Palm Beach chef’s Michelin-recommended restaurant finally opens in Coral Gables

Chef Clay Conley and his partners may be opening their hit restaurant Buccan in Coral Gables this week, but they’ve been working on getting to Miami for almost a decade.

“I always liked Miami,” says Conley, who spent more than five years as executive chef at Azul, the glamorous restaurant at the late, lamented Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key, which was demolished in April. “I always liked Coral Gables. We just kind of kept our eyes open for a spot down here.”

Along with Ember Group partners Piper Quinn and Sam Slattery, Conley headed north at the end of 2010 to open his Palm Beach restaurant Buccan, which is a favorite on and off the island. When the Michelin Guide made its first foray into Palm Beach in 2025, Buccan was added to the guide, which praised its contemporary American menu that focuses on small plates and pastas.\

The Ember Group went on to open Buccan Sandwich Shop, a grab-and-go concept with offerings like the coveted beef carpaccio sandwich; Imoto, a Japanese “sister” restaurant to Buccan; and Grato, a neighborhood Italian spot, all in Palm Beach County. Now, they’re bringing Buccan Sandwich Shop, Buccan and Imoto to Miracle Mile (the sandwich shop is open now; Imoto opens June 1).

At first, the plan was just to add a second Buccan, Conley says. In fact, in 2019, they were set to open in the space eventually taken over by Chateau ZZ’s on Brickell Avenue. The pandemic halted that plan, and instead Major Food Group launched Chateau ZZ’s there in 2023.

Once the group landed on the Miracle Mile location, though, the concept expanded.

“The space just happened to be larger than what we’d use for Buccan,” Conley says. “We liked the idea of having the sandwich shop for a daytime component, and the sushi place where we share management and prep team.”

Partner Sam Slattery calls Miracle Mile “the right location.”

“100 Miracle Mile’s central location and its mix of dining, retail and office space make it the perfect home for Buccan and our other concepts,” he said.

The restaurant seats 195, with a bar with high-top seating, a “living room”-style lounge and a private, glass-walled dining room. There’s an open kitchen with a wood-burning oven for many of Buccan’s signature dishes, plus a grill.

You’ll find the Buccan staples here, like the short rib empanadas and the tuna crisp, the squid ink orecchiette and the sweet corn agnolotti. You’ll even find the famous hot dog panini, made with kielbasa and served with sauerkraut, Gruyere, mustard and chili.

Coral Gables, especially on and around Miracle Mile, has lured a slew of new restaurants over the past year or so, but the idea of oversaturation doesn’t faze Conley.

“There’s a lot of competition, a lot of great restaurants down there,” he says. “I try not to think about that too much. We just do what we do well — execute and give good hospitality, be nice to people. That’s what it boils down to for us.”

Buccan

Where: 100 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

Opening: May 22

Hours: 5-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

More information: buccancoralgables.com or 305-701-9912