Nautilus, A SIXTY Hotel on South Beach has been through its fair share of changes, but with their new restaurant remake, I think this time they have hit on the right formula. The new food and beverage concept, Nautilus Cabana Club, at Nautilus, a SIXTY Hotel, extends from the restaurant to the beach including the pool and new backyard garden.

The restaurant is under the culinary direction of Executive Chef Richard Fuentes. The menu features modern Mediterranean in an atmosphere that is designed for casual dining, lounging and socializing. 

I’m a huge fan of Mediterranean and immediately said yes to the media invite and brought along fellow MIAbites contributor, Alex Beck, for the ride. We started off with cocktails and the Meze menu featuring ten classic Mediterranean starters available from 5 pm to close each for $9. There were so many delicious options that we had a hard time narrowing it down to three, but we were very happy with what we decided. We opted for the Figs with Prosciutto and Parmesan, Chicken Skewers, and of course the Tzatiki with Pita.

Once we properly stuffed ourselves with pita, we were ready for the entrees. We decided to split the Braised Lamb and the Mushroom Risotto with a side of zucchini and roasted cauliflower. Both dishes were executed very well. The Lamb was served in a mini Le Creuset Dutch oven with a pomegranate couscous topped with mint. The Risotto was seriously filled with mushrooms and cooked to perfection.

Obviously, there’s ALWAYS room for dessert. During the course of our meal we were told we couldn’t skip the donuts, so we didn’t! The fluffy pillow-like donuts were each filled with something different – dulce de leche, Nutella, and passion fruit. So delicious and definitely a must order item.

We also shared the Lemon Tart served with torched whipped cream and a refreshing raspberry sorbet.

Chef Richard stopped by to check on us as we were finishing up and shared with us that his favorite dish on the menu is the lamb and the donuts were originally all filled with passion fruit, but the kitchen begged him to switch it up. He insisted on keeping at least one passion fruit donut in the mix. The lamb and passion fruit donut were my two favorites of the evening, so I think it’s safe to say I chose very well.

Be sure to check out the new and improved Nautilus Cabana Club, if not for dinner – then definitely for their bottomless rose brunch. See you there!

Nautilus, a SIXTY Hotel

1825 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

(305) 503-5700