Restaurants in Coral Gables: the Michelin names, the Italian classics and the trendy blocks

Where to eat in Coral Gables, in short

Coral Gables eats around its downtown: Miracle Mile, Giralda Avenue, Aragon Avenue and Alhambra Circle, all a few blocks apart. The Michelin Guide lists several restaurants in the city, and the one with a star is Shingo, a 14-seat sushi omakase counter in the historic La Palma building.

For Italian, the long-running choice is Caffe Abbracci, open since 1989 on Aragon Avenue, and the newer one is Luca Osteria on Giralda Plaza, the pedestrian block that the city reopened in 2017 lined with restaurant tables. For a cheaper meal, Tinta y Cafe on Ponce de Leon Boulevard makes Cuban sandwiches and croquetas and closes in the afternoon.

Most of these places are dinner only, and several close on Mondays. Book ahead for Shingo and for weekends anywhere on Giralda.

Italian in Coral Gables

Caffe Abbracci is the old-school answer to an Italian restaurant search in Coral Gables. It opened in 1989 at 318 Aragon Avenue; The Infatuation describes a bar under a stained-glass ceiling, a quiet dining room and a menu known for beef carpaccio and linguine with clams. It takes reservations through OpenTable. Its website did not show hours or prices when we checked, so confirm before you go.

Luca Osteria, at 116 Giralda Avenue, is the younger, busier one: a seasonal take on Italian classics, with cocktails and a wine list. The kitchen opens at 5:30 pm, and the bar stays open later, until 11 pm Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Mondays.

The trendy blocks: Giralda Plaza and Alhambra Circle

Giralda Plaza is the 100 block of Giralda Avenue, closed to cars and reopened as a plaza in 2017. The city describes it as lined on both sides with restaurants, bars and coffee shops, with Mexican, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Mediterranean and Peruvian food among them. This is the block to walk if you want to choose on the spot.

A short walk away on Alhambra Circle are the two names that food people book: Shingo, the 14-seat omakase counter, reserved through SevenRooms, and Zitz Sum, chef Pablo Zitzmann's restaurant on the ground floor of an office building, which mixes Japanese and Chinese technique with his Latin American background in dishes such as shrimp har gow and short rib with habanada sofrito.