"I always liked Coral Gables," Clay Conley told the Miami Herald in May. "We just kind of kept our eyes open for a spot down here." The spot he found was 100 Miracle Mile. Conley's Buccan opened there in May 2026, and it became the first in a line of restaurant brands from elsewhere that have since chosen the Gables for an early South Florida location.
The pattern now covers four cities. A bagel shop from Washington, D.C., a pasta house from New York and a burger bar from Buenos Aires have all signed on the Mile or a few blocks from it. Over the same months, the Gables' own operators opened second concepts within walking distance. One of them, a six-station Italian food hall, opens this Thursday.
A Palm Beach Chef Takes the Long Way Back South
Conley isn't new to Miami. He spent more than five years as executive chef at Azul, the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key, before he and his Ember Group partners went north at the end of 2010 to open Buccan in Palm Beach. In 2019, a second Buccan was set for Brickell Avenue. The pandemic stopped that plan, and Major Food Group later opened Chateau ZZ's in the space. When the Michelin Guide came to Palm Beach in 2025, it added the original Buccan to the guide.
The Miracle Mile space turned one restaurant into three:
"The space just happened to be larger than what we'd use for Buccan. We liked the idea of having the sandwich shop for a daytime component, and the sushi place where we share management and prep team."
That's Conley again, from the same Herald interview. So 100 Miracle Mile now holds Buccan for dinner and Buccan Sandwich Shop for daytime sandwiches and takeout. The same address also holds Imoto, the Japanese sister restaurant that was founded in Palm Beach in 2012. Imoto's Gables menu includes Peking duck tacos, miso-marinated black cod and A5 Wagyu ribeye, served at a sushi counter and an eight-seat bar. Its OpenTable page is taking reservations for October.
Coral Gables Magazine reviewed Buccan in July and ended up defending the hot dog panini, made with kielbasa, sauerkraut, Gruyère, mustard and chili. If you know the Palm Beach original, the Gables kitchen is cooking the same food, just closer to home. Our earlier piece on Royal Poinciana Way covers how that island's dining scene developed.
The First-in-Florida Roster
Buccan opened the door, and the rest of the list is longer than most residents probably realize. As of early October, here is where each out-of-town arrival stands:
| Brand | Home base | Gables location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buccan and Buccan Sandwich Shop | Palm Beach | 100 Miracle Mile | Open since May |
| Imoto | Palm Beach | 100 Miracle Mile | Taking reservations |
| La Birra Bar | Buenos Aires | 219 Miracle Mile | Open |
| La Pecora Bianca | New York | 360 San Lorenzo Ave., Ste. 1430, Shops at Merrick Park | November, no date yet |
| Call Your Mother | Washington, D.C. | 317 Miracle Mile | Soft opening around Thanksgiving |
| H&H Bagels | New York | 2614 Ponce de Leon Blvd. | No date announced |
| 16 Handles | New York | Miracle Mile | No date announced |
Several of these are firsts. Call Your Mother began in D.C. in 2018 and now has more than 30 locations open or in the works across six states and the District. The Gables store is its first in Florida, in the space at 317 Miracle Mile where Bodega Taqueria used to be. Miami New Times reports that founders Andrew Dana and Daniela Moreira are moving their family down for the winter so they can get the bagels right. The menu includes sandwiches named the Delray Club and the Jetski.
La Pecora Bianca, the New York Italian restaurant known for its vodka rigatoni, is also opening its first Florida location in the Gables, at the Shops at Merrick Park. It is taking over the former Villagio space, and as of mid-September it had not announced a specific opening date.
H&H Bagels, founded in New York City in 1972, is taking the former Canton Too space on Ponce. It will be the brand's third Miami-area store, after Pinecrest and a planned Wynwood location. 16 Handles, a New York frozen yogurt chain, is making its Miami debut on Miracle Mile. Reports give two different street numbers, so check the storefront before you plan a visit. La Birra Bar started in 2001 as a family bar-café in Buenos Aires, run by siblings Daniel, Roxana and Renzo Cocchia. It switched to burgers in 2015, placed No. 7 on the 2025 World's 25 Best Burgers list, and its Golden Burger costs $11.90 on the Mile.
One Address, Two Shifts
Most of these brands share something with Buccan's layout. A lot of what's coming is built for daytime: two bagel shops, a frozen yogurt counter, and Joe & The Juice, which is planned for Merrick Park's second level next to Equinox. The Gables' own chefs have been building on the same idea.
At The Plaza Coral Gables, Chef Gerardo B. De Negri opened Cantina Leon at 2955 Ponce de Leon Boulevard with The Rabbit Group. It's a 7,500-square-foot restaurant modeled on 1920s Mexico City cantinas. Next door, Mercadito Cantina Leon opens at 9 a.m. for breakfast, coffee and tacos.
