{"id":334144,"date":"2026-07-09T09:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/334144\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:38:11","slug":"san-marco-restaurant-opens-in-cotoletta-spot-in-south-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/334144\/","title":{"rendered":"San Marco restaurant opens in Cotoletta spot in South Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The main dining room of San Marco Italian restaurant in Miami Beach.<\/p>\n

Lorenzo Franco<\/p>\n

When 84 Magic Hospitality group opened its second location of Cotoletta, the Italian restaurant in Miami famous for serving only one dish<\/a>, co-owner Mattia Cicognani had reason to believe his team would be successful again.<\/p>\n

The first Cotoletta, on Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove, was an immediate hit and still draws lines of diners eager to try the restaurant\u2019s veal Milanese (which not incidentally is the only entree on the menu).<\/p>\n

Cotoletta 2.0 opened in Miami Beach<\/a> late in December of 2025. But its South of Fifth neighborhood proved swiftly to be a different sort of community, with customers looking for a different sort of dining experience.<\/p>\n

Cicognani knew what he had to do, and he didn\u2019t want to wait. He and partner Ignacio Lopez Mancisidor closed the restaurant for about 10 days, did a little renovation and at the end of May re-opened the space as San Marco, a traditional Italian trattoria.<\/p>\n

\"The The interior of San Marco Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. Lorenzo Franco <\/p>\n

Now, a little more than a month after reopening, customers have responded positively, and Cicognani says he is glad they made the change.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great thing for us,\u201d he says. \u201cI always put my ego apart when I choose to change everything. I try to understand and listen to my customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Named for Venice\u2019s famous public square, the new trattoria is what Cicognani, who was born in the Romagna region of Italy and grew up in a hospitality industry family, calls \u201cold school European.\u201d It\u2019s a small but homey space that seats anywhere from 45 to 50 guests indoors, with tables outside that can serve up to 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s charming but not too sophisticated,\u201d Cicognani says.<\/p>\n

\"A A cozy corner at San Marco Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. Lorenzo Franco <\/p>\n

The menu features well-known and popular Italian dishes, with different menus for day and night. During the day, you\u2019ll find a smaller number of offerings, such as panino with cotoletta (veal Milanese), proscuitto and fontina cheese on toast, turkey breast on a croissant. There are gelatos if you just want a snack and a small menu of coffee or wine, depending on what appeals most.<\/p>\n

At dinner, you\u2019ll find Italian comfort food like spaghetti al pomodoro, ragu pasta, even a vodka pasta that is flamb\u00e9ed and served tableside. There are a smattering of salads and main dishes like roasted half chicken, branzino, filet mignon and steak tartare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are dishes people already love,\u201d Cicognani says.<\/p>\n

\"Some Some of the pasta dishes at San Marco restaurant are served tableside, like the vodka pasta. Lorenzo Franco <\/p>\n

Mancisidor says that hospitality also has a starring role at San Marco.<\/p>\n

\u201cItalian hospitality is truly a unique excellence, made of attention, warmth and details that aren\u2019t taught but passed down,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what our guests will find at San Marco.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brand has faced other changes recently. Former partner Andrea Fraquelli has left the group. The brand\u2019s original Cotoletta remains open, as does San Lorenzo, its Italian spot near Little River, which offers only two entree choices<\/a> (carne or pesce?)<\/p>\n

But Si Papa, the group\u2019s tiny lasagna-only restaurant near Cotoletta in the Grove closed June 28<\/a> when its lease was up. Happily, Miami hasn\u2019t seen the last of that tasty lasagna, which comes in meat or vegetarian form. Cicognani just started a 10-day pop-up at Studio 24 Coffee at 1250 S. Miami Ave. in Brickell.<\/p>\n

\"The The exterior of San Marco Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. Lorenzo Franco <\/p>\n

The coffee shop will use the premises during the day, and Si Papa will serve lasagna at night. The pop runs from 5-11 p.m. daily through July 18. If it works out, the partnership may continue, at least for a while.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Cicognani hopes to continue building the customer base at San Marco, where he\u2019s beginning to see repeat local customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Italian, I\u2019m superstitious,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I have a good feeling about this restaurant. I would love to be the spot for the neighborhood South of Fifth. Simple food, not a crazy price \u2014 yes, I have a good feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Marco<\/p>\n

Where: 840 First St., Miami Beach<\/p>\n

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday<\/p>\n

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

More information: www.sanmarcomiami.com<\/a> or 305-397-8150<\/a><\/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":"The main dining room of San Marco Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. Lorenzo Franco When 84 Magic Hospitality…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-334144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334144","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=334144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}