COVID-19 closed Le Sirenuse in Surfside. Now there’s a new restaurant in its space

Last summer, Miami said goodbye to Surfside’s Le Sirenuse Restaurant, which closed after three years at the historic Surf Club, unable to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, a new chapter in Surf Club history has begun.

In Le Sirenuse’s space is Lido Restaurant, which features Mediterranean cuisine by Executive Chef Antonio Mermolia.

That means a seafood-heavy menu, with emphasis on Southern Italian specialties.

“The marvel of Lido’s food is the art behind the scenes,” Mermolia said in a press release. “I seek to make every dish understandable, where my attention is on sourcing the world’s best ingredients and then treating each one with just what is needed to reveal its essence.”

The menu features crudo such as Tartare di Tonno (yellowfin tuna, burrato, toasted sesame seeds and basil); hand-cut hamachi with tangerine and mint and langoustine tartare. Entrees include lemon sole with charred zucchini and roasted sea bass with mashed potatoes.

You’ll also find Italian touches like pizza and pasta, including shitake mushroom ravioli and spaghetti with clams.

“Even if you’ve tried pasta pomodoro everywhere, many times in your life, I love the challenge to get you to feel that this one is as close as one can get to your favorite childhood memory,” Mermolia said.

The restaurant features an outdoor terrace, where Sunday brunch is king. Specialties include include an Italian pancake with Macedonian fruit, whipped cream and honey and whole branzino with roasted local vegetables. Lido Restaurant is also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

The club also features the first Thomas Keller restaurant in Florida, The Surf Club Restaurant. The club’s famous Champagne Bar remains open and is the inspiration for Lido’s drinks program, with specialty cocktails like the Decisive Moment, an award-winning cocktail of Bombay Sapphire gin, lactic sherry blend, Italicus bergamot liqueur, coconut olive oil and coffee balsamic vinegar.

Lido Restaurant at the Surf Club

Where: 9011 Collins Ave, Surfside

Hours: Breakfast 7-11 a.m.; lunch noon-3 p.m.; dinner 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch noon-3 p.m.

Reservations: Open Table or 786-482-2280

This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 12:52 PM.