Neighborhood guide

Coral Gables

George Merrick's Mediterranean vision, still standing.

“Restoration, done properly, is a form of quiet argument: that the past knew something about proportion we are still relearning.”

Platted in 1925 under some of the strictest architectural codes in the country, Coral Gables remains a city of coral-rock walls, barrel-tile roofs, and banyan-canopied boulevards. Its landmark, the 1926 Biltmore Hotel with its Giralda-inspired tower, still anchors the neighborhood's identity — a benchmark for the Mediterranean Revival grandeur every estate here is measured against. It trades Miami's vertical density for horizontal grandeur — grand estates on quarter-acre-plus lots, many still original to the Merrick era.

Shingo

$$$$ · Japanese omakase

A 14-seat, Michelin-starred omakase counter helmed by Chef Shingo Akikuni in the historic La Palma Building — seasonal Japanese ingredients sourced locally and from Japan, served with the philosophy of omotenashi (true hospitality).

Bouchon Bistro

$$$ · French bistro

Thomas Keller's French brasserie in Coral Gables, serving classic bistro fare — steak frites, roast chicken, croque madame — in a room modeled after a Lyonnaise bouchon.