Adrift Mare Mediterranean restaurant opens in Miami

August 4, 2023

“Watching sunsets here, it’s amazing,” says Chef David Myers of his new waterfront restaurant Adrift Mare in Brickell.

Known for his passion for food and travel, self-proclaimed “Gypsy Chef” David Myers has opened 20 restaurants in nine countries all over the world. His first restaurant, the now-closed Sona in Los Angeles, earned a Michelin star, and he went on to expand his culinary empire to Asia and the Middle East.

And now, he has shifted his focus from hot spots like Dubai and Tokyo and landed in Miami, opening his first restaurant on the U.S. east coast.

Now open on the 25th floor of Hotel AKA Brickell, Adrift Mare is inspired by the coastal cities of the Mediterranean, which specialize in food that the well-traveled Myers is only too happy to eat.

“It’s the type of food I love to eat on a regular basis,” he says. “That healthy, vibrant cuisine that’s seafood-oriented, with lots of olive oil. It’s food you’d have on the French Riviera or Greece or the Amalfi Coast. It’s the perfect sort of summerish food that resonates so well here in Miami.”

Under the watchful eye of executive chef Kamarl John, the menu will make use of the ingredients and techniques Myers has enjoyed on his trips through the Mediterranean. Fresh fish and shellfish will be front and center, along with grilled meat, pastas and vegetable dishes. Expect starters like Parker Rolls served with fava bean spread, raw oysters and yellowfin tuna with shallots, caviar and crackers.

Chef and restaurateur David Myers, known as the “Gypsy Chef,” has opened his first restaurant on the east coast of the U.S. with Adrift Mare in Brickell. Michael Pisarri

Main courses include a whole grilled sea bass, grilled King Crab legs, grilled prawns and mixed shish kebabs. There’s also a tasting menu available for $98 per person.

Myers expects the menu to evolve over time.

“I think we’ll change with the seasons,” he says. “We’ll always have core staples. We’ll always have fresh salads. There will always be a Greek salad.” Thinking of Florida summers, he adds, “We’ll just have to get the tomatoes from somewhere else sometimes.”

The restaurant’s cocktail program was designed by the internationally famous mixologists Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy, known for their work at Two Schmucks in Barcelona, which was ranked no. 7 in the World’s Best 50 Bars in 2022. The duo also hosted a two-month residency at Mezcalista at the Moxy Miami South Beach hotel earlier this year.

Adrift Mare encompasses 2,413 square feet, set within an 11-story atrium of floor-to-ceiling windows, all the better to view sunset. Myers says he was stunned at the view the first time he saw it. Distracted by the more pressing demands like food service, he hadn’t realized quite how good the sunset would be.

The bar at the new restaurant Adrift Mare at Hotel AKA Brickell.

“I didn’t realize till we opened how great the ambiance is,” he says. “It’s amazing! How did we get this? These are epic views of Miami.”

Miami has been a popular destination for national and international restaurants, but Myers doesn’t worry about the possibility of saturation or that there aren’t enough diners to go around. Everybody, he says, wants to be in Miami right now.

“Miami is the hottest destination foodwise in the U.S.,” he says. “It’s the place to be. With the vibrancy of the nightlife here, it reminds me of Dubai. Dubai is on fire with great restaurants.”

Working in so many international cities has taught Myers that despite the differences in culture, diners are surprisingly similar in what they look for in a restaurant.

“No matter where you are, in Bangkok, Singapore or Tokyo, everybody wants the same thing,” he says. “Everybody wants to be recognized, have great food and a great experience and leave with a great memory. It’s the same mindset, wherever you go. People want to be treated well, and that’s what we do.”