The Weekly Dish is a TRD recurring feature that showcases the latest in South Florida’s restaurant openings, leases and sales.
New restaurants are heading to Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Arts and Entertainment Village, Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood and Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise:
Proper Sandwich space
Proper Sandwich Fine Meats & Provisions | FAT Village, Fort Lauderdale
JEY Hospitality plans to open the first restaurant in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village, which is just west of Flagler Village. The company, led by former commercial broker Marc Falsetto, will lease 1,700 square feet of space at FAT Village founder Doug McCraw’s building, at 545 Northwest First Avenue.
Falsetto signed a longterm lease for the space in March and plans to break ground on Proper Sandwich Fine Meats & Provisions this summer, and open by November. He declined to provide terms of the lease.
The fast casual, chef-driven restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a modern-industrial space with high ceilings, reclaimed wood and subway tiles. It will also have an open kitchen, indoor and outdoor seating. The crafted sandwiches will be made with in-house roasted meats and local bread, and the eatery will also feature a homemade pie shop.
Sushi Maki | Coconut Grove, Miami
Sushi Maki opened its seventh sit-down restaurant this weekend in Coconut Grove.
The restaurant group, led by founder and CEO Abe Ng, made a six-figure investment in the 3,200-square-foot space, which includes outdoor seating. It offers WiFi, charging stations at every table, and free parking for two hours.
The restaurant is next to Monty’s Raw Bar, at 2550 South Bayshore Drive. A number of restaurants have opened recently in Coconut Grove, including Atchana’s Homegrown Thai on Commodore Plaza and Grand Avenue, Harry’s Pizzeria, Glass and Vine, and Ariete on Main Highway.
Sushi Maki has locations in Coral Gables, Brickell, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, Kendall and other parts of Miami. It’s also in some Whole Foods stores. Ng’s parents own and operate Canton Chinese, a chain of Chinese restaurants in Miami.
Matchbox American Kitchen + Spirit | Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise
Washington, D.C.-based Matchbox Food Group opened its first Florida restaurant at Sawgrass Mills. Matchbox American Kitchen + Spirit is leasing a two-story, 400-seat space at the Sunrise mall.
The restaurant group has 10 locations in four states, according to a press release. The Sawgrass Mills Matchbox features an industrial design with wood, steel and brick, a patio with a bar, and a chef’s table on the second floor.
Simon Property Group recently made a major reinvestment in the Oasis section of the mall. Brokers have said that multifamily development has been booming in western Sunrise near Sawgrass Mills and the BB&T Center, the county-owned arena and home of the Florida Panthers hockey team.