MILA Miami

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where the Mediterranean Meets Japan, Above Miami Beach

On the rooftop of 1636 Meridian Ave in Miami Beach, MILA has built something genuinely difficult to categorize — and that's precisely the point. The restaurant operates around a philosophy it calls MediterrAsian cuisine: a fusion of Mediterranean coastal cooking and Japanese culinary tradition that feels less like a concept and more like a point of view. That perspective has made MILA the self-described number-one highest-grossing independent restaurant in the United States, and earned it Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence — a recognition that speaks directly to the depth and seriousness behind what can, at first glance, look like pure spectacle.

Founders, Design, and the Wabi-Sabi Connection

MILA was envisioned by Gregory Galy and Marine Giron-Galy, shaped by their travels and a genuine appetite for discovery. They brought in interior designer Olya Volkova to translate that sensibility into physical space. The result draws on two seemingly opposite aesthetics: the clean geometry of the Cycladic islands and Japan's Wabi-Sabi philosophy — the acceptance of imperfection and the beauty found in natural, unfinished things. Reclaimed wood, unpolished floors, untreated stone, handmade linen and cotton fabrics sit alongside sculptures, paintings, and ceramics sourced from artists and craftspeople around the world. The restaurant collaborates actively with potters, painters, and ceramists — treating the space itself as a curated collection rather than a backdrop.

The guiding mantra is Eudaimonia — a Greek term for the contented happiness that comes from travel — and the entire multi-venue experience is built around evoking that feeling without requiring guests to leave Miami Beach.

Four Concepts, One Address

MILA is not a single room. The rooftop restaurant anchors the experience, offering MediterrAsian cuisine alongside bespoke cocktails and a vibrant, high-energy dinner service. One floor below, MILA Lounge takes a different direction — a multi-sensory space inspired by African tribal aesthetics and primitive design, oriented toward nightlife. Separately, MILA Omakase seats just ten guests in an enclosed room at 800 Lincoln Road, offering an intimate, chef-led progression rooted in Japanese tradition and accented by Mediterranean influences. Finally, the MM Members Club operates as a modern speakeasy, accessible only to members.

The breadth of these offerings — from a sushi masterclass to a private omakase counter to a rooftop lounge with Balearic music — reflects an ambition that goes well beyond a single dining room. For guests who want the full range of what Mediterranean and Asian cuisine can be in one city block, MILA makes a compelling case.