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Gaia, a “made-in-Dubai” Greek-Mediterranean restaurant popular with globetrotting socialites and celebrities, will open in Miami’s South of Fifth neighborhood in February 2025. Positioned alongside hotspots Carbone, Joe’s Stone Crab, Stubborn Seed, Catch and Papi Steak, this is Gaia‘s first U.S. location following its star-frequented restaurants in London, Monte-Carlo, Marbella and Doha. (A$AP Rocky, Lebron James, Tom Cruise, Naomi Campbell, Novak Djokovic, Idris and Sabrina Elba, Peggy Gou and Roger Federer are just a handful of celebrity diners.)
UAE-based Fundamental Hospitality Founder Evgeny Kuzin and Chief Research Officer Chef Izu Ani created Gaia and 10 other concepts now poised for global expansion. This has sparked an east-to-west migration of culinary IP.
“Many people moved to Dubai post-pandemic and the city has expanded significantly. Today, Dubai is a melting pot of all nationalities. People from around the world visit or live there or have business interests. We develop our restaurant brands and IP in Dubai and scale them globally,” Kuzin tells The Hollywood Reporter, noting that Miami as a “cosmopolitan city with international clientele” mirrors many of the same characteristics and demographics as Dubai with a booming restaurant scene and a robust multi-cultural presence.
“A restaurant in Dubai can work anywhere because you need to tick every box to succeed in the competitive market,” Kuzin says.
The Russian entrepreneur’s UAE business journey began in 2010 by bringing international nightlife venues to Dubai, including nightclubs Movida and Sass Cafe. In 2016, he brought over the almost 100-year-old family-run dining institution Cipriani, which he calls his “greatest learning experience,” and later Cipriani Dolci. Dubai is now home to every major restaurant brand in the world. After years of importing, Kuzin decided to create his own.
The idea for his proprietary brands began to flow when he met Ani, the executive chef of La Serre, a Downtown Dubai restaurant next door to where Kuzin was opening a Japanese restaurant. Kuzin frequented La Serre for lunch. “We bonded when he used to come every day and eat the same thing,” says Ani. “When I left, he called and said he wanted to open a Mediterranean restaurant. I met him for lunch at Cipriani and he explained his idea. Ani jumped on board, and they set out to create a new international restaurant that would center around a “food-led journey.” They settled on Gaia, whose name is an homage to the goddess of earth and the mother of all life.
The restaurant’s design by London-based First Within draws inspiration from Greece’s mountains, blue seas and radiant sun. It features domed arches and Hellenistic statues framed by limestone walls. The 9,500 square-foot space occupies the ground floor of the Marea Condo building. Taking a chapter from the Cipriani playbook, the menu is the same at every location, and the architecture and materials are the same.
The dining room’s centerpiece is an ice market that showcases fish and seafood sourced from Greece and the Mediterranean Sea and cooked to preference in one of six ways: raw; grilled in the charcoal oven with lemon oil; baked ala Speciota with spiced tomato, Greek herbs and potatoes; steamed in salt crust with sage and orange zest; harissa-style with rosemary, garlic, chili, olive oil and lemon juice; and pan fried with lemon juice, dill, capers, dry tomatoes and almond.
The deconstructed whole sea bream carpaccio gets all the Instagram attention for its artful presentation of thinly sliced fish served with head and tail on. Other top orders include the Greek Salad with mountain tomatoes, barrel-aged feta and homemade pickled olives; orzo seafood pasta with calamari, prawns and clams in tomato sauce; and slow-cooked baby goat in our wood oven with Basmati rice.
Ani used a layered approach to give the food dimensions, adding his cultural kick to keep people interested and coming back.
“I’m from Nigeria and grew up in London. I’ve always kept my African heritage in my way of eating because my mother always says, food without spice is not food,” Ani says. “Greek food is tasty, clean and direct, but it can be bland because they just take the ingredient and present it — it’s honest. Let’s take that honesty and give it a little something so you get a kick.”
This biggest differentiator beyond anyone’s control is Mother Earth herself. Ani explains that working in disparate climates and geographic regions affects what he does in the kitchen.
“We cook with an understanding of what we are partnering with. The Greek salad is so simple because it’s just ingredients. The cucumber will change [based on location] — it’s 95 percent water. The soil changes the flavor. If we get seabream for London, which is not the same as we’ve used in Dubai, we also have to adapt the flavors, how we treat it and how we use the ingredients,” Ani says. “When we first opened in Monaco, all our recipes were overly intense and salty, so we had to reduce everything. The thing that is the most consistent is the olive oil. A farm in Greece [produces] our olive oil, and we use that around the world.”
