The Aventura restaurant owned by Dwyane Wade closed. This Israeli spot will replace it

When it opened in the fall of 2018, 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen in Aventura threw a raucous and memorable celebrity party. After all, its owners were Miami Heat stars Dwyane Wade and the real Mr. 305, his teammate Udonis Haslem.

But four years later, in June 2022, the restaurant shut down, citing labor shortages and supply chain issues. Now, Abbale Telavivian Kitchen, a popular Israeli-Mediterranean spot from Miami Beach, is taking over the space.

The location came about fortuitously for co-owner Sam Gorenstein, who lives in Aventura, and his partner Omer Horev, founder of Pura Vida Miami.

In early December 2022, Gorenstein’s wife had stopped by the nearby CVS and noticed 800 Degrees was closed. She quickly texted her husband, who had been pondering the possibility of expanding.

Gorenstein was in the throes of Art Basel week madness and swamped with customers, but recognizing opportunity when he saw it, he found time to answer that text and start making phone calls. Horev had ties to Wade and Haslem, he says, so they were able to make a deal quickly.

“I knew it was the perfect space for Abbale,” says Gorenstein, who’s also the founder of My Ceviche. “We were very successful, and I knew right away a lot of my customers were coming from Aventura and even Boca, and I wanted to have a piece of Abbale near them.”

At 4,000 square feet, the new Abbale is twice the size of the South of Fifth space and will have a larger kitchen, which means the menu can expand. The venue will be more “polished,” Gorenstein says.

There’s a 14-seat bar, which means the restaurant can create a special cocktail list using Tel Avivian spices and florals. The covered patio will provide shelter during the rainy season, and there’s even a private dining room that seats 12 that can be used for Shabbat dinners, chef tasting menus or private events. There will be takeout and delivery options, too.

Most of the menu, Gorenstein says, will mimic the cuisine served at the original Abbale, which highlights not only Israeli cuisine but also other specialties of the region, like shakshuka, sumac chicken shashlik, crunchy cauliflower and Moroccan spiced fish. But somewhere between 30% and 40% of the menu will be different, he estimates.

“Each restaurant will have its own personality,” he says. “We want to appeal to each neighborhood in a different way.”

Being part of the neighborhood is important to Gorenstein, who says Aventura has been lacking boutique, chef-driven restaurants and estimates that the new Abbale will open sometime in September.

“Being South of Fifth, we have embraced that neighborhood. When the Jewish holidays came around, we did a takeout Seder for guests, and it sold out fast. We want to apply the same kind of ideals to Aventura.”

Abbale Telavivian Kitchen

Where: 19999 Aventura Blvd., Aventura

Opening: September 2023

Hours: Open daily for lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch and “sunset hour”

More information: abbaletlv.com