Zucca

Zucca is an Italian restaurant inside Coral Gables’ Hotel St. Michel where dinner always includes privacy and comfort. It’s why your parents like it, but also why you should try it if you’re tired of restaurant DJs. Zucca is split into two rooms, with stage lighting directed at every table, so you feel important anywhere you sit. It’s one of the quietest restaurants in Miami thanks to velvet curtains and hidden soundproofing that turns mighty Miami voices into smooth murmurs. Zucca’s slightly charred octopus is tender and comes with a zesty watercress and chickpea salad, but the highlight of this dish is a black squid chickpea sauce that’s brushed along the plate and needs to be on every bite. Then there’s the paccheri pasta so big you could wear it like a bracelet, which is served in a lobster-filled tomato sauce. For dessert, go with the airy saffron and passion fruit panna cotta.