This Coral Gables restaurant known for Cuban tacos is closed. Here’s what’s moving in

The spot for Cuban tacos in Coral Gables has closed.

Caja Caliente, the Cuban-Mexican concept from chef Mika Leon, will no longer be serving its famous lechon tacos or vaca frita burritos or spicy goat cheese croquetas at 808 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

The restaurant, which opened in 2019, was Leon’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant. She started Caja Caliente as a food truck in 2016 in Wynwood, expanding it to a larger space in 2017 and converting a parking lot into an outdoor dining area for guests. The food truck closed in 2020, leaving the Gables location as the last outpost.

In 2020, the lechon tacos were named the best tacos in Florida by Yelp and Eat This, Not That. The pork tacos were “so special and near to our hearts,” Leon told the Miami Herald at the time.

Leon said that she plans to re-open Caja Caliente at some point, hopefully in 2025. At the moment, she’s working on television projects and a cookbook but also scouting out possible locations for the evolution of Caja Caliente.

“I wanted to move somewhere with more walking traffic,” she said, adding that she hopes to change the concept a little. “I can’t really say where or give a timeline, but the idea is to bring back Caja Caliente next year. . . . I’m in no rush. I just want to make sure I bring it back the right way and keep the quality of what locals know and love.”

Leon, however, is currently involved in a civil lawsuit with investors in Caja Caliente that was filed in early August, and among many of the disputes in the complaint is whether Leon or her investors own the name.

The restaurant’s former space has a new tenant: Miss Crispy Rice, Andrew Mayer’s Japanese concept proclaimed to be the world’s first crispy rice bar. It also serves hand rolls and donburi (a Japanese rice bowl dish).

Mayer said Miss Crispy Rice, which opened in 2022 at the Oasis in Wynwood, drew so many customers he had been looking for a larger space so Miss Crispy Rice could be “the star of the show” instead of existing inside a mini-food hall with two other concepts. The new sushi counter will have 16 seats instead of 10, and the restaurant will have a few tables. The restaurant will also serve an omakase style menu and launch a dry-aged fish program.

“A huge percentage of our customers are coming from Coral Gables, Kendall, Pinecrest, and now we’ll be that much closer,” said Mayer, who is also the founder of Poke OG in downtown Miami and Mr. Omakase in Brickell. “We’re so grateful for the support of our loyal customers and excited to create new memories in such a charming and historic neighborhood. Our team has worked hard to ensure that this new location feels like home, and we can’t wait to welcome the community.”

The new location is scheduled to open Nov. 18.

Miss Crispy Rice won’t be the only new kid on the block. Its next door neighbor, Kojin 2.0, opened this summer after taking over the space formerly occupied by the Michelin-recommended The Lion and the Rambler.

This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 11:56 AM.