One of Miami’s favorite restaurants closed last year. Now it’s finally reopening

One of Miami’s favorite restaurants is ready to start its new life.

The new Itamae Ao — originally Itamae in the Design District — is opening this week in Midtown, and chef and owner Nando Chang is simultaneously nervous and confident.

“This has been a journey,” admits Chang, who with his sister Val Chang was named among Food & Wine’s best new chefs in 2023. “The last 12 months have been exhausting. But it’s so worthwhile, seeing the new space, which feels so familiar to the old Itamae. . . It feels great even though you go through all the emotions of an opening.”

The original Itamae started as a counter in 2018 in the MIA Market food hall (then St. Roch Market), with the Peruvian-born Changs working behind the counter to highlight the tropically-infused Japanese-Peruvian cuisine that would make them famous. The Changs, who also work closely with their father Fernando, then moved across the Palm Court to open Itamae in its own space, with most tables outdoors in the courtyard and a small counter indoors.

The outdoor area proved most popular, but that simple counter fueled Nando Chang’s imagination. He knew this was the way he wanted to work — close to the diners, explaining each delicate bite, creating the sort of bond that brings customers back again and again.

“We couldn’t fill that counter as much as I would’ve liked to,” Chang says now. “I could do 150 people in the patio and eight people at the counter, and I always knew people at the counter had a much different experience. We could vibe off each other. They could see how our product really was. I really wanted the experience of taking you through a journey of Peruvian and Japanese food in Miami.”

Now, at Itamae Ao, he can do that. The 1,100-square-foot space, designed to feel like you’re entering the chef’s own kitchen, offers an intimate, upscale dining experience (with a playlist carefully curated by the hip-hop-loving Chang). There are 10 seats and only two seatings a night. But without the patio or coping with the chaos of sudden summer rain storms, Chang can focus on creating the culinary experience he has long dreamed of.

A few classics will be resurrected, with different twists. Chang says his DMs have been blowing up with fans asking about their best-loved dishes. Some should be pleased: Itamae’s famous sweet shiitake mushrooms from the Totoro roll will now be found on a lucuma custard dessert. Ceviche will make an appearance, with local grouper dry-aged and served with aji limo leche de tigre and percebes (gooseneck barnacles).

Nigiri is on the menu but not the only focus. Chang’s goal is to “destroy and reformat” traditional omakase expectations, a plan he hopes will set Itamae Ao apart from the numerous omakase restaurants around town (two that opened in 2023 earned Michelin stars earlier this year, Shingo in Coral Gables and Ogawa in Little River).

The nontraditional menu will include muchame with swordfish, tomato, and heirloom beans, a dish that uses a process of salt curing and aging brought to Peru from Portuguese and Italian fisherman. Surf clam nigiri comes with ají amarillo and nori, while scallop nigiri with apple banana and ají charapita is inspired by Amazonian ceviche with plantain.

“I’m going to give you bites that make you go, ‘Wow,’ Chang says. “Instead of a clam with some soy sauce, I’ll give you a small clam dish. I think that has more value.”

Value is a serious concept to Chang, who emigrated to the U.S. in 2001. Dinner at Itamae Ao is priced at $165 per person, less than most luxury omakase experiences, which can range up from $250 to $350 per person.

His immigrant father, whom he calls a “guiding light,” helps him keep a “don’t forget what it has taken to get here” mentality in his head.

“When I was 16 or 17, I was a dishwasher at a place he worked as a sushi chef, and I got upset over something,” Chang remembers. “He was like, ‘From now on, you’re going to take the bus home,’ instead of him taking me. It was about 7 or 8 miles away. I took the bus for a long time while I saved up for a car. . . He always said: ‘Don’t forget what it felt like when you were saving up for that car.’ ”

Family has always come first for Chang, which is why the new Itamae Ao’s location is so fortuitous: It’s next door to Maty’s, the highly praised Peruvian restaurant run by his sister Val, which was named one of the best new restaurants of 2023 by Bon Appétit and Esquire. Val Chang is also a finalist for Best Chef: South in the 2024 James Beard Awards; the winners will be announced June 10.

Maty’s has been home to some of Itamae’s staff, who will now move over to the new restaurant. Being part of a family-owned business made that possible, Chang said, and he’s grateful for it.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” he says. “Setting up right next to Maty’s, this stays a family affair. Two rooms of the same house. The contrast in concepts is a pretty cool thing.”

Itamae Ao

Where: 3255 NE First Ave., Miami

Opening: May 16

Hours: Seatings at 6:30 and 9:15 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

Price: $165 per person not including tax or gratuity

Reservations: Available 14 days in advance at 8 a.m. daily; Resy

More information: www.itamaeao.com