Miami Herald (Sunday)

This glam new Mexican spot in Coral Gables offers two floors of dining and a rooftop bar

- BY CONNIE OGLE cogle@miamiheral­d.com Connie Ogle: 305-376-3649, @OgleConnie

The restaurant landscape of Coral Gables can’t stop booming.

The latest addition to the city is Maiz y Agave, a three-story dining and drinking destinatio­n on the edge of Miracle Mile that highlights the cuisine and culture of Oaxaca, Mexico.

The twist with Maiz y Agave, which is led by executive chef Christian Moreno, each floor has its own specialty and distinctio­n.

On the first floor, El Patio offers a more casual, less fussy experience. Expect menu items like tableside guacamole, salads, soups and mariscos (seafood bites) as well as such entrees as mole negro, cochinita pibil (barbecue pork) and tradition tlayudas (a large, crispy tortilla smothered in beans, meat, cheese and salsa).

The first floor bar, Mastur Bar, serves beer, cocktails and mezcal.

Upstairs, you’ll find the more upscale Los Balcones, which features five of the traditiona­l Oaxacan

moles. The menu includes dishes like almond mole with duck, chile en nogada (poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo topped with a walnut-based cream sauce) and lobster tail in Oaxacan sauce.

On the rooftop sits La Azotea, the rooftop bar with views of Coral Gables, which is open late on weekends and has happy hour Monday through

Friday. Cocktails are king here, although there’s also a healthy selection of beer and mezcals as well.

Chef Moreno, who’s from Oaxaca, said that the restaurant offers authentici­ty along with its specialtie­s.

“When we open the door to our home, we open the door to our heart,” he said in a statement. “We want our

guests to fully experience the real Mexico through culture, cuisine and hospitalit­y.”

MAIZ Y AGAVE

Where: 375 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday; 11 a.m.midnight WednesdayT­hursday; 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Friday-Saturday

Opening: April 26

Reservatio­ns: OpenTable

More informatio­n: www.maizyagave.com or 305-723-9898

 ?? ?? Los Balcones, the upscale dining room Maiz y Agave restaurant in Coral Gables, features Oaxacan cuisine. There’s also a more casual first floor, El Patio, and a rooftop bar.
Los Balcones, the upscale dining room Maiz y Agave restaurant in Coral Gables, features Oaxacan cuisine. There’s also a more casual first floor, El Patio, and a rooftop bar.
 ?? Credit ?? The rooftop bar at Maiz y Agave, a new Mexican restaurant on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.
Credit The rooftop bar at Maiz y Agave, a new Mexican restaurant on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.

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