On the Mile, Chef Shingo Akikuni and managing partner Kenzie Motai followed their Michelin-starred omakase, SHINGO, with STAND. It's a 24-seat café at 98 Miracle Mile, in the former Mai Sushi Tapas Bar space. The draw is house-baked milk bread from Chef de Cuisine Lania Andrade, who was previously SHINGO's pastry chef. STAND has announced that it will turn into a dimly lit izakaya at night this fall, with seasonal small plates, sake, beer and wine. For now, its own site still lists only 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
The Homegrown Answer Opens Thursday
Erasmo Da Silva opened Zucca in the Gables in 2017. His new Italian food hall, Zuccaly, starts its soft opening at The Plaza Coral Gables on Thursday, October 8. Its neighbors there include MIKA, Cantina Leon, CVI.CHE 105 and Mottai. It has six stations:
- Portavia Gastro Market, with prepared foods and Italian imports to take home
- The Pasta & Risotto Hall
- La Biga Pizza Hall, whose dough takes six days to make
- The Grill & Fish Hall, cooking over live fire
- Il Giardino, for salads, antipasti and salumeria
- Dolci & Gelato
Soft-opening hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 8 and 9, then 1 to 8 p.m. on October 10 and 11. The hall closes the following Monday and Tuesday, and regular hours haven't been announced yet.
Other local operators have moved closer to the Mile. Caffe Vialetto spent 26 years on LeJeune Road just south of Bird Road. It reopened as Casa Vialetto at 276 Alhambra Circle, in the former Alta Gracia space, and quickly filled up with reservations. "Before we were strictly a destination restaurant," its co-founder told Coral Gables Magazine. "Now we are here on a street where pedestrians walk by." On Giralda, Bar Zorro opened at 146 Giralda Ave. with Spanish tapas and cocktails. It comes from the same restaurant family as Calista Taverna nearby.
The Mile by Street Number
Smaller openings have also changed a lot of storefronts since July. Here they are by address, east to west along the Mile and then around the downtown blocks:
- 111 Miracle Mile: Bonsai Sushi, in the former Chicken Kitchen space
- 127 Miracle Mile: Azul Modern Mexican Cuisine is coming to the former Kao Sushi & Grill. Owners Franklin and Alondra Andrade are aiming for this fall.
- 230 Miracle Mile: Sushi Sake reopened here in July after moving from 202 Miracle Mile, in the former Emmy Squared Pizza space
- 239 Miracle Mile: YoYo opened September 11, a café and frozen yogurt shop with a yoga studio on site
- 318 Miracle Mile: Ami Ami, a café, small art gallery and bookstore in one
- 392 Miracle Mile: Le Macaron French Pastries
- 110 Alhambra Circle: Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza from Chef Renato Viola, open since June 30
- 154 Giralda Ave.: Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop, in the former Candle Land space
- 1831 Ponce de Leon Blvd.: Pizza Bear, which set an August 21 opening
Some familiar names have changed too. Babette left 301 Alcazar Ave. for 5855 Sunset Drive in South Miami. It began dinner service there on September 4 and shares the space with Clásica Victoria, which handles daytime service. Sra. Martinez on Galiano Street announced September 26 as its last service, and the owners said they may use the space for a future concept. Green G Juice & Açai closed its 376 Miracle Mile shop and now points customers to its Edgewater location. At 2626 Ponce, Sospiro Wine Bar & Cucina posted that it was taking a short break. The Screaming Parrots, a Japanese-style tea, matcha and dessert café, is slated for that address but hasn't given a timeline.
The Calendar Through December
The confirmed dates are spread across the next two months:
- October 8 to 11: Zuccaly soft opening at The Plaza Coral Gables
- November: La Pecora Bianca at Shops at Merrick Park, exact date still pending
- Around Thanksgiving: Call Your Mother soft opening at 317 Miracle Mile
- Early December: Call Your Mother's full opening
Azul, STAND's evening service, H&H Bagels and 16 Handles are all expected sometime this season, but none has announced a firm date.
If the changes on the Mile have you thinking about how the city's two price tiers compare, our look at the Coral Gables two-speed market covers what the median doesn't show. For a broader look at the city, see the Coral Gables neighborhood guide.
When national brands sign leases on the same few blocks, it shows how operators see a street, and that view affects the homes around it. If you'd like to talk through what Miracle Mile's new lineup could mean for a Gables home you own or are considering, Tayse Dantas offers that conversation in English or Portuguese. Let's Connect.
