"We open on Wednesday, and we're expecting to be slammed." Someone on the Miami Slice team said that during a walk-through just before the Grove flagship opened on Wednesday, August 12. The quote is about pizza. The location is the bigger story. Miami Slice didn't take a spot on Main Highway or Commodore Plaza. It took a room in the historic Engle Building at 2996 McFarlane Road, next to the Mr. C Hotel.
Over the next few weeks, the Grove's two most talked-about "coming this fall" names chose the same street. Levain Bakery is going in at 2979 McFarlane. Seiya, a Japanese restaurant, is going in at 2889 McFarlane, eight floors up. So the Grove's newest dining is splitting in two this fall. New concepts in new kinds of spaces are clustering on McFarlane Road. Openings in the older core are moving into rooms another restaurant already used.
Three addresses inside one block
Here's what the McFarlane stretch looks like as of early October 2026, in street-number order:
- 2875 McFarlane Road. The Coconut Grove Branch Library, which keeps the street busy on weekday afternoons with recurring programs.
- 2889 McFarlane Road. The Arya Hotel & Suites, where Seiya is planned for the 8th floor. AVA MediterrAegean shares the address, on the ground floor right next door to the hotel.
- 2979 McFarlane Road. Levain Bakery's first Florida location, which Miami New Times places near CocoWalk.
- 2996 McFarlane Road. Miami Slice's Grove flagship in the Engle Building.
All three food projects are formats their operators hadn't tried before. Miami Slice calls the Grove its fourth location and its most ambitious. The others are the original Downtown slice bar, a Key Biscayne takeout spot and a shop inside the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Only the Grove room has a wood-fired oven. Culinary director Jose "Chema" Cardenas uses it for a short menu you can't order at the other locations, including wood-fired cabbage. The room also adds new booths for small groups and families, set around a slice bar with chef's-table-style seating. Miami Slice was recently ranked the No. 3 pizza slice in the country by 50 Top Pizza, and the top slice spot in Florida.
Levain is a 30-year-old New York bakery. Its only Miami presence so far was a delivery-only pop-up in 2021, and this location is meant to be permanent. Miami New Times expects breads, brioche, pastries and seasonal items alongside the famous chocolate chip walnut cookie.
Seiya will open on a hotel's 8th floor, a spot almost nothing else in the Grove's dining scene can match. Chef Seiya Noborikawa leads the restaurant, which bills itself as "Nikkei Alterno," a different kind of Japanese cooking with "Japanese precision and global soul." The dishes teased so far include a Zakuro Steak with pomegranate honey, wasabi butter and crispy shallots, and the Aspar-Akami, a bluefin tuna dish with asparagus crema, cardamom and nutmeg.
Two of those three still have no opening date. Levain's Coconut Grove page still says "Coming Soon!" and lists no hours. Miami New Times' September 23 fall roundup still expected a fall debut but gave no date. On September 16, The Burn Miami reported that Seiya was aiming for fall and that the team was "getting close," also without a date.
Main Highway and Mary Street are refilling familiar rooms
Head south toward the older core and the pattern changes. The new restaurants there are moving into spaces Grove diners already know.
Manoli Greek opened July 22 at 3540 Main Highway. Chef Emmanouil "Manoli" Aslanoglou leads the kitchen, and his background includes KYU and MasterChef Greece. It took over the former Sereia space. That Portuguese restaurant closed in May 2025 after 14 months. The menu is built on Greek-inspired shared plates, with a raw bar, house-made pasta, grilled dishes and Greek desserts finished tableside. The Barnacle Historic State Park sits just up the road at 3485 Main Highway. That makes dinner at Manoli an easy add-on to the Mama Fuma Moonlight Concert on the Barnacle grounds, Friday, October 9, at 7 p.m.
On Mary Street, The Burn Miami reported in late August that Pasta e Basta plans a second location at 3306 Mary Street, the former Aida. The team hopes to open by the end of the year, and no date has been confirmed. Its next-door neighbor at 3308 Mary Street is Emissary Café. Emissary has just started First Draft, a monthly First Thursday open mic where readers get three minutes in English or Spanish. Sign-ups start at 6:30 p.m. and the mic opens at 7.
