New Mediterranean Restaurant to Open at Ritz Carlton South Beach

José Andrés, a chef and the creator of World Central Kitchen, is coming back to Miami Beach; his restaurant group intends to open a new eatery at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, Zaytinaya.

The Bazaar by José Andrés, the only restaurant Andrés owned in Miami Beach, closed earlier this year at the SLS South Beach hotel. Elcielo, the eatery owned by Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos Valencia, has taken its spot. In 2022, Elcielo in Brickell was awarded a Michelin star. The Ritz Carlton’s old Fuego y Mar property will house Zaytinya’s third restaurant; the previous two locations debuted in Washington, D.C., in 2002, and New York, in 2022.

All food and beverage operations for the opulent hotel, a Forbes Four-Star establishment at 1 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, including the restaurants, lobby bar, Ritz Club lounge, and in-room dining, will be taken over by The José Andrés Group. Fuego y Mar Mediterranean restaurant’s present location will be taken up by the new Zaytinya restaurant.

The name is Turkish for “olive oil,” which is appropriate: Lebanese, Greek, and Turkish cuisines are reflected in the menu. The firm hopes to launch Zaytinya by the end of 2023 but hasn’t provided any information regarding the menu or a timeline for Fuego y Mar’s closure.

This week, the organization will begin hiring employees at the restaurant. In the United States, the Bahamas, and the United Arab Emirates, the José Andrés Group has more than 30 eateries.