11 July 9-15, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | recommendation. It soon became such a neighborhood fixture that both locals and tourists made a point of going. “What began as a short-term pop-up became a neighborhood institution,” Santana said in a statement. “While it is difficult to say goodbye to this chapter, we’re excited to bring Taquiza’s next evolution to Little River.” Taquiza got its start in 2014, when Santana — a former web developer who worked his way through the Broken Shaker and Eating House kitchens — opened a small walk-up counter in South Beach. Grinding organic, non-GMO blue corn in-house daily and pressing tortillas to order, the stand intro- duced Miami to house-nixtamalized masa at a time when that process was rare in the city. The operation grew enough to supply tor- tillas wholesale to other restaurants. It soon landed spots on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and the Travel Channel’s The Zimmern List. The original South Beach location closed in 2023. The new location at 8246 NE Second Ave. has been Taquiza’s commissary kitchen and headquarters for more than three years, sup- plying the North Beach restaurant with torti- llas and running wholesale production behind the scenes. Anyone who’s eaten there recently has already been eating from the Lit- tle River kitchen without realizing it. The new restaurant will operate as a fast- casual, counter-service spot, with the nixta- mal, masa, and tortilla processes visible directly from the dining area through im- ported Celorio production equipment. The menu will carry over Taquiza’s signature of- ferings — like the aforementioned corn torti- llas, tacos, totopos, and other longtime favorites — and will add something the North Beach location didn’t offer, like take-home items, including fresh chips, salsas, taco kits, and a selection of specialty beer and wine. Little River has become one of the more interesting culinary blocks in Miami over the past few years, with Michelin-starred Ogawa in the neighborhood along with Sunny’s, Fooq’s, Bar Bucce, and Magie. Taquiza is set to debut later this summer. Taquiza North Beach. 7450 Ocean Terrace, Miami Beach; taquizatacos.com. Open through July 31.Taquiza Little River. 8246 NE Second Ave., Miami; taquizatacos.com. Opening this summer. OLEE FOWLER ▼ CORAL GABLES LOVE BOAT For years, eating at Katana has required two things: a craving for delicious sushi and the willingness to spend a few hours waiting for it. Now, one of Miami’s most beloved locals- only restaurants has officially made life a whole lot easier. Katana Japanese Restaurant, the tiny family-owned sushi restaurant that’s become something of a rite of passage for Miami diners, has officially opened its second location on Coral Way. And judging by the reaction online, half the city is breathing a collective sigh of relief now that they no longer have to trek all the way to North Miami Beach for dinner. The announcement had been brewing for weeks, with the restaurant teasing a second location on Instagram before confirming the expansion. Now the doors are officially open, giving fans south of the river their own chance to grab colorful sushi plates as they float past on the restaurant’s signature little boats. Long before TikTok made hidden gems impossible to keep secret, Katana was quietly building one of Miami’s most loyal followings. The original restaurant opened in 1993 in Normandy Isles with just 24 seats surround- ing a sushi-go-round where nigiri, rolls, sashimi, tempura, and salads drift by on min- iature wooden boats. Diners simply grab whatever catches their eye, stack the empty plates, and pay according to the plate colors at the end of the meal. It’s simple. It’s affordable. And somehow, it has remained one of the hardest reserva- tions in Miami despite never actually taking reservations. Waiting two hours has practi- cally become part of the dining expe- rience. Regulars know the drill: put your name on the list, wander the neighborhood, keep your phone nearby, and be ready to sprint back because you’ve only got a few minutes before your ta- ble goes to someone else. The funny part? Nobody seems to mind. If you’ve ever lived in Brickell, Coral Ga- bles, Shenandoah, Coconut Grove, or Little Havana, convincing friends to drive all the way to 71st Street for sushi wasn’t always the easiest sell. Now, Coral Way diners can finally satisfy a Katana craving without planning an entire evening around the drive. The expansion comes during a milestone year for the family-owned business. Earlier this spring, the City of Miami Beach officially proclaimed May 6, 2026, as “Katana Day,” honoring the restaurant’s 33 years in business and its impact on the city’s dining scene. In an emotional Instagram post, the owner’s daughter reflected on how her father opened the restaurant more than three decades ago with little English, no restaurant experience, and, as she wrote, “a whole lot of American dream.” It’s exactly the kind of Miami success story that has helped Katana become more than just another sushi restaurant. Whether the new Coral Way location develops the same legendary wait remains to be seen. Part of Katana’s mystique has always been that getting in almost feels like winning a prize. But if the original location is any indi- cation, Miami won’t stay quiet about this sec- ond outpost for very long. For thousands of locals, Katana isn’t just somewhere to grab sushi. It’s the place friends insist you try, the restaurant visitors are taken to after they’ve already done Joe’s and Versailles, and one of those increasingly rare neighborhood institutions that still feels unmistakably Miami. And now, a whole new neck of the woods gets to experience its charm in its own neigh- borhood. Katana Coral Way. 1760 SW 22nd St., Miami; instagram.com/katana_mb. MICHELLE MUSLERA Photo by Cleveland Jennings Beloved Miami taco spot Taquiza is closing its North Beach location after eight years to relocate to Little River this summer. SOMEHOW, IT HAS REMAINED ONE OF THE HARDEST RESERVATIONS IN MIAMI DESPITE NEVER ACTUALLY TAKING RESERVATIONS. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg Legendary Miami sushi restaurant Katana, with two-hour waits and floating sushi boats, has opened a second location along Coral Way.
