GAIA’s U.S. Debut
A Greek-Mediterranean restaurant famous in Dubai has opened its first U.S. restaurant in Miami Beach. An upscale hit that first opened in 2018 and went on to open locations in Monaco, Doha, London and Marbella, Gaia arrives in the South of Fifth neighborhood as the first U.S. expansion for the brand. The overseas locations have become a magnet for celebrities, drawing stars like the Beckham family, Naomi Campbell, Idris Elba, Drake, Adrien Brody and Will Smith.
Whether it will have the same effect in Miami Beach remains to be seen. But Dubai businessman and founder Evgeny Kuzin, chairman of Fundamental Hospitality, a hospitality group founded in the United Arab Emirates, calls the move to the South of Fifth neighborhood “a strategic milestone.” “Miami is the right city to lead that chapter,” he said. “It is global, design-driven, culturally rich and unapologetically bold, values that sit at the core of Gaia. This opening represents our confidence in the brand, our belief in the market and our commitment to building destinations that stand.”
The Miami Beach restaurant spans 9,1960 square feet, with more seating at the bar and terrace. Led by chef Izu Ani, the menu features the same dishes that made the original Gaias famous, with raw dishes like bluefin tuna caviar and sea bream carpaccio with truffle. And, as it is at the other restaurants, the point is sharing — and keeping things simple. “True luxury, to me, is simplicity,” Ani said, adding of the cuisine that “while the foundation is Greek, the influence is global.”
The restaurant’s famous Ice Market also makes an appearance at the new restaurant, which shows off the fish and other seafood on ice. You can choose your fish and order it served with a salt crust with citrus and herbs or prepared with harissa (a chili pepper paste).
This isn’t the final expansion for Gaia. Fundamental Hospitality plans to open new restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain later this year.
