Miami chef Niven Patel to open Miami Beach restaurant with upscale tropical cuisine

Chef Niven Patel is taking his talents to South Beach.

Along with business partner Mohamed Alkassar, the culinary force behind the Michelin Bib Gourmand Ghee Indian Kitchen in Kendall and the elegant Italian restaurant Erba in Coral Gables is opening a new restaurant in Sunset Harbour.

Located in the former space of Joliet, a New Orleans-style seafood restaurant from Lost Boy & Co. that closed earlier this year , Paya is a celebration of island cuisine — specifically the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the islands of Spain. Derived from the word “papaya,” the name evokes tropical flavors and the elements Patel and Alkassar have become known for: fresh produce and herbs from Patel’s Homestead farm, Rancho Patel, as well as other local farms.

“We want to use a lot of Miami flavors,” Patel says. “We’re keeping it fresh and light.”

Paya, which will seat 89 guests in the dining room and bar, opens Sept. 26, with garden outdoor seating available sometime early in 2025. The restaurant is opening on the cusp of South Florida’s growing season, which means a menu laden with local delicacies.

In creating the menu, Patel and Alkassar, who formed Feal Hospitality earlier this year, consider ingredients first and build from there.

That means diners can expect dishes like Royal Red Shrimp from Cape Canaveral with green papaya, tomatoes, Thai basil, green beans and tamarind vinaigrette; wahoo ceviche with coconut leche de Tigre, avocado, cachucha peppers and cilantro; and wagyu beef tartare with Haitian pikliz, Dijon aoili, chives and tostones.

The Sebastian oysters will come with a jackfruit mignonette, made from fruit from Patel’s farm. The crudo will include passionfruit from another local farm. The grouper will be glazed with lemongrass; the crab cakes served with mango salsa; the skirt steak accompanied by crispy yucca and roasted pepper chimichurri. Also expect roasted hogfish on the menu, served with fennel, heirloom tomatoes, ginger and sesame sauce.

One of Patel’s favorite dishes is the calabaza ravioli, a vegetable-forward entree that’s markedly different than the usual cauliflower steak you find on menus.

“I wanted to do something unique,” Patel says. “I love making pasta, and I wanted to do a Jamaican island-style pasta using calabaza that’s locally grown. We’re going to add Jamaican flavors like Scotch bonnet and thyme and Allspice into a calabaza puree with goat cheese and chili crunch and lots of crispy onions on top. I’m really excited about that dish.”

The cocktail program will also feature what Alkassar calls a “farm to glass” approach, with drinks like a jerk watermelon margarita with tequila and mezcal. There are also plans afoot to infuse Four Roses bourbon with papaya for 48 hours.

“Niven has tricks up his sleeve with herbs from the farm,” Alkassar promises.

This is the first time Patel and Alkassar have operated a restaurant on Miami Beach, the first time they’ve been in the eastern part of the county since Ghee Indian Kitchen’s second location in the Design District closed during the pandemic. The location comes with different demands than Downtown Dadeland or Coral Gables, spots that attract more locals than tourists.

Alkassar said that while they know they need to appeal to tourists, they feel like they can entice locals on the Beach as well as on the east side of Miami. After all, he knows the Beach well.

“It helps that I’m entrenched in Miami Beach — it’s home for me,” he says. “I moved here when I first moved to the U.S. and have spent nearly nine years here. . . . We know we’ll get local support.”

Crazily enough, Paya isn’t the only restaurant Feal Hospitality is opening this fall. Coming later this year is Ghee’s new Wynwood location at the AMLI Wynwood apartment complex at 70 NW 25th St. There’s no opening date set yet, but Patel says it could happen in November.

“The goal is to always open before Art Basel,” he jokes.

Opening two restaurants within a few months of each other can be a recipe for disaster, but Patel and Alkassar are confident in both concepts. They credit Feal’s director of operations Jessica Brady and the rest of the team for the ability to take on two big projects at a time while still operating the original Ghee, Erba and the Mediterranean restaurant NiMo in Tequesta.

“Our director of operations and the team we have around us are like us,” Patel says. “Me and Mo never sleep! Our chefs are great. It’s a really great ecosystem that gives us the confidence to push forward so fast.”

Paya

Where: 1209 17th St., Miami Beach

Opening: Sept. 26

Hours: 5:30-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday; 5:30 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.