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From the team behind Negroni Bistro & Sushi Bar comes their latest restaurant creation: Italica Midtown, an expansive 3,500-square-foot restaurant offering a colorful twist to traditional Italian cuisine with a customized spritz bar and plenty of Mediterranean-inspired eats.
This marks the first U.S. outpost for Italica, which started in Argentina in 2019. Helmed by executive chef Pablo Latif, Italica Midtown serves up various Italian-leaning dishes for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Start the meal with some roasted cauliflower with bagna cauda sauce or fritto de marre, before moving on to pasta dishes like the gnocchi ragu served with braised boneless beef short ribs, and the risotto e seppie made with squid ink risotto, seared cuttlefish, and saffron aioli. The extensive pizza menu features pies like the mortadella e carciofi topped with roasted artichokes, mortadella, pistachios, and pesto; the Cipolla with marinated onions, mozzarella, and Kalamata olives; and the prosciutto and stracciatella topped with prosciutto di Parma, marinated cherry tomatoes, and arugula.
The piece de resistance, however, is the Aperol Spritz bar. Guests can choose from a selection of spritzes that start at $16, such as the Giovanni Meet Oaxaca with mezcal topped with a torched orange; the Better than Sweet with Luxardo Bitter Bianco, Italicus, grapefruit, and sparkling water; the Fruttato made with rum, passion fruit, pineapple, and Pinot Grigio; and the Il Floreale made with sake, St-Germain, and prosecco. A full vermouth bar is also available with over half a dozen pours to choose from, including Cinzano 1757, Carpano Punt e Mes, Carpano Antica Formula, and more.
Housed near its sister restaurant in Midtown Miami, Italica boasts a 40-seat pet-friendly patio. This 165-seat dining room is anchored by a mosaic-tiled bar surrounding large pizza ovens and is completed by wooden accent benches, tables, and plenty of greenery.
Italica Midtown is located at 3201 NE First Avenue in Midtown Miami. It is open Monday through Friday from noon to midnight and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to midnight. For more information, visit here.
