12 November 20-26, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ MIAMI BEACH SHALOM, BELLA! Miami’s pasta boom shows no sign of slowing down, but come November, the city will get some- thing different: Bella, an Italian-inspired restaurant from Eyal Shani, the chef behind HaSalon in Miami Beach and dozens of restaurants around the world. Chef Shani, whose New York restaurant Shmoné earned a Michelin star in 2023, has been widely credited with helping shape modern Is- raeli cuisine, food that treats vegetables with the reverence usually reserved for meat. His whole- roasted cauliflower and “run-over potato” at Miznon turned humble produce into international favorites, and he’s built a following in the U.S. for his loud open kitchens and obsessive focus on in- gredients. If HaSalon is the Miami spot where dinner of- ten turns into a party, Bella will be his first full-on Italian restaurant, approached with the same in- gredient-driven style that runs through all his cooking. The restaurant will open inside the South Beach Hotel in collaboration, most likely around mid-November. According to the chef, Bella is a “love letter” to his admiration for Southern Italy, expressed through his own ingredient-first style and shaped by the time he has spent along Italy’s southern coast. The restaurant is imagined around “Bella,” an archetypal Italian woman whose spirit and confidence inspire the concept. The menu will center on antipasti, handmade pastas, risotto, polenta, and pizza, anchored by a large antipasti table in the middle of the room. Pasta will be the main event, with five variet- ies on rotation, ranging from pomodoro and black pepper to spicy and ragù, as well as zucchini. Meals typically begin with bread and olive oil, followed by salads, vegetable mezzes, seafood, and bean dishes. Heartier options include melanzana, ri- sotto, pizza, and steak. “At Bella, it is a personal kitchen. We are not copying Italian cuisine, we are understanding its essence,” Shani says. Designed by Veronica Mishaan, Bella occupies a restored Art Deco building whose central court- yard brings the outdoors into focus. Creeping ivy, bougainvillea, begonias, and jasmine surround a vintage artichoke fountain modeled after Flor- ence’s Fontana del Carciofo. Terracotta floors, limestone accents, and wrought-iron details frame the courtyard’s greenery, while a green- onyx bar and custom ceramic-inlaid tables high- light craftsmanship over flash. Bella will be the first of two new South Beach restaurants from Shani. A second opening is planned for early 2026, and according to a res- taurant representative, it will “stay true to Chef Eyal Shani’s culinary philosophy and style”, likely emphasizing the vegetable-forward, Mediterra- nean-Israeli cooking that defines his work. Shani says Miami itself is part of the recipe. “Miami is freedom. It’s the sun, sea, colors, and people who want to enjoy. Miami is open. And we follow life, that’s what I do. I follow the movement of people, the energy. That’s why we are here, and we will open more restaurants to bring peo- ple joy,” he said. Bella. 236 21st St., Miami Beach, at South Beach Hotel; 305-531-3464; southbeachhotel. com. Opening this November. MICHELLE MUSLERA “MIAMI IS FREEDOM. IT’S THE SUN, SEA, COLORS, AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO ENJOY.” ALWAYS IN YOUR FEED. CHOOSE YOUR CHANNEL
