At the corner of Miracle Mile and Galliano Street, a small dining room with banquettes, a sushi bar and a cocktail bar opened in October. Imoto is the Coral Gables version of a restaurant Clay Conley already runs in Palm Beach. It sits around the corner from Buccan, another Palm Beach name Conley and the Ember Group brought to the Mile earlier this year, and from Buccan Sandwich Shop next door. The Miami Herald calls Imoto the third part of the Miracle Mile trio.
The same thing is happening across the city. Most of the restaurants opening, reopening or announced in Coral Gables this fall are names that succeeded somewhere else first: Palm Beach, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Washington, or the same address a year ago. Bar Zorro and Pizza Bear are the main exceptions. Here is where the established names are landing, and what the downtown calendar looks like around them through early December.
Miracle Mile Gets a Third Door From One Operator
Imoto builds on Buccan's crowds. When Buccan opened its Coral Gables location this year, diners came to see what the fuss was about, the Herald reported, and lined up for the sandwiches next door. Imoto is the smaller, more intimate room of the three. Peter Niemitz Design did the interiors, with architectural help from Spina O'Rourke + Partners.
Conley has said the menu draws on his years living and working in Tokyo. It starts with shareable plates such as crispy Peking duck tacos, lomo saltado gyoza and Australian wagyu bao, and moves on to nigiri, rolls, tuna foie sliders and Kurabuta short rib burnt ends. Imoto serves dinner only, from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Asked about the growing number of restaurants in the Gables, Conley told the Herald in May that he wasn't worried about oversaturation. "We just do what we do well — execute and give good hospitality, be nice to people," he said.
Merrick Park Brings a Manhattan Name South
La Pecora Bianca is the biggest of the new rooms. The New York Italian restaurant, led by founder and owner Mark Barak, chose Coral Gables for its first location outside New York City, according to Haute Living. The format is all-day dining built around housemade pasta.
The Miami Guide reported a public opening on November 2 at 360 San Lorenzo Ave. in the Shops at Merrick Park. The restaurant has 300 seats and serves its signature dishes alongside new items created for the South Florida debut. Miami New Times placed it in Suite 1430. Its fall preview said only "November," so check the restaurant's own channels before planning a first visit around a specific date.
A 300-seat restaurant is built for weekday lunches, business dinners and family gatherings at the same time.
Where the New Rooms Come From
| Restaurant | Address | Where the name started | Status as of early November |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imoto | 100 Miracle Mile at Galliano St. | Palm Beach | Open, dinner nightly |
| La Pecora Bianca | 360 San Lorenzo Ave., Shops at Merrick Park | New York City | Announced public opening Nov. 2 |
| Havana Harry's | 4612 Le Jeune Road | Same address, reopened | Open since Oct. 19; breakfast slated for Dec. 1 |
| Trabocchi concept at Thesis | 1350 S. Dixie Hwy. | Chef behind Fiola in Washington, D.C. | Expected early 2027 |
| Katsuya at Thesis | 1350 S. Dixie Hwy. | Hollywood, Calif., 2007 | Expected mid-2027 |
| Bar Zorro | 146 Giralda Ave. | New to the Gables | Open |
| Pizza Bear | 1831 Ponce de Leon Blvd. | New to the Gables | Open Wednesday to Sunday |
Thesis Hotel Trades Two Rooms for Two Known Names
The same pattern plays out over a longer timeline on South Dixie Highway. According to the Miami Herald, Thesis Hotel owner Nolan Reynolds International has partnered with Sam Nazarian's sbe to take over the hotel's restaurants. The Collab will close before the end of 2026. Mamey is also closing, though no date has been given.
Both replacements are names Miami diners already know. Chef Fabio Trabocchi, whose Fiola in Washington, D.C. holds a Michelin star and who created Fiola Miami in 2018, will open a new Mediterranean concept in The Collab's space. The Herald says it will not be Fiola, and it is expected in early 2027. Katsuya, the Japanese sushi and robata restaurant that first opened in Hollywood in 2007, is expected in Mamey's space in mid-2027. Its earlier Brickell and Miami Beach locations have closed.
Reynolds told the Herald that Trabocchi "has already built a special connection with Coral Gables." Nazarian, who lives in the Gables, said bringing Katsuya "to my own community is personal." Ivy Rooftop, the open-air bar on the hotel's third floor, is not part of the change. That makes Ivy Rooftop the one steady part of Thesis between now and mid-2027.
A Return on Le Jeune Road
Havana Harry's, at 4612 Le Jeune Road, is the clearest example of a name that already succeeded here. It reopened on October 19 after more than a year closed, with Centurion Restaurant Group operating it, the Miami Herald reported. Breakfast is scheduled to return on December 1.
The Two Newcomers
Bar Zorro and Pizza Bear are the two genuinely new names. Coral Gables Magazine describes Bar Zorro, at 146 Giralda Ave., as a Spanish tapas bar with exposed brick and dark wood whose menu is still a work in progress. Spanish dishes are being added alongside staples like tortilla de patata and pan con tomate. Daily happy hour runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with $8 wines, $5 beers and $10 cocktails against an $18 regular cocktail price.
Pizza Bear took over MKT Kitchen's former space at 1831 Ponce de Leon Blvd. It serves wood-fired sourdough pizza in a counter-service room with checkered floors and a disco ball, and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Because Bar Zorro sits directly on Giralda Plaza, it is part of the first Friday of the month.
November 6 Is the Big Downtown Evening
The City of Coral Gables has scheduled two of its monthly programs for the same Friday. Giralda Live turns Giralda Plaza, at 120 Giralda Ave., into a pedestrian street from 7 to 11 p.m., with live music from 8 to 10 p.m. On November 6 the band is Pamir y La Pachanguísima, led by Grammy-winning Venezuelan flutist, saxophonist and vocalist Pamir Guanchez, playing salsa, tropical rhythms and jazz. The series is a collaboration between Diageo and the City.
Gables Gallery Night falls on the same evening, with participating galleries open from 6 to 10 p.m. The City had not yet posted the list of galleries. Galleries open at 6, an hour before the plaza fills, and the music ends at 10, about when Imoto's kitchen closes on a Friday.
Giralda Live runs on the first Friday of every month through May, but the City says there will be no edition this December. That leaves November 6 as the last one of 2026.
The Calendar Through Early December
- Friday, Nov. 6: Giralda Live, 7 to 11 p.m., and Gables Gallery Night, 6 to 10 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13: The 18th Annual William M. Schiff Art Show fills the halls of the Adult Activity Center with work by local professional and non-professional artists.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: The Giralda Plaza Artisan Market, 4 to 10 p.m., with more than 20 local artisan vendors and food and drink from nearby businesses, according to Coral Gables Magazine.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1: Breakfast is scheduled to return at Havana Harry's.
- Dec. 2 to Dec. 8: The Merrick Festival Caroling Competition, with local high school performers, according to the City's events calendar.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Gables Gallery Night returns, 6 to 10 p.m., without Giralda Live alongside it.
Restaurants with a strong track record are opening and returning across the Gables, and the city's arts programming still meets every month. Knowing which Fridays bring both together is useful whether you're hosting family over the holidays or showing a downtown block to someone new to the city. At Renier Casanova, we follow these changes along Miracle Mile, Giralda Plaza and Merrick Park as part of how we understand each address we represent. If you'd like to talk through what the coming year's openings mean for your part of the Gables, request a private consultation.
