This popular Spanish restaurant closed 12 years ago. Now its reopening in Coral Gables

A Design District pioneer has finally returned to Miami’s restaurant landscape, this time in Coral Gables.

Sra. Martinez, from James Beard award winner Michelle Bernstein and husband and partner David Martinez, is now open on Galiano Street, 12 years after the popular Design District restaurant closed.

Located on Galiano Street in the former spot of the Open Stage Club, the new Sra. Martinez is something of a homecoming for Bernstein, also the co-owner and operator of Café La Trova in Little Havana, which consistently finds a home on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.

“Although I grew up in Miami Shores, my first experience in a chef role was at Redfish Grill in Coral Gables, so opening Sra. Martinez here is a full circle moment for us personally and professionally,” said Bernstein, who won a James Beard Award in 2008 in the Best Chef: South category. “We can’t wait to welcome in our neighbors and give back to the community that has supported us for so many years.”

The original Sra. Martinez, which opened in a historic Miami post office in 2008 right on the cusp of the frenzy of development in Miami’s Design District, was just a bit cramped, but the new restaurant has more than 4,000 square feet of space, seating 68 in the dining room and 50 on the patio (covered for those wet summer nights). There’s a stage, too: In a tribute to the venue’s past as a space for live performances, Sra. Martinez plans to feature music several nights a week, ranging from jazz to bossa nova.

The menu, rooted in Spanish cuisine with other European influences, includes a few items from the original offerings. Bernstein will team up once more with Chef Andrew Gilbert, most recently the owner of The Seven Dials restaurant in Coral Gables, who was the sous chef at the first Sra. Martinez restaurant.

Diners can expect snacks like charred piquillo peppers and duck fat popcorn with shallots and orange zest, as well as slow roast beets with labneh and horseradish. Croquetas include a carbonara version with cured egg yolk and Pecorino, while a mariscos croqueta comes with bomba rice and saffron aioli.

Appetizers include chicken liver paté with warm beignets and house marmalade, a whipped feta “Greek-ish” salad and squash blossoms with ricotta and halloumi that are drizzled with spicy honey.

The kitchen’s large wood-burning oven plays a role in many dishes, too, like the oxtail paella served with melted bone marrow and a roasted duck breast with duck leg and Oaxacan mole. There’s also a fire-roasted whole fish of the day, served with red and green chermoula (a sauce similar to chimichurri) and brown butter sesame drizzle.

With a wood fire oven, steaks are a must, and Sra. Martinez will have several on the menu, including a New York strip, churrasco and cowboy steak, served with Spanish chimichurri and green peppercorn sauce. Sides include mushrooms with scallions and patatas bravas.

Sra. Martinez welcomes not only those hungry for a full meal but also more casual customers just popping in for a cocktail and a snack. A 15-seat bar and a cocktail lounge that seats 24 are reserved for walk-in customers.

The drinks menu features classic cocktails, including martini service, as well as specialty concoctions like the Sra. Martinez, with gin and Maraschino liqueur and the Mulata Daisy No. 2, with patchouli-infused rum and chocolate biscotti liqueur.

David Martinez, who oversees service at the restaurant, said that all customers can look forward to a special evening at the new spot.

“Going out to eat is about the entire experience,” he said. “We always aim to leave guests in a better mood than when they arrived.”

Sra. Martinez

Where: 2325 Galiano St., Coral Gables

Hours: 5-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5-11:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 5-10 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday

More information: www.sramartinezmiami.com of 786-860-5980

This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 4:30 AM.