This celebrated Peruvian restaurant in Miami is closing. That’s only part of the story

When the Chang family opened their standalone restaurant Itamae in Miami’s Design District in late 2020, diners were eager for its Peruvian-Japanese fusion — and its outdoor tables.

With social distancing still in practice, the 40 seats in the elegant Palm Court drew fans of the Nikkei cuisine of the Changs’ Peruvian homeland, which includes ceviches, tiraditos and signature sushi rolls and bowls. Itamae went on to be recognized in 2022 by the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand (a restaurant that offers quality food for a reasonable price) and was featured on the cover of Bon Appétit as part of the magazine’s story naming Miami the “food city of the year” for 2023.

But like a chef’s vision, times change. Now the original Itamae is closing, making way for evolution. The lessons learned there at 140 NE 39th St. are shaping a new direction for the Changs as their restaurant empire — which includes the Peruvian restaurant Maty’s in Midtown and Wynwood’s B-Side sushi spot — continues to flourish.

Nando Chang, who with his father Fernando and sister Val first opened Itamae in 2018 as a counter in MIA Market food hall (then known as St. Roch), plans to open a new upscale omakase spot in Midtown. Itamae Ao, which will offer three seatings a night, will be located next door to Maty’s.

The restaurants will share a prep kitchen space, which means Nando and Val Chang will be cooking together again after two and a half years.

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Nando Chang, who has missed cooking with this sister, said the changes are something the family has talked about since the beginning.

“This may sound like a pivot to a lot of guests, but this is something we thought about three years ago,” he says. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time, to go straight to omakase. That’s the kind of experience I want to provide.”

Itamae’s first two years, even the summers, were busy, too busy for the Changs to even consider a change, he says. But in 2023, the oppressive heat and rain helped make the move inevitable. Itamae has a sushi counter, where guests indulged in the full chef’s experience, but most of the seats were outdoors, a landscape that doesn’t always mesh with fine dining.

“This summer has been brutal and unforgiving,” Nando Chang says. “We cannot continue to put our guests through this. It’s hard to provide the kind of experience we want to provide.”

Itamae Ao (“ao” means blue in Japanese) will serve a Japanese tasting menu that goes beyond the usual servings of nigiri (a ball of rice topped with fish). Diners can expect ceviche and yakitori, tempura, rice courses and more. The restaurant will be small, consisting only of a counter that seats 10 and what Chang calls “the Black Table,” which will seat four to six people and be available only by reservation.

“We’re not going to have diners sit across from us and just plate nigiri every single night,” Chang says. “We want every single bite to make you go ‘Whoa!’ ”

Meanwhile, in the Design District, a new B-Side restaurant will slide into the former Itamae space, with Fernando Chang behind the counter. Fernando Chang has been working at the B-Side in the Kaseya Center, a spot Nando Chang says the family is re-evaluating.

“The man needs something to do,” Nando Chang jokes. “We don’t always have space for him on our lines, so we’re all excited to give him his space. That touch of Papa Chang has been missed at B-Side.”

The new B-Side will feature a different menu than the Wynwood spot inside the 1-800-Lucky Asian food hall. Instead, it will act as an homage to the original Itamae by serving some of the restaurant’s popular dishes like the tiradito apaltado and the octopus and Hokkaido scallop bañaditos.

The move to a more fast-casual concept in the Design District makes sense, Nando Chang says.

“There was always a little internal conflict between what we wanted to do and what guests want in the Design District,” he says.

The last day to eat at Itamae is Aug. 27. The new B-Side restaurant is expected to open in about month, while Itamae Ao will open later this year in time for the season, Chang says.

Itamae Ao

Where: 3255 NE First Ave., Miami

Opening: Fall 2023

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