A Pasta Bar, the SoHo restaurant that built a following on handmade pasta and an open kitchen, has just opened its second location at 1784 West Avenue in Sunset Harbour, its first outside New York since the original opened in 2017. Alessandro Pasquale, who also led the New York original, designed the 4,700-square-foot room around a freestanding open kitchen ringed by a 17-seat chef's counter. The concept comes from co-owners Nicola Pedrazzoli, Simone Tiligna and Andrea Pedrazzoli, with Chef Esther leading the kitchen, and the team is calling the Miami menu "A Pasta Bar 2.0."
The open kitchen is the first thing a guest sees on walking in, and the kitchen and pasta lab stay in view from every seat in the room. Around it sit a 56-seat dining room, an 8-seat bar, a 28-seat outdoor area and a private dining room for up to 14 guests. G3C led construction. Pasquale built the space on the idea that contrast creates atmosphere: Grigio Carnico marble set against blue steel, Patagonia Green stone paired with antique brass, a backlit Italian quartzite as the focal element, Shou Sugi Ban wood underfoot and Italian pieces from the 1960s placed through the room.
Chef Esther cooks from two sources at once, the bold flavors of her Southern Spanish roots and the disciplined simplicity of her Italian mother-in-law's kitchen, with training abroad and years of refinement in New York behind her. "When you cook with very few elements, every detail matters," she says. In her kitchen, every pasta is made in-house daily, with dried shapes sourced from Gragnano, and each one is finished in a wok rather than a traditional pan, over induction, which gives the kitchen tight control over heat and lets the risottatura technique produce a silky sauce that coats every strand. Each plate is finished with tweezers, now a signature of the kitchen, in what the team describes as "dressed to impress."
The New York signatures all made the trip: Tagliatelle al Tartufo Nero, Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, Handmade Agnolotti di Carne and Pizza Pata Negra. Miami builds out around them, moving from a crudo selection into a wood-smoked grill program with a Boneless Prime Ribeye finished with café de Paris butter, Filetto al Pepe served with pepper sauce and crispy fries, and Cotoletta alla Valdostana, a take on the Cotoletta Milanese layered with Prosciutto Cotto and melted Fontina.
The seafood is seasonal and market-driven, with local catches such as red snapper, hogfish, dover sole and turbot. A daily pasta lab turns out limited-run shapes and fillings developed in real time, among them Pink Salmon Culurgiones, Red Striped Fagottini and Green Casoncelli, alongside specialty flours chosen with a more health-conscious approach in mind, and guests who want the full progression can order a five-course pasta tasting menu designed for two.
Before dinner, a Milanese-style aperitivo runs from 5 to 7 PM with classic Italian aperitifs, a focused spritz selection, and small bites including tramezzini and crocchette. The cocktail list carries the same point of view: Il Conte, a fig-infused take on the Negroni; La Grande Mela, pairing roasted apple with pecorino foam; and I Mille, a tropical interpretation of the Garibaldi with coconut-washed Campari and a hint of coffee. The wine list is exclusively Italian, covering established regions and lesser-known producers.
The restaurant lands in a neighborhood with its own pipeline forming around it. Reserve at One Sunset, a 20-story tower of 35 residences from Turnbridge Equities, has been announced for the neighborhood, and further along West Avenue, 1250 West Avenue, a 28-story, 106-residence tower from Terra, JDS Development Group, RG Development Group and GV Development, is estimated for 2030.
"Miami has grown into a true culinary destination," says founder Nicola Pedrazzoli. "There's an energy here that aligns perfectly with how we see dining - something that goes beyond the plate. It's about atmosphere, connection, and experience."
A Pasta Bar is open daily from 5 to 11 PM, with reservations available through OpenTable and Resy and the full menu at apastabar.com.