Popular Mexican restaurant from New York moves into this historic hotel in Miami

A culinary team from New York has opened an outpost of their popular Mexican restaurant at the Vagabond Hotel—with an assist from the owner of one of Miami’s most beloved restaurants.

From owner Bryce David and partner and executive chef Luis Herrera comes the second location of Ensenada, which focuses on seafood and delves deeply into mezcal. As a team, David and Herrera perfected the Latin American-infused coastal cuisine at the original Ensenada in Brooklyn (“a desolate part of Williamsburg,” David says), which was named one of Bon Appétit’s Best Restaurants of 2023.

For the Miami version, they have partnered with Ahmet Erkaya, owner of local institution Mandolin Aegean Bistro, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary and was named the top place to eat in Miami by Yelp.

David, who said they considered opening a second location in New York, calls the opening of Ensenada in Miami “serendipitous.” During his time doing a pop-up at pizza spot La Natural in Little River, Herrera “heard a whisper maybe a space was a possibility.”

That information was more than a rumor. Earlier this year, Erkaya’s casual Greek and Turkish spot Mr. Mandolin left the Vagabond, designated a historic landmark, leaving a vacancy Herrera and David became determined to fill.

Meeting the Mandolin owner cemented that decision.

“I’ve been going to Mandolin for a long time,” David said. “We really liked Ahmet. Mandolin is just a great reference point for what we’re doing.”

Herrera, who worked at Mexican fine-dining establishment Cosme in New York and was a semifinalist in 2024 for the James Beard Award for best new chef in New York, infuses his cooking with nods to his Venezuelan heritage, adding the flavor of Latin America to his dishes. Inspired by seafood restaurants and fish taco carts throughout Baja California, Herrera was relieved to find that sourcing the fish he needed wasn’t impossible.

“We’re basing what we’re doing here about 85 percent on what we’ve tried in New York,” he said. “Coming into the unknown, I thought it was going to be harder to source local fish. I was worried about purveyors and contacts. The Mandolin partnership helped a lot with this. Communities here are overwhelmingly helpful.”

Diners can expect Peruvian and Venezuelan-infused ceviches, a variety of aguachiles and Ensenada-style fish and shrimp tacos. The new restaurant will also feature only-in-Miami items, like a raw seafood platter, stone crabs and “Al Pastor” swordfish tacos, which will be served with the famous pineapple butter from the original Ensenada.

“Because this was Mr. Mandolin, there was schwarma, and we kept the spits,” Herrera said. “We decided to do swordfish instead of meat. Because we have an open kitchen you can see it turning throughout the night. It’s fun to watch.”

Also fun, since the restaurant came with a good ice cream machine: a seasonal ice cream program from Raven Simone Walker, Herrera’s girlfriend, under her brand Pachamama Helados. Don’t expect the usual suspects. Instead of chocolate and vanilla, you’ll find sorbets and ice cream in non-traditional flavors like guava and heirloom tomato or chamomile and burnt agave. You can also try concha ice cream sandwiches and passion fruit tiramisu.

Another facet of Ensenada is its beverage program, with an emphasis on natural wine and on mezcals, about which David has drawn up a useful profile and flavor guide.

“We’re passionate about artisanal mezcal and agave spirits,” David said. “We’re bringing what we believe in down here, and we really want to stick with it without making sacrifices. Mediocrity is a choice.”

He says that the partners all share the same ideals and are working toward the same thing: quality.

“The scene here is young,” he said. “It’s not comparable to New York, with the pressure and quality and consistency. Some places here are wildly different on different days. Consistency is big in New York. But Miami just felt right. Luis and I agree not to do anything that doesn’t feel right.”

Ensenada

Where: Vagabond Hotel, 7301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

Hours: 5-11 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; brunch hours coming soon

Reservations: Resy

More information: www.ensenadamiami.com