This Argentine restaurant was named one of the best. Its Miami spot just closed

When head chef and co-owner Pedro Peña and his partner German Sitz opened the first U.S. location of their restaurant Niño Gordo in Wynwood, Peña said that Miami was the place to be.

“Miami felt like the right match: culturally layered, fast-paced and on the rise as a serious dining destination,” he told the Miami Herald. “It’s a city where people crave bold experiences, and that’s exactly what we offer.”

But a little more than a year later, the Argentine hot spot that was ranked on Latin America’s 50 Best restaurant list has abruptly closed.

Known for blending Argentine grilling with Asian flavors, Niño Gordo opened in May 2025 at 112 NW 28th St. with a colorful comic book aesthetic and lavishly designed rooms that offered a variety of experiences, including Dekotora, an intimate, Japanese-inspired sushi and cocktail bar.

The menu was a blend of Niño Gordo favorites like the katsu sando, recreated with shokupan bread, beef, tonkatsu and Japanese mayo; a creative version of Peking duck; and fried rice with crab and lobster. There were also Miami touches added, like making the beef tataki with tuna.

The restaurant also hosted events. One recently scheduled experience was Rum, Fire & Feast, a dinner series with cocktail expert Gio Gutierrez of @ChatChowTV that was set to kick off on July 8. Instead, ownership decided to close, and the series was canceled, a spokesperson confirmed.

The original Niño Gordo in the Palermo Soho neighborhood of Buenos Aires, which opened in 2017, remains in operation.

The closing happened the same week as another notable Wynwood neighbor on 28th Street: Shiso, the Asian smokehouse that featured a menu from chef Raheem Sealey of Drinking Pig BBQ, announced its closing last week.