When a restaurant opening comes with as much pedigree as Bistro 8, expectations tend to run ultra-high. Such has been the case with this French-inspired Mexican restaurant in Little Havana that opened in January. It’s the latest Miami offering from Showa Hospitality, the San Diego-based group behind lauded local gems Hiden and the Taco Stand. But Bistro 8’s biggest claim to fame is undoubtedly its chef, Pancho Ibáñez. Formerly Chef de Cuisine at Pujol—the most consistently top-ranked restaurant in Mexico City—Ibáñez blends Mexican and French culinary techniques at Bistro 8, presenting a succinct menu of shareable plates emphasizing simplicity and quality ingredients.
Our first visit to the cozy Calle Ocho restaurant came as a relief: not only was the food as flavorful, complex and beautifully plated as we’d hoped, but the agave-based cocktails were punchy and original, and the service and atmosphere were refined yet relaxed. Our second and third visits only helped reinforce these impressions. Bistro 8 is not a traditional Mexican restaurant and doesn’t position itself as such. Nor is it another homage to Cuban flavors in a historically Cuban enclave. Rather, it combines the intimate, informal vibe of a Parisian bistro with the creative and technical prowess of an elite chef, giving the neighborhood something entirely new and, so far, consistently special.
Start your meal with the Cangrego, Brioche, Ikura, a buttery little slab piled neatly with savory-sweet, delicately dressed lump crab meat and topped with a layer of red caviar. This dish is for sure a highlight, along with the Tiradito de Kampachi, thick yet tender slices of amberjack in an umami tamari soy with tangy fermented lemon and green onion. Though it’s tempting to jump ahead to the mains, there are two salads on the current menu and they’re both worthy of a detour. For a springy take on a Caesar, order the Ejote, Chícharo, Butterhead, Almendra, Parmigiano. The green beans and peas add bite and grassiness while the almonds and parmesan bring texture and dimension.
From the Principales, if you’re going to order just one main, make it the Short Rib, Mole Almendrado. It’s decadent without being overwhelming; the meat slides off the bone and the almond mole is traditionally subtle, neither too spicy nor sweet, rich while letting the fatty flavor of beef shine. Dessert is absolutely necessary, and there are three options. Unless you’re in a chocolate mood, skip the Mousse and go for the Flan de Naranja (creamy orange flan topped off with a scoop of Ossetra caviar) and the Berlinesa (a vanilla creme-stuffed Berliner doughnut with a pile of truffle shavings).
As for the cocktails, they have been crafted by Pujol’s former beverage director and mezcalera, Eli Martinez Bello. There are nearly 10 signatures to choose from, the majority of them mezcal or tequila-based and created with Mexican ingredients like xoconostle, a sour cactus fruit, and totomoxtle, the husk of Mexican heirloom corn. The latter is a component of the Mex-Tlan, a smoky, spicy margarita-adjacent drink served up with a striking black color and a crusty rim of sal de colima, natural salt harvested from a Mexican lagoon.
Taken all together, inside a warm and cheery space of pastel pink, powder blue and chunky terrazzo floors, Bistro 8 is the sort of special spot that works just as well for a date night as it does for dinner with your friends visiting Miami, with a menu that’s inventive, approachable and ever-changing, so there’s always something new to discover.