‘It is purity’: Israeli chef opens new ‘naked’ restaurant at Miami Beach hotel

The Israeli chef behind HaSalon and more than 50 other restaurants around the world has opened yet another spot in a Miami Beach hotel.

Coming to the Moxy South Beach on Washington Avenue is Naked Tomato, in the former space that once housed Como Como and later acted as an event space.

The “naked” of the title refers not to the suggested attire but to the idea of uncomplicated food, according to Jerusalem-born chef Eyal Shani, who also opened Bella at the Liberty Park Hotel in Miami Beach earlier this year. He opened the first HaSalon in Tel Aviv in 2008 and joined with Major Food Group to open the Miami Beach HaSalon in 2021.

The name refers to “removing the masks and distractions and standing fully behind the ingredient itself,” said the restaurateur, who opened his first restaurant Oceanus in Jerusalem in 1989. “It requires choosing the very best, understanding its singular character and guiding it gently to its purest expression.”

Naked food, he went on, is “high risk creation. It is purity.”

Some of the dishes on the Naked Tomato menu are new, while others are some of the most popular dishes from Shani’s restaurants in cities like New York, Tel Aviv, Paris, Melbourne, Singapore, London and Las Vegas.

Expect roasted eggplant, Moroccan salad and all the usual dip suspects (hummus, babaganoush, labneh). Shipudim — Israeli-style skewers — also play a starring role, with wild mushrooms, shrimp, harissa chicken thigh or lamb kebab served with a slew of mezzes.

Larger plates include a catch of the day, a Tomahawk and chicken schnitzel.

The restaurant, which was designed by Turjeman Yaakov of Jacob Turgeman Design, also has a full liquor bar.

Naked Tomato

Where: Moxy South Beach, 915 Washington Ave., Miami Beach

Opening: May 14

Hours: 6-10 p.m. Sunday-Monday; 6-11 p.m. Thursday Saturday

Reservations: SevenRooms

More information: nakedtomatousa.com

This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 4:30 AM.