Casadonna Miami- Design of the Year.
Casadonna, a collaboration between David Grutman’s Groot Hospitality and Tao Group Hospitality, is set to finally debut later this month in Edgewater. The massive 20,000-square-foot restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay aims to bring Miami coastal Italian cuisine in a grandiose setting.
The restaurant offers Riviera-style Italian dishes against the backdrop of Biscayne Bay. The menu, influenced by coastal towns like Naples and Positano, includes dishes like crispy young artichoke, royal dorade, bistecca Fiorentina, and a range of handmade pastas like campanelle bolognese. The restaurant also boasts a crudo bar with options like langoustine ceviche and tuna carpaccio. The dining experience is rounded off with a selection of cocktails and a diverse vintage collection.
“This is our first foray into the Miami market,” says Noah Tepperberg, co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality. “It’s an honor to be in such an important landmark within the city, and it’s exciting to have partnered with Groot Hospitality on this venture. David and his team know Miami deeply, and with our combined strengths, I have no doubt Casadonna is going to become an instant classic.”
The restaurant’s name, Casadonna, is a nod to its location, the building of the Miami Women’s Club. “Casa” and “donna” translate to “home” and “woman” in Italian. The Miami Women’s Club, founded in 1900, has been pivotal in various community initiatives, including supporting the inception of what is now Everglades National Park.
Ken Fulk, in partnership with Groot Hospitality and Tao Group Hospitality, designed Casadonna’s interiors. The entry features a double-height Courtyard Bar in the building’s original atrium with flowers and a retractable roof. Inside, the restaurant features distinct areas such as the Garden Dining Room and the Loggia Dining Room, each offering unique design elements and views of Biscayne Bay. The layout culminates at the Ocean Bar, which boasts lounges and outdoor dining spaces overlooking the bay. As patrons navigate through these spaces, the bay views increasingly capture attention.
“We delved deep into the history of Miami architecture and this building, and we landed on a shared vision that added the grandeur of nearby Vizcaya and the exotic allure of the Long Bar at Raffles in Singapore,” said Fulk.
While Tao Group might be new to Miami, it certainly isn’t new to the restaurant and club scene. In December 2022, Tepperberg told Eater NY that its restaurant group has gained such a following: “we have customers who plan their social calendars entirely within our collection restaurants.” Tao Group has an impressive global presence with 70 properties worldwide, including 30 locations in New York City alone. Tao in Midtown, its namesake pan-Asian restaurant, first opened its doors in 2000, and since then, Tao Group has continued to expand its reach in NYC, with the popular Lavo in Midtown and Beauty and Essex on the Lower East Side. (Source: Eater Miami)
