August but the beat keeps on in food happenings in Miami including popular new spot Nami Nori, New York chef of the moment Kwame Onwuachi of Tatiana comes to Miami, great lunch deal off the radar screen, new Italian restaurant on Brickell and mezcal classes in Little Havana all in Eating News.
Nami Nori Design District is an ideal spot when you’re in the area and want a light, very tasty meal that’s a little different. The specialty here is Japanese temaki. They also happen to be eye candy, made with artistic flair at the hands of chefs Takahiro Sakaeda and Jihan Lee. And happily, you can try the place out thanks to their participation in Miami Spice for lunch and dinner. The menu is divided into cold and hot appetizers, soup, caviar, crispy rice chips and homemade dip, temaki selection and temaki sets.
We started with their signature tuna dip which was a little like a piquant tuna tartare, served with rice chips. Next up, yellowtail ceviche. These dishes, and in all cases, all the seafood was swimmingly fresh, tasting right off the boat. You can choose your temaki selection (five pieces in an order priced by the piece with most $7-$9) from a wide selection of 28 in the categories of original, classic, plant based and crunchy, but much better to me are the curated samplers of five pieces: starter set, signature set and vegetarian set. Each of us got a different sampler so we could switch pieces if we wanted. For instance, I have a shrimp allergy so I gave my coconut shrimp piece to Mr. W and got a cucumber black sesame instead that looked like one of my earrings. It was so arty.
In most hand roll restaurants the temaki comes ready to eat, already wrapped and made into a cone. Here, they give you a wooden box filled with square sheets of dried seaweed. Then you get the sampler with each piece separate. You take the seaweed sheet, put it under the nigiri, pull out the wooden slab that supports the nigiri and voila, ready to eat. Novel and fun, with each bite being a discovery as well as being delicious.
We chose not to have dessert though there were appealing options like mochurros and sesame miso chocolate chip cookies. They have a signature cocktail selection priced from $14 – $18 and wine that starts at $14 a glass.
Miami Spice for lunch is offered Monday through Friday for $35, including choice of appetizer, choice of three temaki and cookie. Dinner is also offered weekdays for $45 with a choice of appetizer, choice of dinner set and cookie. At dinner there’s a wine option, a bottle of Chardonnay for $60. There’s valet parking for $5 and garages nearb
Trinidadian chef Kwame Onwuachi whose New York restaurant Tatiana known for its Afro-Caribbean cuisine is one of the hottest tickets in town, is a partner in a new South Beach rum bar and restaurant, Las’ Lap Miami. The owners describe it as “having the pulse of Carnival and the soul of the Caribbean along with a best in class rum program”.In the Daydrift Hotel, it’s named for Las’Lap referring to the final hours of Carnival.
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Onwuachi is crafting a food menu that reflects his heritage which includes Creole, Nigerian, Jamaican and Trinidad roots; the exuberance of Carnival; and, the spirit of Miami. Menu highlights include Escovitch Crab Claws with pickled white onion, carrot; South Beach Snapper with guacamole & tostones; Jerk Mushroom Yakitori, King Oyster Mushroom, Caribbean tare ;Wagyu Griot, pikliz, green aioli; and tropical sorbets.
The beverage program is a curated collection spanning Jamaican and Trinidadian distilleries, rare Brazilian cachaças, and select bottles from Japan. juice, agave
For reservations, visit https://resy.com/cities/miami-fl/venues/laslap-miami?date=2025-08-05&seats=2.
I’ve passed by Las Tapas de Rosa on Eighth Street many times and heard it had good family style Spanish cooking but never made it there. Then, Mr. W went there and told me I shouldn’t miss it, so went there with a friend and we both really enjoyed it. Intimate, cozy and friendly, with a small grocery store at the entrance, it reminded me of many of the restaurants I’ve been to in Spain over the years. They have the Spanish classics — paellas, tortillas, croquetas, and more, well prepared, and tasty, and a real value lunch special. I had a mixed salad with Spanish tuna and a lemon sole filet grilled with garlic and olive oil with a choice of side — potatoes, rice or grilled vegetables. The filet was so large I took half of it home. All for $18.99, a real deal. Service was friendly and attentive, and there’s a free adjacent parking lot.
The Brickell restaurant scene is starting to heat up with new entries after a bit of a lull. Next up is Pasta & Juliet by The Dirty Rabbit Group at 1000 South Miami Avenue . Besides a selection of Italian favorite dishes and cocktails, they’ll have a Mozzarella bar with fresh cheeses and salads. Choose from indoor or outdoor seating in a spacious terrace. Formerly the site of One K Bar that had a terrific champagne happy hour, the owners have reimagined it into a speakeasy Sunday through Wednesday, from 4PM-12AM and Thursday through Saturday, from 4PM-2AM. The after hours venue features plush sofas and tables for bottle service, and a full-service bar, and a playlist designed to keep the energy high and the dance floor alive well into the early hours. Weekly programming includes Happy Hour, the throwback party series B4 the Internet, and Stand-Up Comedy Nights every Wednesday.
Pasta & Juliet is open daily from 12 PM to 11 PM, offering lunch, dinner, and a dedicated kids’ menu every day. For night owls, a late-night menu features specialty pizzas and classic Italian bites. To learn more, visit www.pastaandjuliet.com or follow along on social media at @pastaandjuliet.
Always wanted to know more about mezcal? Bistro Ocho in Little Havana is launching a monthly “Mezcal School” program. Presented in collaboration with members of the agave community, it will feature a casual but in-depth exploration of mezcal’s rich history, traditions, and craftsmanship. Bistro Ocho’s Mezcal School, with sessions capped at 12 ‘students’, offers a deep dive into agave spirits every third Wednesday at the restaurant’s bar. Students will learn how different mezcals and agave spirits express themselves in both neat tastings and paired cocktails. The exploration is completed with a thoughtfully chosen selection of antojitos (like tapas), specially created by Bistro Ocho to elevate the mezcal experience.
The inaugural session, titled “Agave 101: Agave Angustifolia (Espadin)” will take place on August 20th, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The cost to attend is $55/per person plus tax and gratuity.
Agave 101: An in-depth look into the Agave Angustifolia (Espadin), the most commonly used agave to produce mezcal. Session 1 will include a quick breakdown of the plant, terroir, and production influence. This class will focus on the land of Oaxaca and Manojo Mezcal, made in San Luis del Rio, discussing husband and wife mezcaleros Joel Valesco and Felicitas Hernandez.
Reservations for Mezcal School can be made through RESY, opening four weeks prior to each event date. Each Mezcal School Session will be $55-75 (plus tax and tip) per person, inclusive of all food and beverage and depending on the contents of the class. Guests are welcome to stay at the bar afterward to enjoy dinner or more drinks.
For reservations go to: https://resy.com/cities/miami-fl/venues/bistro-8/events/mezcal-school-2025-08-20?date=2025-08-05&seats=2
Light Bites:
Some of you might know Amazonico from Madrid (London, Dubai or Monte Carlo), a hot spot for drinks, dining and a party atmosphere a la Miami with a main restaurant, bar and lounge. The cuisine is a blend of tropical and Latin American cuisines inspired by the countries of the Amazon and “the unique Asian and Mediterranean communities that inhabit them”. It’s coming to 800 Brickell Avenue in September.