Off the main grid entirely, La Sponda Ristorante & Grill opened Friday, September 18, at 4 Grove Isle Drive. It's a waterfront Italian restaurant from Thomas and Kassidy Angelo of Gioia Hospitality Group, and the menu includes Skipper Sweet Oysters, full caviar service and a Spaghetti Chitarra al Tartufo with Burgundy truffles.
The new rooms share a weekly rhythm
Put the three restaurants that have opened side by side and they keep the same days. Miami Slice runs Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m., on what it calls summer hours. La Sponda serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Manoli's own site lists Wednesday through Sunday too: 5 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
So none of the Grove's newest dinner rooms is open on a Monday or Tuesday right now. Levain and Seiya haven't posted hours. Once they open, it will be clear whether McFarlane's next arrivals stick to the same five-day week.
Miami Spice also changes the math for the rest of October. The program has been extended through Saturday, October 31. Three-course menus cost $40 at brunch or lunch and $50 or $65 at dinner at participating restaurants in Coconut Grove and across Miami. Check the official Miami Spice list before you book, since participation varies by restaurant.
The bay end of the Grove holds the fall calendar
Big events this season are concentrated near the water on Pan American Drive and South Bayshore Drive, a short walk from the McFarlane cluster. The Hangar at 3385 Pan American Drive alone has three major fall events.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10, noon to 6 p.m. | Fall Mercadito at Regatta Grove | 3415 Pan American Drive |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 6 to 9 p.m. | King Mango Strut poster and theme reveal | Fuller Street, between Grand Avenue and Main Highway |
| Oct. 16 to 18 | Sumo + Sushi Miami | The Hangar, 3385 Pan American Drive |
| Oct. 17 to 18 | Coconut Grove Sailing Club fall regattas | 2990 South Bayshore Drive |
| Oct. 24 to 25 | Faces of Fitness Miami, headlined by Dwyane Wade | Regatta Park |
| Nov. 13 to 15 | Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show | The Hangar |
| Dec. 3 to 6 | PINTA Miami, 20th anniversary | The Hangar |
Saturday, October 10, covers the whole neighborhood in one day. Fall Mercadito brings local vendors, seasonal drinks, food and music to the Regatta Grove waterfront from noon to 6 p.m. Then the King Mango Strut's free block party starts on the Fuller Street promenade. The Coconut Grove School of Rock plays at 6 p.m. DaveL's official poster and the 2027 parade theme are revealed at 7. The Chili Guys close the night from 7:30 to 9.
"The poster and theme unveiling is really where the King Mango Strut begins each year," said Carl Levin, president of the King Mango Strut.
The parade itself is later than many calendars will assume. The 43rd King Mango Strut steps off Sunday, January 3, 2027, at 2 p.m. The route starts at Commodore Plaza and Main Highway, turns onto Main Highway, then onto Grand Avenue at CocoWalk, and loops back onto Commodore Plaza. Organizers say more than 10,000 spectators turn out, and the parade is free.
The regattas on October 17 and 18 work best from the shore. One Design and BBYRA boats race on Saturday, PHRF boats race on Sunday, and trophies are handed out back at the club.
Smaller dates on McFarlane
The library at 2875 McFarlane Road is on the same stretch as the new restaurants, and its fall programs fit around dinner. The Spanish Conversation Circle meets from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays, October 22, November 19 and December 17. It's free, registration is required, and it's open to ages 19 and older. The Woman's Club of Coconut Grove Book Club meets there on Monday, October 26, to discuss The Maid by Nita Prose. It follows with How to Read a Book on November 23 and God of the Woods on December 28.
A Thursday conversation circle that ends at 5 p.m. leads straight into Miami Slice's 5 p.m. dinner opening up the street. When Levain and Seiya post their dates, McFarlane Road will have a bakery, a slice bar and a hotel-top dining room on one short stretch, plus a public library at the end of it.
Wondering how a new McFarlane Road anchor might change what your Grove home is worth? Ask Rebecca Sundel for a home valuation, and she'll factor in the newest openings near you.
