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Behold Contessa, the Glamorous Northern Italian Outpost From Major Food Group

The team behind favorites Carbone and Dirty French debut their latest Miami restaurant

Major Food Group strikes again. The team behind hotspots Carbone, ZZ’s, Sadelle’s, and Dirty French, are debuting their latest Miami restaurant this weekend, Contessa, a swanky, two-story restaurant in the Miami Design District focused on Northern Italian cuisine.

large dining area with pink and green seating.
The ground floor dining room at Contessa Miami.

This marks the second location for Contessa, which originally debuted in Boston in 2021. At Contessa Miami, guests can kick off the meal with one of the many antipasti starters, including Chianina beef carpaccio, squash carpaccio, and Proscuitto. Of course, several decadent kinds of pasta can be found on the menu, like the spicy lobster capellini, tortellini in broth, rigatoni carbonara, fusilli Genovese, and rigatoni carbonara. Entrees include options like grilled branzino, a classic veal Milanese, and a 40-ounce dry-aged bistecca Fiorentina. An array of desserts, including gelato and cakes of pistachio, amaretto, and gianduja chocolate, complete the meal.

a pink dining room.

The upstairs dining area at Contessa Miami.

The drink program focuses on the classics by Nathan McCarley O’Neill, formerly of the Nomad Hotel Group. Think the crowd favorites like the spritz, Bellini, vesper, negroni, and a chilled martini. The wine program centers on central and northern Italian vintages, focusing on Nebbiolo-based wines from Barolo, Barbaresco, Alte-Piedmont, and Lombardy.

outdoor patio with white chairs and tables.
The outdoor dining area at Contessa Miami.

The two-story restaurant is meant to “transport guests to Lake Como circa 1960.” The first floor features emerald-striped drapes, a jewel-toned Art Deco marble floor, pink Venetian plaster walls, Italian Murano light fixtures, and custom furniture. A curved grand staircase takes guests upstairs to the equally elaborate upstairs dining room, with deep teal high-gloss wall walls and gold antique mirrors offset by a herringbone patterned floor. Custom silk pendant lights frame each booth, while the curved bar with embossed leather panels contrasts with the pink palm chandelier and wall sconces.

Contessa opens Friday, October 28 at 111 NE 41st Street in the Miami Design District. It is open Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit here.

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