Celebrity chef Eyal Shani has officially entered his Miami era in full force and, apparently, he’s bringing tomatoes with him.
The Israeli chef behind globally beloved restaurants like Miznon, HaSalon and Michelin-starred Shmoné is opening yet another South Florida restaurant this spring, this time taking over the Moxy South Beach with a new concept called Naked Tomato.
Opening May 14, the new restaurant is being described as a stripped-back, ingredient-first expression of Shani’s vegetable-devoted cooking philosophy, which revolves around fire, fresh produce and boisterous, communal meals. If you’ve been to one of Shani’s restaurants before, you know the vibe. But Naked Tomato leans even more casual than some of his existing concepts, taking inspiration from Israeli roadside grills and gas-station food culture. Think skewers, dips, salads and smoky open-fire cooking instead of elaborate tasting menus.
Photograph: Max Flatow
The centerpiece of the menu is shipudim (Israeli-style skewers) with options including harissa chicken thigh, lamb kebab, shrimp and wild mushrooms. They’ll come with an entire spread of mezze, pickles and salads designed for sharing. Elsewhere on the menu, there’s fire-roasted eggplant, Moroccan bishbash salad, freshly baked laffa bread, schnitzel and something dramatically titled “Marrow of a dinosaur bone.”
“At Naked Tomato, we believe creating naked food is an act of courage,” Shani said in a statement. “It means removing the masks and distractions and standing fully behind the ingredient itself.”
Photograph: Courtesy of Naked Hospitality
The dining room was designed by Jacob Turgeman Design and will mix communal tables, chalkboard menus, exposed produce displays and industrial materials that will make everything feel a bit like a living market.
Between the city’s ongoing obsession with splashy hospitality imports and Shani’s unmistakably energetic style of dining, Naked Tomato feels almost suspiciously well-engineered for South Beach. Honestly, the only shocking part is that it took this long for him to open a restaurant literally named after a tomato.