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Paya, the newest restaurant from Feal Hospitality’s Niven Patel and Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar, will open next Thursday, September 26, at 1209 17th St. in Miami Beach. The James Beard Award-nominated team, known for South Florida favorites like Erba in Coral Gables, NiMo and Ghee Indian Kitchen, will offer island-inspired fare focusing on tropical flavors.
Patel draws inspiration for Paya from the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Spain’s islands. His approach centers on local ingredients from Rancho Patel and nearby purveyors. The debut menu features green papayas and mangoes from his farm, royal red shrimp from Cape Canaveral, crab and scallops from Maine, hearts of palm from Hawaii, local tomatoes, oysters, hogfish, and grouper from Florida, along with Iberian pork and octopus from Spain.
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On the menu, diners can start with green papaya salad with pink shrimp and tamarind vinaigrette or coconut wahoo ceviche with island chips. The raw bar offers local seafood like Sebastian Inlet oysters with jackfruit mignonette and scallop crudo with peaches, passionfruit, and jalapeño. Larger dishes include lemongrass-glazed grouper with coconut curry sauce and tamarind-glazed lamb chops with roasted plantains and jerk-spiced yogurt.
Alkassar describes Paya as a personal milestone, located blocks from his first U.S. home after moving to South Beach close to nine years ago. The restaurant is his way of giving back to the community that shaped his career. “Miami Beach is my home, my comfort zone... Paya is full circle for me, it’s personal,” he says.
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Housed in the former Joliet space, Paya’s interior, designed by Paty Duran of Hybrid Creative in collaboration with Alkassar, begins with a long foyer featuring tropical floral wallpaper and a sage stone table. From there, guests are drawn into the coral-colored raw bar, which seats eight and showcases seafood. The dining room follows, featuring brick walls, a ruddy banquette lined with plants, gold-hued wallpaper, and a combination of white oak and green marble tables. At the center of the space is a U-shaped teal wood bar with a sage marble top, seating 25 guests.
Paya will be open at 1209 17th St. in Miami Beach from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.