Nicola Siervo Brings the Italian Riviera to the Miami River with Mercante

When the history of Miami’s restaurant and nightlife scene gets written, Nicola Siervo’s name will be all over it. The restaurateur and nightclub impresario has been a formative presence in South Florida hospitality since the original South Beach renaissance of the 1990s. Close to 35 years after his start in Miami Beach nightlife, Siervo is preparing to open his newest project: Mercante, a restaurant and piano bar inspired by the Italian Riviera, debuting on the Miami River this fall.

Photo Credit: Mercante

Siervo has partnered with Roman Jones of House Kiki, the hospitality group behind Kiki on the River and Habibi, to bring Mercante to life. “The buzz around the Miami River reminds me of how it felt back when Miami Beach was on the rise and we were transforming it into the American Riviera,” Siervo said. In developing the concept, he kept returning to his favorite spots along the Italian coast, places built around light, openness, and comfort, and found the Miami River’s waterfront setting, and its Venice-like character, an ideal match.

Photo Credit: Mercante

Mercante’s menu centers on freshly made pastas, salads, vibrant house-made sauces, and a wide range of seafood, raw, grilled, and otherwise. Siervo is building out a full Italian street food bar menu, house-made breads, desserts, and gelato, alongside a dedicated crudo program and what promises to be a standout: a menu of meatball and beverage pairings. An all-Italian wine list rounds out a drink program built around Italian-inspired craft cocktails and classics. “Mercante will deliver glamour,” Siervo said, “but mostly it is a celebration of life spent with loved ones at the table and a journey through coastal Italy.”

Photo Credit: Mercante

Mercante’s interiors come from Miami’s Nikolai Design, led by House Kiki Chief Design Officer Mark Lehmkuhl, built around a palette of turquoise, citrus tones, and vibrant greens. The exterior sets the tone immediately, a whitewashed, ivy-covered façade, striped awnings, and a vintage turquoise Fiat 500 parked out front. Guests enter via hand-glazed Zellige Italian tile stairs into a bar and lounge finished in polished brass and marble, before reaching a Main Dining Room built to evoke a Venetian palazzo, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, vintage touches, and live piano music throughout the night.

Photo Credit: Mercante

The restaurant’s terrazza, framed by a vine-covered pergola and overlooking the river, is Siervo’s own Florida interpretation of a cliffside Amalfi coast terrace, with floor-to-ceiling doors that fold away entirely in good weather. Mercante will seat 175 guests total between its indoor dining room and waterfront terrazza, with a private dockside table for up to 20 and a 150-foot dock for guests arriving by boat.

Photo Credit: Mercante

Mercante is located at 404 NW North River Drive on the Miami River, and will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with brunch service Saturday and Sunday.

For more of Haute Living’s Miami coverage, see The Best Coffee in Miami Right Now, From Historical Icons to Jimmy Butler’s Miami Design District Flagship and The 8 Negronis Redefining Miami’s Cocktail Scene.