Asian restaurant from New York serves Long Island shoppers. Now it’s open in Aventura

Connie Ogle
·2 min read

A Long Island favorite has just opened its second restaurant in Aventura.

Toku, which has served shoppers at the upscale Americana Manhasset in the Strathmore neighborhood on Long Island since 2007, has taken over the former space of Grand Lux Cafe at the Aventura Mall, which closed as a result of the COVID pandemic. The restaurant, from brothers Gillis and George Poll, serves modern Asian cuisine in a stylish and striking atmosphere.

Toku has room to accommodate even the Black Friday crowds in Aventura. There’s a 53-seat bar area that features a mural of a Chinese dragon by local artist Krave and a main dining room that has room for 166 guests and offers a view into the open kitchen. A huge and striking stone Buddha overlooks the dining room.

Toku also has a covered outdoor patio that seats 190 and a private dining room, which can seat up to 14 and has patio access.

The menu leans heavily on Chinese and Japanese cuisine, with dishes like miso black cod, roasted lobster, sesame-crusted tuna, wagyu steak frites and Peking duck. But you’ll also find touches of Thai and Vietnamese flavors in the rice and noodle dishes. There’s also sushi to sample.

The bar at Toku in Aventura.
The bar at Toku in Aventura.

Because you need sustenance when braving the ever-growing Aventura Mall, the bar offers special craft cocktails as well as the usual classics. Try a Chili Passion Martini or a Fig Martina, a Mandarin mojito or the Toku-Gria, an Asian twist on sangria with sake, plum wine, ginger and fruit.

The Poll brothers said Aventura Mall, already home to such restaurants as Pubbelly Sushi, Tap 42 and the Israeli restaurant Motek, which won Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival two years in a row, was a natural choice for the brand’s second location.

“South Florida is a unique culinary destination, with restaurants that bring together the best in flavors from a variety of cultures,” they said in a statement. “We are delighted to introduce our artfully-crafted dining experience to residents, visitors and mall goers.”

Toku serves Chinese and Japanese fare, highlighting meat and seafood as well as rice and noodle dishes.
Toku serves Chinese and Japanese fare, highlighting meat and seafood as well as rice and noodle dishes.

Toku

Where: Aventura Mall, 19575 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

More information and reservations: 305-465-8658; OpenTable

The Buddha in the Toku dining room.
The Buddha in the Toku dining room.

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