A SoHo pasta counter, a South Miami matcha shop and a Los Angeles Chinese-American restaurant are each moving into a room Sunset Harbour already knows, between now and Christmas, and each is adjusting its formula to fit the block between Purdy Avenue and West Avenue. A few hundred feet away at 18th Street and Purdy Avenue, the city is adding new uses to the neighborhood's waterfront park.
The Pasta Bar That Rebuilt Its Menu for West Avenue
A Pasta Bar was set to open Wednesday, October 21, in the former Sushi Garage space at 1784 West Avenue, Miami New Times reported. The paper noted that the restaurant had kept its signage up for nearly two years before it named a date. According to New Times, this is the first expansion of the New York original since it opened in SoHo nearly a decade ago. The Miami Beach room covers 4,700 square feet and has a backlit marble pasta bar, a freestanding open kitchen and a 17-seat chef's counter. The listed hours are 5 to 11 p.m. daily, with aperitivo from 5 to 7 p.m.
The menu was rebuilt for this location. The owners added more proteins, seafood and crudos, plus protein-enriched, whole-wheat, vegan and gluten-free pastas. The team spent six months developing the alternative pastas. Co-owner Andrea Pedrazzoli explained the thinking to Miami New Times:
"Here, the pasta will remain the star of the show, but it was very clear since day one that we needed to make the menu more complete if we wanted to address the crowd here in Sunset Harbour."
He calls the result "A Pasta Bar 2.0." The SoHo concept made the trip, but its menu was redrawn around the block.
On Bay Road, a Café Space Goes to Matcha and Sourdough
The same pattern holds one block over. Honey Veil, the matcha and sourdough brand that grew out of a South Miami storefront, is taking over 1800 Bay Road, Suite 103. Dr. Smood, the organic café chain, previously occupied the space. The Infatuation's fall openings guide traces the brand back to a truck parked on the University of Miami campus. It expects the Sunset Harbour shop to serve matcha lattes topped with honey whip and to have a corner for pantry items.
The pantry corner suits the address. The suite is part of a commercial hub of more than 70,000 square feet across eight buildings, anchored by Trader Joe's, Publix and The Fresh Market. A café that sells take-home goods sits naturally among grocers, and an organic café is being replaced by another daytime counter, not by a bar or a dinner room. The opening date is still listed as "TBA," according to Miami New Times' September report.
Sardinia's Corner Is Waiting on Christmas
The third room has the longest history. Sardinia opened at 1801 Purdy Avenue in 2006 and served its final meal on Father's Day 2025. Miami New Times' account of the closing remembered its wood-fired pizzas, salt-baked branzino and an "Enoteca" wine list of about 300 bottles.
Genghis Cohen is the next tenant. Marc Rose and Med Abrous of the Los Angeles group Call Mom are bringing it to Florida for the first time, with hotelier Jason Pomeranc as a partner. In April, New Times reported that the team aims to open "just in time for Christmas 2026." The Infatuation's September guide lists it as "Late 2026." It also points out that the restaurant would bring a Chinese-American option to a neighborhood that has none, and predicts that Sunset Harbour's dining scene "is going to look very different a year from now."
All three operators arrive from elsewhere into rooms with local history. The pasta menu gained proteins and gluten-free options, the matcha shop is adding a pantry next to the grocers, and the Purdy Avenue corner will offer a cuisine it doesn't currently have.
| Address | Previous tenant | Incoming | Latest reported status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1784 West Ave | Sushi Garage | A Pasta Bar | Slated to open October 21 |
| 1800 Bay Rd, Suite 103 | Dr. Smood | Honey Veil | Opening date TBA |
| 1801 Purdy Ave | Sardinia, 2006 to June 2025 | Genghis Cohen | Targeting Christmas 2026 |
The Public Room at 18th and Purdy Is Being Reworked Too
The biggest re-fit on the block is public. The city held the grand opening for the expanded Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in April 2025. The project, paid for by the 2018 voter-approved General Obligation Bond, added a music-themed playground with oversized faux instruments and a disco ball, a dog park, a fishing pier, two upgraded lookouts over Biscayne Bay, shade structures, walking paths and a living shoreline behind a new, higher seawall. The city's park page lists it as open every day from sunrise to sunset.
The park's water access now does several jobs. The Barry Kutun Boat Ramp is for motorized vessels only, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Kayaks and paddleboards launch from the floating dock, which city rules limit to 20 minutes per launch or landing. The same dock is the Miami Beach stop for the city's free commuter water taxi, which crosses to the Venetian Marina & Yacht Club at 1635 N Bayshore Drive in about 20 minutes. The posted schedule runs Monday through Friday. Boats leave hourly from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. There is no weekend service during the initial launch and no service on observed federal holidays. Each vessel is about 40 feet long and carries up to 55 passengers.
A second project is planned for the park. In July, the city announced a July 24 groundbreaking for a $13 million Marine Patrol Facility, built by Lunacon Construction Group. The existing 2,500-square-foot marine patrol building is to be torn down for a three-story, 10,924-square-foot replacement. It will house the police and fire marine units, and its ground floor will have a visitor lobby, a park office and public restrooms. The city's stated completion target is summer 2027. A single-purpose police building gives way to one that also serves park visitors.
The Walk to Lincoln Road for the Next Several Weeks
The West Avenue corridor south toward Lincoln Road is an active work zone. The City of Miami Beach's West Avenue Phase II update, dated October 15, 2026, lists a pump station at 1671 West Avenue, drainage well work on Lincoln Road and on 16th Street, and stormwater drainage on West Avenue south of Lincoln Road. The changes most likely to affect a walk or a dog route:
- Lincoln Court, north of Lincoln Road: demolition was set to start October 26, with roadway work expected to start November 2. The plan calls for raising and rebuilding the street end with new brick pavers, storm drains, sidewalks, a curb ramp and rebuilt stairs.
- Lincoln Court pedestrian bridge: the base is scheduled to be rebuilt, and the bridge is expected to stay closed for about six weeks.
- Lincoln Road street-end green space: expected to close for about a month while the retaining wall behind the seawall is rebuilt.
- Parking: no parking on Lincoln Road from Alton Road to the street end, on Bay Road north of Lincoln Road, or on 16th Street between Bay Road and Alton Court.
Work typically runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Saturday work as needed.
For a free afternoon in mid-November, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is hosting "Nature. In Community" on Sunday, November 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. It is a free program of hands-on installations with natural fibers, botanical scents and soundscapes, created by neuroscientist and artist Karina Del Punta, Ph.D., with guest artists Anna Biondo and Sarah Laing. RSVP is through the garden's calendar page.
If you're weighing what this season's changes on Purdy Avenue, Bay Road and West Avenue mean for a home nearby, The Michael Graves Team is glad to go over it with you in a private consultation.
