28 September 24-30, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Lasting legacy Renowned Miami restaurateur Mark Soyka, known for his revival of South Beach and staples like Van Dyke Cafe, has died at 82. BY TYLER M. CARMONA I n the late 1980s, Mark Soyka could sit at a table inside News Cafe and look out at a stretch of South Beach that he was still trying to help bring back to life. The once-bustling Art Deco strip along Ocean Drive was only beginning to reawaken after years of wilted, shuttered buildings. In those early days, Soyka, David Wallack, and developer Tony Goldman gathered in Soyka’s apartment above News Cafe and imagined what Ocean Drive could become. “It was like a band rehearsing in the stu- dio. Instead of notes on an instrument, it was shooting business ideas back-and-forth,” says Wallack, the future founder of Ocean Drive staple Mango’s Tropical Cafe. “The three of us became the nucleus, you might say, of the Renaissance of South Beach.” Eventually, Soyka’s News Cafe went from an empty room serving sandwiches and boiled eggs to one of South Beach’s hottest gathering places, becoming a regular spot for Gianni Versace and drawing celebrities like Madonna and Al Pacino. “When News Cafe hit, that was the begin- ning of Ocean Drive becoming an interna- tional mecca,” Wallack says. “It gave hope to every restaurant owner, and it spread up and down Ocean Drive like wildfire.” Soyka, the restaurateur and designer whose gathering places helped shape some of Mi- ami’s most recognizable neighborhoods, died Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 82, his daughter Sasha tells New Times. “He was an incredible man,” Sasha Soyka says. “A giver, a lover, an artist.” Soyka arrived in Miami Beach from New York in the mid-1980s thanks to Goldman’s urging. Goldman was Soyka’s friend and de- veloper, and he had already helped revitalize Manhattan’s SoHo before turning his atten- tion to buying and restoring Art Deco proper- ties on a then-struggling South Beach. A Tel Aviv native, he graduated from the New York School of Interior Design and worked in real estate and hospitality in New York. He initially came to help Goldman ren- ovate the Park Central Hotel. He never left. What followed became four of Miami and Miami Beach’s most transformative openings. After seeing the potential for revitalization, followed by the success of News Cafe, Soyka went on to open three now-iconic restaurants. Van Dyke Cafe on Lincoln Road, his namesake Soyka restaurant on Biscayne Boulevard, and Andiamo Brick Oven Pizza across the street. Van Dyke Cafe became one of Lincoln Road’s signature gathering places during the area’s 1990s revival. The South Beach staple closed in 2014. Soyka later helped draw people to a stretch of Biscayne Boulevard that was yet to become a dining draw. The beloved Andiamo on Bis- cayne later closed in December 2025 after a successful 23 years in business. Even the buildings reflected Soyka’s in- stinct for seeing possibilities in overlooked spaces. Andiamo was built inside a former tire shop, its open-air patio and recognizable red-and-white tower eventually becoming a fixture along Biscayne Boulevard. “It was all about the art,” Wallack said. “The art of food, the art of presentation, and the art of service.” His restaurants earned plenty of recogni- tion along the way. Van Dyke Cafe was named New Times’ Best Jazz Club four times and later Best Breakfast. News Cafe earned a Best Newsstand honor. The accolades reflected his restaurants’ success, but they don’t fully capture what made them feel distinct. “He defined what it meant to be hospitable. Which I think is something that we don’t see too often these days,” Sasha Soyka explains. “He was proud of what he created.” His daughter eventually followed him into the restaurant business, working alongside her father at Andiamo before later running it with her brother, Daniel. The common thread through all of her father’s restaurants, she said, was the warmth he created inside them. “It was like coming into his living room,” Sa- sha Soyka says. “He created incredible spaces, moments, and times that were filled with so much love and connected so many people.” News Cafe remains a neighborhood staple for American fare and fabulous people- watching. It even earned New Times’ Best Breakfast in 2023. News Cafe. 800 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 786-644-6061; newscafesouthbeach.com. [email protected] ▼ Café Café Photo by CandaceWest.com Celebrated Miami restaurateur Mark Soyka, known for his revival of South Beach and legendary restaurants like Van Dyke Cafe, has died at 82. “HE CREATED INCREDIBLE SPACES, MOMENTS, AND TIMES THAT WERE FILLED WITH SO MUCH LOVE AND CONNECTED SO MANY PEOPLE.” Simply the best Four Miami pizzerias ranked among the top 100 on Earth. BY MICHELLE MUSLERA A decade ago, calling Miami a great pizza town might have earned you some serious side-eye. (Particularly from anyone who had spent time in New York or Chicago.) These days, however, plenty of evidence proves the skeptics wrong. Over the past sev- eral years, Miami’s pizza scene has exploded, with everything from New York-style slices and crispy Detroit squares to Roman and traditional Neapolitan pies. Pizza itself has evolved, too, from something seen mostly as fast food to se- rious culinary territory, with chefs obsessing over fermentation, sourcing high-quality ingre- dients, and developing doughs that can take days to perfect. Big-name pizza makers have taken notice. Brooklyn favorite Lucali arrived in Miami Beach more than a decade ago, Los Angeles’ Jon & Vinny’s followed, and earlier this year, acclaimed Italian pizzaiolo Francesco Mar- tucci chose Miami for his first restaurant out- side of Italy. At the same time, locally born pizzerias like Miami Slice, Fratesi and La Leggenda have built devoted followings of their own. The latest proof came this week, when 50 Top Pizza unveiled its annual ranking of the 100 best pizzerias in the world. Here are the four local spots that officially rank among the world’s best. Francesco Martucci Miami The highest-ranked Miami spot (No.27) comes from Francesco Martucci, the acclaimed chef behind I Masanielli near Naples. The acclaimed pizzaiolo chose Wynwood for his first restau- rant outside Italy earlier this year. His pizzas are known for ultra-light, long-fermented dough with a crisp exterior, soft center, and smoky char. In Wynwood, ingredients stay rooted in southern Italy, from buffalo mozzarella sourced from Campania to heirloom tomatoes. Florida’s seasonal produce plays a supporting role. 10 NE 27th St., Miami; 754-219-5694; martuccimi- ami.com. La Leggenda Tucked along Española Way and tied at No. 47, La Leggenda comes from Naples-born chef Giovanni Gagliardi. His pizza-making skills earned him the nickname “La Leggenda,” or “the Legend,” back in Italy. His wood-fired oven produces classic Neapolitan pies with soft, airy, blistered crusts. Gagliardi performs his pizza magic in a small space tucked away near the eastern terminus of Española Way. His domed, wood-fueled oven turns out from- scratch pizzas with crusts that are invariably soft, airy, and perfectly blistered. Don’t miss the “Margherita STG,” made with >> p29
