I can say 90 percent of them are old clientele.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A waiter takes photos of lunchtime diners at Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Casa Vialetto \u2014 the name is similar to its predecessor for obvious reasons \u2014 is smaller than Caffe Vialetto, but its size makes it feel warm and cozy.<\/p>\n

Maybe a little too cozy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the inside of the last restaurant wasn\u2019t as nice as this,\u201d Chopa says, laughing. \u201cOne thing I\u2019ve realized is people come to Casa Vialetto, and they don\u2019t want to leave! They stay forever at the table even if I need that table for someone else!\u201d<\/p>\n

The menu is more or less the same as it was at the original restaurant, not surprising when you realize the kitchen crew is the same as it was at Caffe Vialetto. You\u2019ll find carpaccio and calamari, all sorts of pasta and risotto, as well as insanely good short rib dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Chef Chef Ernesto Urroz prepares some dishes at Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

And in a nod to one of Caffe Vialetto\u2019s favorite specialties, Chopa and his kitchen serve up an inspiring mango-glazed hogfish, not too sweet, not too sticky, with firm, perfectly sauteed fish. It will always be on the menu, Chopa says \u2014 unless he runs out of mango because the restaurant is so busy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to serve a lycee mojito the other night instead of mango,\u201d he admits. \u201cWe ran out of mango.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately summertime means mangoes in Miami<\/a>, so that\u2019s unlikely to happen again any time soon. So far, though, the onslaught of diners shows no signs of slowing. The restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner, was going to be open daily, but Chopa plans to close on Mondays for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kitchen needs to rest,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a good excuse to take a little break.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sugar Sugar-crusted salmon with mango mojito sauce over risotto at Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

There\u2019s another reason Chopa is thrilled to be back in the restaurant business: He can work with his children. His son Lucas, 27, started working night shifts at 16 at Caffe Vialetto and is now making the transition to front-of-house manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me he didn\u2019t want to cook anymore, and I said, \u2018OK, whatever position you want,\u2019\u201d Chopa says. \u201cI trust him. It\u2019s natural, to want to be with my son. My two daughters help with the social media, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the workload, he\u2019s where he wants to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m tired, but I\u2019m smiling,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m so happy in the place I wanted to be for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Restaurateur Restaurateur Marcelo Chopa posed outside of his restaurant Casa Vialetto in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com Casa Vialetto<\/p>\n

Where: 276 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables<\/p>\n

Hours: Noon-11 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday<\/p>\n

Reservations: OpenTable<\/a><\/p>\n

More information: www.casavialetto.com<\/a> or 305- 926-1928<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Calamari Calamari Fra Diavolo at Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don\u2019t make her eat a mango.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Restaurateur Marcelo Chopa in the dining room of his new Casa Vialetto Italian restaurant in Coral Gables. Pedro…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-302331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302331","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=302331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}