Miami promises a lively bar area, members club and speakeasy, all with entertainment. However, “the restaurant is a restaurant. The main focus is on food. We focus on the fundamental things that people coming for dinner are enjoying: food and service,” Kuzin says, guaranteeing that at Gaia, you can expect a dinner conversation, not a dinner party. “When the music is loud, and the restaurant is loud, I just want to pay the bill and leave because I went for dinner to enjoy company with my friends or to meet new people.”
Fundamental Hospitality plans to open 100 venues globally in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. over the next five years. Gaia’s future locations include Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York. They are looking for a Miami Brickell location for La Maison Ani, their three-meal-a-day restaurant and the Asian concept Shanghai Me.
Every year, from fall to spring, Miami unveils a slew of new restaurants. Many make their debuts leading up to or in December to take advantage of the influx of people coming to the city for Miami Art Week. Here are the ones to keep on your culinary radar, along with a few of the newest and most convenient hotels to complement the experience.
Sunny’s
Sunny’s, from the team that created the award-winning cocktail bar Jaguar Sun (Will Thompson and chef Carey Hynes), began as a dinner party (Sunny’s Someday Steakhouse) in a brick courtyard in Miami’s Little River neighborhood during the height of the pandemic. It’s back in the same location but with a permanent 220-seat indoor/outdoor restaurant. Inside Palm Beach Regency crosses with mid-century modernism, antique light fixtures glitter, hand-carved woodwork exudes detail and stone floors ground the experience. Outside, find a bar and white-tabled cloth dining area around the signature banyan tree.
It’s got all the things a Miami steakhouse should have: a raw bar of local delicacies, including Treasure Coast oysters, royal red shrimp and stone crab from Jay Bruns; Sunny’s signature cut the USDA prime hanger steak and American and Australian wagyu dry-aged and cooked over a live oak fire with sauces such as Périgourdine, potato butter, and a rosé vinegar-spiked bone marrow vinaigrette. The now-shuttered Jaguar Sun’s sought-after hand-made pasta and Green Ghoul cocktail make their way over to the new joint, and there’s a pick-your-path martini menu that divinely pairs with french fries.
Sunny’s, 7357 NW Miami Ct., Miami, FL 33150
Sparrow Italia
The first of several openings from Noble 33 (the group behind Toca Madera in L.A.) set to sweep Miami, contemporary Italian steakhouse Sparrow Italia in Wynwood marries the culinary traditions of Italy and the Mediterranean. Sparrow Miami joins a sister location in London, while the L.A. outpost closed in 2024 over a union labor dispute. The menu offers over a half-dozen cuts of domestic and imported meat, lamb and veal, seafood (whole lobster and salt-baked snapper) and poultry (paillard and parm). Pizza and pasta round out the shares for the table (yes, there’s a spicy rigatoni and truffle cacao e pepe). The sunken dining room’s elevated stage features live entertainment as performers float through the restaurant playing saxophone sets.
Sparrow Italia, 255 NW 25th St., Miami, FL 33127
While dining there, stay at Moxy Miami Wynwood. Sparrow Italia is located inside the recently opened Moxy Miami Wynwood. It represents a new era for the neighborhood—not known for hotels—as it is the largest centralized hospitality project. Adjacent to the famed Wynwood Walls and steps away from highly trafficked shopping, art galleries and restaurants, Moxy features 120 rooms designed by iCrave. The playful brand taps into those who want a whimsical experience-based stay that encompasses much more than what happens in the room. Upon arrival, you will sip the colorful Moxy Welcome Cocktail, a Haku Vodka-infused drink made of locally inspired Yuzu and Lavender, hang out in the lobby with friends new and old and perhaps play board games or foosball or read one of the art and design books available and even enjoy the local DJ who might be spinning while you check-in. The rooms come in five configurations with very Miami names, such as the Graffiti Grove King, MIA Playground Double Queen, and the Mojito XL King Suite, ranging from 211 to 592 square feet. You can even request a bedtime story by clicking a button on the in-room phone. Rooms from $173/night at Tripadvisor and Booking.com.
