Inside Miami’s Best New Japanese Restaurant: Sushi Garage
Sunset Harbour has been on fire lately. All the best new restaurants seem to be in that area. Sure it started with everything PubBelly, but now they’ve got NaiYaRa, La Moderna and now, Sushi Garage. With this latest venture it seems owners Jonas and Alexandra Millán and chef partner Sunny Oh knew exactly what they were doing. “Sunset Harbour is at the epicenter of Miami’s evolution of dining and restaurants,” says Millan. “We’re trying to keep it simple and provide locals and smart tourists a casual restaurant in an exciting ‘environment.’”
This savvy team is the same group responsible for Juvia on Lincoln Road and Bonito on St. Barth. Opened in what was once an auto body shop, Sushi Garage gives a nod to its history with giant, translucent garage doors that can be opened if the weather is just right. The Japanese-inspired wood and soft green design was created by Alejandro Barrios, who won The James Beard Foundation Design Award for its sister property Juvia in 2013. Alberto Cavalieri koi fish sculptures dangle from the ceiling and fresh ginger and herbs grow throughout the restaurant, giving the place a decidedly modern, organic feel.
They even have Instagram-perfect lighting at each table to better capture their mouth-watering dishes conceived by chef Sunny Oh, who spent more then 10 years as the executive chef of Nobu Restaurant on Miami Beach. With this kind of experience, its safe to say he knows how to create some of the best Japanese cuisine this city has seen.
Despite the name, there is much more to Sushi Garage than succulent sushi or specialty nigri like Wagyu Black-Garlic, Tuna Soy Salt and King Crab Yuzu Chili with micro basil and lime. There are main entrees to die for such as the Sashimi-Grade Tuna Steak, Miso Maple Seabass and Sliced Tenderloin Teriyaki. They come out just perfectly, the right mix of salty and sweet, with top-grade ingredients that melt in your mouth.
Cocktails are a thing here too, crafted by Bonito St. Barth’s award- winning mixologist Jerome Hurtado, as is the sake menu which has six different sakes including Tatenokawa Yuzu Sake and Born Gold Junmai Ginjo, which are available by the glass or carafe. Soon you’ll be able to get more than food and drink at Sushi Garage as they are promising a lifestyle retail component in synch with their aesthetic.
Sushi Garage | 1784 West Ave., Miami Beach 305-763-8355