After only a year and a half, this Chinese-Latin restaurant and club in Miami is closed

After only a year and a half, the Chinese-Latin restaurant and market that shifted into full nightclub mode after dark is closed for good.

Ch’i at Brickell City Centre in Miami has actually been closed since December, a representative confirmed. The concept was a collaboration from Breakwater Hospitality (The Wharf in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Rivertail) and Grove Bay Hospitality (Bayshore Club, Beauty and the Butcher).

The 12,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor concept at 701 S. Miami Ave. included a garden, an Asian-themed marketplace, a cocktail lounge and a dining room that served Chinese-Latin cuisine. There were three bars and two DJ booths.

“We wanted to be able to offer something for every occasion or mood,” Emi Guerra, co-founder of Breakwater, told the Miami Herald in 2021.

A Breakwater statement thanked customers and employees for supporting Ch’i.

“We have enjoyed serving you over the past few years, but we have made the difficult decision to close our doors at Ch’i Brickell,” the statement said. “We want to thank all of our incredible guests and amazing employees for supporting us over the years. We are grateful that so many people loved Ch’i and can’t thank you enough for your support. We look forward to focusing on offering the best experiences for you all at our new concepts.”

Ch’i opened on the third floor of Brickell City Centre in June 2021 after renaming itself in the wake of a social media storm. The original name was Los Chinos. After critics accused the owners of being racially and culturally insensitive, the name was changed and the ownership group issued a statement saying that the original name was “inspired by only the fondest childhood memories.”

Ignacio Garcia-Menocal, co-CEO of Grove Bay, told the Miami Herald in 2021 that the decision was “the right choice.”

“We were already in the process of looking at other names when the comments were made,” he said. “We don’t want to come off as being racially or culturally insensitive.”

Breakwater Hospitality is also collaborating with Grove Bay on the much-anticipated Regatta Grove project, which opens June 22 in Coconut Grove. Grove Bay curated and will operate the restaurants at the waterfront venue.