This new restaurant in Coral Gables has a lounge upstairs and its own duct-tape banana

A big blast of color and art is about to hit Coral Gables.

MoonMat Hospitality’s Crudos Art House, which opens in early May, is the sister property of Crudos Fusion Art Wynwood and Crudos Fusion Art Hallandale in Broward. The new two-story, 5,000-square-foot space, in the former AdLib space south of the Barnes & Noble on Miracle Mile, will seat 85 guests and entertain them with art installations, live music, cocktails and Asian-American-Latin cuisine.

“We designed Crudos Art House to be an energetic space that will be Coral Gables’ new go-to spot for a night out, whether it’s a party after-work happy hour or dinner with friends,” said Daniel Materan, MoonMat’s director of operations.

Designed by Bea Interiors, the restaurant includes a huge painting of various pop culture stars inspired by Paolo Beronese’s “The Wedding Feast at Cana.” Throughout the restaurant, designer touches abound, with art from Baccarat Be@rbrick Bears, a life-sized geisha astronaut and an homage to Miami’s favorite work of art: the viral duct-taped banana by Maurizio Cattelan that caused such a stir at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019.

The first floor is the main restaurant, where the menu will include some signature items from the Wynwood flagship as well as menu items exclusive to the Gables location.

Only in the Gables will you find Golden Crab House, foie gras scallops, crispy lobster rice, duck gyoza and Yuzu lamb chops. Diners can also try exclusive sashimi cuts and specialty rolls, and maybe consider the matcha cheesecake and miso chocolate cake for dessert.

Walk up the flight of stairs past the DJ booth, and you’ll find yourself in Aka, the second-story cocktail lounge, which is dedicated to Japanese whiskey and cocktails. You can also order temaki handrolls there.

After 11 p.m., upstairs and downstairs, the fine-dining atmosphere makes way for more of a club feel with live DJs and bottle service. Only guests 21 and over will be admitted

The goal of the bright decor and art, music, craft cocktails and cuisine is to stimulate every guest’s senses, said MoonMat co-operator Andres Monroy, adding that Crudos Art House Coral Gables is the next logical step.

“Art, food, drink, music, design, all must work in harmony to create an all-encompassing experience,” he said. “The opening in Coral Gables isn’t the opening of a third in the family of Crudos concepts. It’s an evolution of what we started in Wynwood.”

Crudos Art House Coral Gables

Where: 2415 Ponce De Leon, Coral Gables

Open: May 5

Reservations and more information: www.crudosarthouse.com or 305-392-0054