World-famous Israeli chef from Tel Aviv opens first U.S. restaurant in Miami
Tom Aviv, the Israeli chef who became famous after winning “MasterChef Israel” in 2016, has just opened a new restaurant in Miami.
Located in Upper Buena Vista, just south of Michelin-star winner Boia De and its new sister restaurant Walrus Rodeo, Branja Miami serves cuisine inspired by its chef’s Tel Aviv background. The menu is kosher-style, and all of the dishes make judicious use of Israeli spices and flavors.
The 3,000-square-foot space, which formerly belonged to the coffee spot Cafe Creme Miami, has indoor and outdoor seating. With the exception of a few tables at the edge of the dining area, the outdoor seating is protected by a stained glass roof. The space features an outdoor mural with retro art vignettes by Tel Aviv artist Paul Curran.
Inside, at the 12-seat Captain’s Table, omakase-style tastings are offered twice each night. Through an open kitchen, guests can watch the chefs put their meals together. And if that bar looks familiar, here’s why: It’s the bar from the Delano Hotel’s Florida Room, which was designed by rocker Lenny Kravitz.
The menu will change with the seasons and is designed for sharing. Signature dishes include fish and bread, a cevichelike starter, and Falafish, a falafel and juice fish hybrid. There’s also Fishwarma, made with a spiced fish mix that includes fatty salmon and grouper.
Other choices include Krouv (cabbage cooked like slow-cooked short rib) and Mama Ligua (corn polenta with caramelized leeks and truffles). Kosher dishes include Tuktuk Kebab, beef “tarpaccio,” a blend of beef tartare and carpaccio; and Orthodox steak, a Glatt Kosher ribeye.
The restaurant will also offer craft cocktails like Purple Rain with za’atar infused tequila and butterfly pea, an homage to the margarita, and the Paloma & Yaya, a raisin-infused Arak with ginger and grapefruit.
Aviv, whose first restaurant, Coco Bambino, offered Israeli food with an Italian flair, is no stranger to opening restaurants.
His Fat Cow won TimeOut’s “Best Hamburger in Tel Aviv” for three years, and he was the first Israeli chef to open a restaurant in Casablanca with Milk + Honey after a historic peace agreement between Israel and Morocco. He said in a statement that
moving into Miami is a good fit for Branja (the word is Hebrew slang translating roughly to “a circle of friends”).
“Miami’s melting pot of cultures and cuisines is much like my own culinary inspirations, which combine the flavors of my upbringing in Israel with my travels,” he said.
BRANJA MIAMI
Where: 5010 NE Second Ave., Miami
Hours: 6:30-11 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 5-11 p.m. Saturday; brunch noon-6 p.m. Sunday
More information and reservations: 786-765-5555 or branjamiami.com
Connie Ogle: 305-376-3649, @OgleConnie