{"id":55374,"date":"2026-07-08T21:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/55374\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T21:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:30:14","slug":"this-modern-japanese-restaurant-is-worth-the-trip-to-coral-gables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/55374\/","title":{"rendered":"This modern Japanese restaurant is worth the trip to Coral Gables"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNew sushi restaurant Mottai has opened in Coral Gables at The Plaza from Brazil’s Attivo Group, blending Japanese and Miami flavors.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Mottai Miami<\/p>\n

Coral Gables<\/a> has a new sushi restaurant that blends Japanese cuisine, Miami flair, and a touch of Brazilian identity.<\/p>\n

Mottai <\/a>marks the first U.S. restaurant from Brazil-based Attivo Group, a hospitality company with more than ten restaurants across Brazil. Each concept has its own cuisine and personality, but all share the same commitment to creating distinctive dining experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cMottai is our first project outside of Brazil,\u201d says Marcelo Sim\u00f5es Abr\u00e3o, founder of Attivo Group. \u201cWe did extensive research on how to successfully build something for the Miami market while also keeping our identity. Our team did a wonderful job with the location, the design, and the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sushi chef Hiroshi Shintaku helped create the menu at Mottai Miami<\/p>\n

A Brazilian restaurant group finds a home in Miami<\/p>\n

Behind Mottai\u2019s culinary vision is Miami chef Brian Nasajon, who worked alongside the owners, executive chef Moritz Esser, and sushi chef Hiroshi Shintaku to create a menu that respects Japanese tradition while embracing Miami\u2019s multicultural food scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to stay within two really specific parameters: really honoring traditional Japanese cuisine, techniques, and ingredients while celebrating the fact that we are in Miami,\u201d Nasajon tells New Times. \u201cWe had to really understand the group\u2019s vision, finding the roots of that identity. Once we got there, we just put that against the canvas of what Miami is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the standouts includes the rock shrimp served with spicy aioli<\/p>\n

What to order at Mottai<\/p>\n

The expansive menu offers plenty for first-time visitors.<\/p>\n

Among the small plates, standouts include hamachi with white soy ponzu, a crab roll finished with togarashi brown butter, blistered shishito peppers, and rock shrimp served with spicy aioli.<\/p>\n

For larger plates, Nasajon recommends the black garlic chicken, pork belly, and suji katsu. One of the restaurant\u2019s signature dishes is the Kinoko Hot Pot, prepared tableside with yuzu soy butter, egg yolk, furikake rice, and chili crunch.<\/p>\n

\"\"Guests can choose from an extensive selection of nigiri and sashimi<\/p>\n

The sushi counter<\/p>\n

Behind the sushi counter, Shintaku leads the seafood program. \u201cI\u2019m lucky that I have Chef Hiroshi right there next to me, because he gave me a lot of guidance,\u201d Nasajon says. \u201cI have experience with Japanese cuisine, and I\u2019ve always been passionate about it, but there\u2019s a difference between how I interpret it versus how someone who was raised in that culture interprets it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guests can choose from an extensive selection of nigiri and sashimi, including toro, akami, kinmedai, sake, ama ebi, hotate, anago, tako, uni, and ikura. Those looking to leave the decision to the chef can order an omakase-style selection of 5 to 12 pieces of the day\u2019s best fish.<\/p>\n

The maki and temaki lineup includes the salmon tataki maki, layered with snow crab, cucumber, avocado, salmon, micro shiso, and chili garlic mayonnaise. Cocktails range from classic creations to a matcha cocktail, while the beverage program also features an extensive sake selection.<\/p>\n

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THANK YOU!<\/p>\n

You’re all set.<\/p>\n

CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"The Brazilian group plans to open more restaurants in the U.S.<\/p>\n

The first of more to come<\/p>\n

Although Mottai is Attivo Group\u2019s first restaurant outside Brazil, Abr\u00e3o says it won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n

The hospitality company began about a decade ago after Abr\u00e3o, who previously owned a fashion brand in Brazil, joined forces with his children to pursue their shared passion for hospitality and Japanese cuisine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when my children decided to invest in the first restaurant,\u201d Abr\u00e3o recalls. \u201cWith my experience, I was in charge of the concept and building the brand. We started growing and eventually opened a second location. Now, it has been ten years since we started Attivo Group. The company now belongs to my children, but I\u2019m always following things closely, and I\u2019m really proud of them and how far the group has come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mottai Miami. 2881 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, at The Plaza; 305-454-2488; mottaimiami.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New sushi restaurant Mottai has opened in Coral Gables at The Plaza from Brazil’s Attivo Group, blending Japanese…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3054,23389,23390,1097,8,17,8108],"class_list":["post-55374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-japan","tag-chefs","tag-coral-gables","tag-global-cuisine","tag-interviews","tag-japan","tag-japanese","tag-openings-closings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}