Mother Wolf Miami
If there has ever been a restaurant primed for Miami opulence, it’s L.A. mainstay Mother Wolf, from two-time James Beard-nominated chef Evan Funke and Dan Daley’s Ten Five Hospitality. It has just made its way across the U.S. and is now open in the Design District. The restaurant serves Roman-inspired cuisine like the famed crispy short-rib meatballs, wood-fired spicy Diavola pizza, a dozen hand-made pasta, seafood including capesante alla spiedo (grilled diver scallops) and branzino alla brace (whole roasted Mediterranean sea bass with fennel), and meat dishes like tagliata di manzo (prime ribeye cap with wild arugula) and costolette d’agnello fritto (fried lamb chops). Martin Brudnizki Design Studio created the over-the-top interiors with a fountain wall, a 30-foot bar, gold marble tables, wood paneling and brass accents. Power booths look into the open kitchen, and hand-blown Murano glass chandeliers and sconces illuminate the beautiful surroundings.
Unique to the Miami location, Funke’s pasta lab gives insight into the daily pasta-making operations, and there are Miami-inspired dishes like spaghetti Ricci di Mare with sea urchin and a Fritto Misto di Mare. The wine program at Mother Wolf stocks more than 400 labels, focusing on Italy’s Piedmont, Tuscany and Sardinia, with multi-generational family producers and emerging estates and an emphasis on organic and sustainable practices.
Mother Wolf, 3841 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, FL 33137
Aviv
Located on the ground floor of 1 Hotel South Beach, Aviv (spring in Hebrew), is the new Israeli restaurant from the creators of Philadelphia’s Zahav and Laser Wolf, five-time James Beard Award winner Chef Michael Solomonov and three-time James Beard Award winner Restaurateur Steve Cook. Specialty dishes include Yemenite-style bread rolled by hand to Solomonov’s hummus, mezze plates and kebabs grilled to order over charcoal in the open kitchen. This culinary adventure includes ancient cooking methods that lead to soulful cuisine and an environment that captures the excitement of Tel Aviv and Miami. There’s an open kitchen, indoor and outdoor seating and a bar and lounge for pre-dinner cocktails or a nightcap.
Aviv, 2341 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139
While dining there, stay at 1 Hotel South Beach, where Aviv is located, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025. It stands as one of the mainstay luxury hotels on Collins Avenue. (Rosewood, Aman and Proper will join the pack in the coming years.) Miami was, in fact, the first property for the brand to combine biophilic design and sustainable practices with the comfort and service of a luxury hotel. Occupying an entire city block, 1 Hotel is known for its varied environments, including 425 rooms with driftwood furniture and design elements derived from nature, and the new Tala beachfront restaurant, bar and lounge and Watr at 1 Rooftop, as well as full beach-side service. Rooms from $706/night at Tripadvisor and Booking.com.
Cartegena
From Colombian Chef Juan Manuel “Juanma” Barrientos, Cartegena located in SLS South Beach, marries the charm of the Caribbean with the boldness of Miami. It takes the place of José Andrés’ Bazaar, which closed in 2023. “Juanma” is the creator of Elcielo Restaurants in Medellín, Bogotá, Miami and Washington, D.C., and earned the first Michelin star in history for a Colombian restaurant. His new concept, Cartagena, follows a highly successful Elcielo SLS South Beach pop-up. The menu features both coastal and culturally relevant dishes such as corn bunuelos, ropa vieja croquetas, cheese and plantain empanadas, crab arepas, chicharron ceviche and titote rice. For an unexpected twist, find innovative creations like smoked wagyu nigiri, wagyu tartare, lobster roll and grilled tuna, which blend eclectic flavors with Colombian influence.
Cartegena, 1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139
While dining there, stay at SLS South Beach. Lenny Kravitz’s Kravitz Design recently remodeled the Tower and Villa penthouses, inspired by the home of a world traveler and decorated with a global eclectic aesthetic. The 1,117-square-foot Villa Penthouse — with a kitchen, wet bar, walk-in closet, one-bedroom and one and one-half baths — offers private access to Hyde Beach and a wraparound balcony overlooking the pool. Inside, find walls outfitted with reclaimed cypress panels and accents of black marble. The dining and living areas feature a wood table with black leather chairs, a copper chandelier, deep-orange velvet couches with plaid ottomans and marble coffee tables. The 1,044-square-foot Tower Penthouse showcases ocean views from every window and a private rooftop terrace. Some amenities include art-filled living and dining areas with black and white checkerboard marble flooring, a custom dining table featuring a green marble top surrounded by seagrass woven chairs, a bar framed in leather paired with jade-colored countertops and black stools. The Tower Penthouse includes a freeform bed and a large bathtub on a raised platform. Total rockstar status right there. Rooms from $271/night at Expedia, Tripadvisor and Booking.com.
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