MIKA brings the cooking of the Mediterranean coastline to Coral Gables with the polished hand of chef Michael White. Located at The Plaza, the restaurant draws inspiration from the Riviera rather than confining itself to a single country’s cuisine, moving comfortably among Italian and broader Mediterranean flavors with seafood, crudo and pasta at the center of the experience.
The menu makes that coastal identity clear from the beginning. Crudo and seafood preparations include tuna, sea scallop, seabass and blue crab, while Mediterranean dips, octopus and other starters broaden the geography. Pasta remains an important part of the restaurant’s DNA, with dishes such as gnocchi, tagliatelle, rigatoni and other preparations that reflect White’s long association with Italian cooking.
Seafood is equally important. Branzino, grouper, salmon and other selections give the menu the lightness and range expected of a restaurant inspired by the Mediterranean coast, while steaks, chicken and richer dishes make MIKA more than a seafood destination. The kitchen can move from caviar and crudo to pasta and a substantial main course without the meal feeling disconnected.
MIKA also understands that Riviera dining is as much about how an evening unfolds as what is on the plate. The bar and lounge host weekday aperitivo, lunch provides a more relaxed way to experience the restaurant, and the dining room is polished enough for celebrations and special evenings without feeling ceremonial.
For translating the flavors and spirit of the Mediterranean and Italian Riviera into a sophisticated Coral Gables restaurant, MIKA is the Coral Gables Gazette’s selection for Best Coastal Riviera Cuisine.
Coral Gables Gazette Food & Dining Editor
MIKA earns its place on the Best of Coral Gables list by bringing the Mediterranean coastline to The Plaza with a distinctly Riviera-minded point of view. Under chef Michael White, the menu moves confidently between Italian and broader Mediterranean traditions, with crudo, seafood and pasta anchoring the experience. Tuna, sea scallop, seabass and blue crab showcase the raw-bar side, while gnocchi, tagliatelle and rigatoni reflect White’s Italian cooking pedigree. Branzino, grouper and salmon keep the menu coastal, but steaks, chicken, caviar and richer preparations give the restaurant the range to suit more than one kind of appetite. With weekday aperitivo, lunch and a polished dining room for celebrations, MIKA brings Coral Gables a sophisticated Riviera rhythm rather than another narrowly defined seafood restaurant.
The Gazette Take: MIKA gives Coral Gables a polished taste of the Riviera with real culinary range.