Michelle Bernstein’s La Cañita Opens on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — (Dec. 2025) — James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein and hospitality partners David Martinez and Davide Borgia announce the opening of La Cañita Miami Beach, Cuban-Caribbean restaurant and rum-centric bar of the Art Deco District at 1200 Ocean Drive. La Cañita, which has been celebrated in Bayside Marketplace since 2021 and Kendall since early 2025, will bring the team’s lively dining experience to South Beach with vibrant rum cocktails, a sun-soaked menu of Caribbean classics, cigar roller a house band and live music featuring some of South Florida’s most celebrated Cuban musicians.  

La Cañita was born from the partners’ dreams of bringing together Cuban music, Cuban-Caribbean food and lifestyle, as well as a love and appreciation of rum culture. La Cañita means "little sugarcane," the plant whose distillation creates the delicious spirit that La Cañita proudly features and the heart and soul of the restaurant. Drawing influences from Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti and Puerto Rico, as well as coastal towns in Central and South America, the concept features Bernstein’s award-winning cuisine, lively music and creative cocktails, with the goal of preserving Miami's rich Latin-Caribbean essence. 

“In Miami, the islands aren’t offshore, they’re in our hearts, our kitchens, our rum glasses. Island heritage dining taught us that warmth isn’t just in the weather, it’s in the welcome. Every meal is an invitation to feel at home, no matter where you come from,” says Bernstein. “We are so excited to make our mark on Ocean Drive, the Art Deco icon of South Florida, and create a new home for both locals and visitors to the beach.” 

Under Bernstein’s direction, La Cañita Miami Beach offers a dynamic and vibrant menu for lunch and dinner, including hand-held snacks to Caribbean classics and South Florida signatures. Menu highlights include: 

• Empanada trio with criolla, spinach and chicken 

• Croquetas de Jamon Serrano, Mushroom or Shrimp Scampi 

• Smoked Wahoo Fish Dip with celery and golden saltines 

• Conch Fritters dusted with cayenne powdered sugar 

• Local fish of the day, citrus butter, coconut rice, roast squash, black eyed peas and curry 

• Lechón Asado with mojo de ajo, steamed yuca, chicarrones

• Arroz con Pollo a la Plancha, Michelle’s mom’s recipe with olive & herb salad 

In concepting La Cañita, the team envisioned a shuttered distillery on a remote Caribbean Island, where rum is both the native language and the definitive drink of choice. To bring this concept to life, they tapped Nicolette Bernstein, accomplished interior designer and Michelle’s sister, to transform the space with a lot of natural light coming in from the floor to ceiling windows into an inviting and lively ambiance with rich teal walls, mosaic tiles along the u-shaped bar and the stage visible from both the inside and the outside patio, featuring La Cañita Beach Band and setting the tone. Assembled by the hospitality team and unique to this location, the band performs daily during lunch and dinner, and on the weekend brunch and dinner. The 158-seat dining room offers indoor and outdoor seating along with a 40 seat bar becoming the focal point of the room selection along with other craft spirits, wine and beer. Rum cocktails are central to the La Cañita experience with highlights including: 

• Extensive Mojito selection, with more than seven varieties of this iconic Cuban cocktail

• The namesake, La Cañita a blend of rums with fruit flavors including La Cañita’s house guava blend and banana liqueur

• Domino Old Fashioned, a bold twist on this classic cocktail

There are more than 100 bottles of rum behind the bar offering a global taste of some of the best rums, from the well-known to the newly discovered that can be sipped, paired with a cigar or enjoyed in a cocktail.

La Cañita Miami Beach is open Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–12:00 am Fri, Sat 11:00 am–2:00 am, with daily happy hour from 3 pm to 6 pm and reverse happy hour from 10 pm to 12am. private party and large group reservation available Reservations can be made on OpenTable  LaCanitaMiami.com. To stay up to date on all programming, please follow La Cañita on Instagram and Facebook at @lacanitamiami @lacanitabeach.