Is this long-anticipated restaurant in Little River the next big thing in Miami?
David Foulquier knows that the first incarnation of his beloved restaurant Fooq’s has taken on something of a legendary quality. The Persian-French favorite, which he opened in downtown Miami in 2015, closed in March 2021 and became Eleventh Street Pizza, a move to combat the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Yet the restaurant has kept a firm grip on the imaginations of avid Miami foodies.
“It was culty and small and niche, and when it closed for a while, it became mythical,” Foulquier says now, laughing. “It’s kind of like, if you got to experience the old Fooq’s, it was like seeing the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia.”
If that’s the case, Jerry has risen. The new and improved version of Fooq’s has just opened in its glamorous Little River location, the latest addition to the up-and-coming neighborhood that’s already home to such hot spots as the Michelin-starred Ogawa, La Natural pizzeria and the mighty Sunny’s Steakhouse.
Foulquier, the co-owner of We All Gotta Eat Hospitality Group with his brother Josh, had long wanted to reopen a bigger Fooq’s, but at first he was reluctant to build in a neighborhood on the verge of development.
“I swore to never open in an area that wasn’t yet set up,” he says. “There were so many charming things about the first Fooq’s, but there were pros and cons being downtown. I honestly lost a lot of business over the years because of bad parking, people feeling unsafe, people not wanting to sit outside, cars being broken into. . . . But then I realized that the developers had a real plan for Little River, and it was backed with real money and people who understand what it means to take a neighborhood and build its infrastructure and bring strong talent that complements one another.”
The two-story property sprawls across 14,000 square feet, with an outdoor dining area and stunning outdoor bar — if the tree overhead reminds you a little of the courtyard at Sunny’s, you’re not alone. The main, Middle Eastern-influenced dining room is huge, with a busy open kitchen and wood-fire stove at one end and a floor to ceiling bookshelf on the other, stuffed with artifacts from Foulquier’s life, including family photographs and books from his home.
The idea, of course, is that this space is created by real people who each have their own stories.
The menu is different than the original Fooq’s — though you’ll find some familiar items, like the famous bucatini. Leading the kitchen is executive chef Andrew Bazzini, who has worked in kitchens of restaurants like Olmstead and LT Bar & Grill in New York.
Starters include a garlicky little gem Caesar and a delicious burnt eggplant and tomato dish, as well as a whipped feta appetizer and ranch Mast O’Kiar (a Persian yogurt and cucumber dip, only with ranch). They’re both are perfect for dipping with fresh-from-the-oven sourdough bread. Small plates include kebabs (beef and lamb, mushroom, chicken); lamb pide; and Persian pepper pasta, while mains range from perfectly grilled steak to Heritage chicken to whole Florida red snapper.
One of the standouts are two sides that married together represent the depth and richness that Fooq’s excels at: ghormeh sabzi, a Persian stew with lamb, herbs and spinach. Spoon it over potato tahdig, a crispy rice dish with a layer of potatoes, and you will have a good idea of what Foulquier and his team are trying to accomplish here.
The new Fooq’s also brings a new challenge for Foulquier: the Lion’s Den, a vinyl lounge on the second floor. Foulquier curates the programming along with Manual Mate (known as Manumat) and Mariana Pinto of Alchemy Music. Expect local and internationally known DJs Thursday through Saturday nights.
Foulquier says the addition of the club has opened up “a whole new world.”
“Deal making, booking, talent acquisition, scheduling and security and wristbands and drink tickets and bottle sales, you know, all the things that come with owning a nightclub, basically, that is also very new to me,” he says. “But this is what I was born to do, and I love to do it. It was always my dream, from a very young age, to own a nightclub.”
Of course, since the time of the original Fooq’s, Miami’s club and restaurant scene has changed tremendously. There are upscale restaurants from around the globe opening every week, and vinyl listening bars are popping up all over town, too. Does he ever worry about oversaturation?
Absolutely not.
“I think the cream always rises to the top,” he says.
Fooq’s
Where: 150 NW 73rd St., Miami
Hours: 5:30-11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at Fooq’s; 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Thursday-Saturday at Lion’s Den
Reservations and more information: fooqsmiami.com