Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
The Citadel debuts
Miami food hall, South Florida’s largest, will have 15 restaurants, rooftop bar
years after announcing its opening, the Citadel, the biggest food hall in South Florida, will finally debut this weekend in Miami’s Little River neighborhood.
The warehouse at 8300 NE Second Ave. will be home to a ground-floor food hall with 15 restaurant vendors and a small bar. There’s also Vue, the Citadel’s swanky 5,000-square-foot rooftop bar and lounge, and the Finery, a 9,000-square-foot retail and maker space for arts-andcrafts vendors. The 33,000-square-foot top floor, meanwhile, will serve as the regional headquarters for radio broadcaster Entercom Communications.
At 62,000 square feet, the Citadel easily dwarfs nearby food halls 1-800-LUCKY in Wynwood (10,000) and La Centrale in Brickell (40,000).
The food hall is throwing a three-day grand-opening party today through Monday, featuring live music, family activities, arts and crafts vendors and President’s Day drink specials.
Here’s a guide to everything you should know about the Citadel.
Why is the Citadel in Little River?
Originally built in 1951 as a First Federal Savings and Loan Bank, the building and its MiMo architecture fell into disrepair over the years. Owner Nick Hamann and his Urban Atlantic Group, which operates the sister co-working space MADE at the Citadel across the street, bought and began redesigning the building in 2016.
What’s to eat and drink at the Citadel?
There’s a lot, so don’t bother trying to conquer it all. Along with 16 art-and-crafts vendors, ranging from high-end sunglasses to holistic remedies to soap, there are these restaurants:
33 Kitchen: The late Peruvian restaurant in Coconut Grove gets a revival by husband-and-wife duo Leslie Ames and chef Sebastian Fernandez.
Ash! Pizza Parlor: A woodfired Neapolitan pizza restaurant, from the owners of Stanzione 87 in Brickell, uses ingredients imported from Italy.
Bachour: Pastry chef Anthony Bachour offers his pastries and gourmet chocolates at this bakery.
Bianco Gelato: The fifth location of Federico and Carla DiFranco’s Italian gelato shop.
Il Nuts: A purveyor of roasted Israeli nuts, seeds and snacks.
Manjay: A restaurant specializing in Caribbean cuisine.
Meet ‘n cheese: A charcuterie vendor selling imported cheese, wines, Italian salami and charcuterie boards from Mauro Bortignon.
Palmar: An outpost of the modern Chinese restaurant from chef Raymond Li, whose Wynwood flagship in 2018 was named one of Bon Appetit’s 50 best American restaurants.
Rare Burger: Owners Leslie Ames and chef Sebastian FernanTwo dez are also behind this hamburger space.
Society BBQ: A new barbecue joint from chef Richard Hales.
Palma Juice Co.: A grab-andgo juice café, which also features seasonal juices, soups and salads.
Taquiza: A Mexican taqueria from chef Steve Santana featuring tacos and other street fare.
Vice City Bean: A second location of the Miami neighborhood coffee bar.
For more information, go to TheCitadelMiami.com.