Chef Michelle Bernstein in the bar at Sra. Martinez, which is closing in Coral Gables.
Photo by Matias J. Ocner
mocner@miamiherald.com
After two years, chef Michelle Bernstein’s resurrected Sra. Martinez is closing in Coral Gables.
The restaurant, which originally opened in a historic post office in Miami’s Design District in 2008 and reopened at 2325 Galiano St. at the end of 2024, served upscale Spanish cuisine with hints of other European influences. Diners could feast on tasty snacks like duck fat popcorn or carbonara croquetas with cured egg yolk and Pecorino and work their way up to dishes like a sublime oxtail paella served with melted bone marrow.
Bernstein, who operated the restaurant with her husband and partner David Martinez, announced the news on her social media account.
“After a lot of thought, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Sra. Martinez,” she wrote. “We love Coral Gables, our incredible team and every one of you who has walked through our doors and sat at our tables. We’re incredibly grateful for all the meals, celebrations, late nights and memories we’ve shared together over the last two years.”
Bernstein, who was honored earlier this year at a tribute dinner at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, added that they will be keeping the space and are considering what to do there next. The restaurant features more than 4,000 square feet, with a covered patio outside and a stage inside, where performers played many nights.
The final night of service will be Saturday, Sept. 26.
“Until then, we’d love nothing more than to see some familiar faces, share a few more meals and raise a glass together one last time,” wrote Bernstein, who also operates La Cañita at Bayside Marketplace, Kendall and Miami Beach as well as the popular Cuban-themed Café La Trova in Little Havana with Martinez and master cantinero Julio Cabrera.
Chef Michelle Bernstein, right, jokes with chef Isaiah Toledo as staff members help him put on his apron at Sra. Martinez in Coral Gables. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Earlier this year, Bernstein told the Miami Herald that despite increasing challenges in the restaurant industry she remains hopeful about the business.
“I have always had this blind, very optimistic way of thinking,” she said. “Everything gives me hope. When I see the young people that I’ve trained turning into these great chefs, that gives me hope. When someone comes in and says, ‘Oh, my God, this meal is fabulous,’ and then they go home and talk about this restaurant and the service that they experienced, that gives me hope.
“I sometimes get scared and a little depressed and are shaky about the future in this industry, but it can’t keep me down, because I love it. I still want to prove myself.”
The exterior of Sra. Martinez restaurant from Michelle Bernstein and David Martinez in Coral Gables. World Red Eye
Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don’t make her eat a mango.
