Chef Eyal Shani is planting his flag in South Beach with Naked Tomato, his ingredient-obsessed concept set to open inside the Moxy South Beach hotel. The new spot leans into Israeli roadside-grill flavors and open-fire cooking and is scheduled to debut on May 14. Built around shareable mezze, skewers and a late-night bar program, it is pitched as a hotel restaurant that carries the energy of Tel Aviv rather than a standard lobby dining room.
Shani’s menu revolves around shipudim, Israeli-style skewers, with choices like harissa chicken thigh, lamb kebab, shrimp and wild mushrooms, all paired with spreads of hummus, labneh and other dips, as reported by Time Out. The same report points to cheeky dishes such as a plate billed as “Marrow of a dinosaur bone,” along with fire-roasted eggplant, a Moroccan bishbash salad and freshly baked laffa. Time Out frames Naked Tomato as a stripped-back, ingredient-first showcase of Shani’s vegetable-forward philosophy.
Opening details and hours
According to PR Newswire, Naked Tomato will officially open on May 14 and operate on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, with earlier dinner hours on Sunday and Monday. The hotel notes that reservations are available via SevenRooms and that the restaurant joins the property’s rooftop oasis Serena. In the hotel’s materials, Naked Tomato is positioned as another entry in Shani’s growing global portfolio.
Design and atmosphere
The dining room, designed by Jacob Turgeman Design, leans into raw materials, patinated metals and open produce displays to blur the line between market and kitchen, as detailed by Modern Luxury. Communal tables and chalkboard menus are intended to channel the energy of a roadside grill while still functioning as a South Beach hotel nightspot. Bread, wine and fresh produce are all set out in full view to cultivate what the team describes as a “living market” vibe.
Shani’s Miami playbook
Shani is not exactly a newcomer to Miami’s dining scene. He has already established a presence with HaSalon and, more recently, Bella, and local outlets have tracked his steady expansion. The Miami Herald covered HaSalon’s 2021 arrival, while Miami Beach Weekly previewed Bella’s January debut and its similarly theatrical menu language. Naked Tomato extends that run and doubles down on Shani’s dramatic, ingredient-driven style.
What to expect
Naked Tomato will sit at 915 Washington Avenue inside Moxy South Beach and will occupy roughly 4,600 square feet on the hotel’s ground floor, per The Real Deal. The Moxy’s official listing also confirms the hotel’s address at 915 Washington Ave., which puts the restaurant just a short stroll from Lummus Park and the beach. Guests can expect open-fire cooking, a full bar and late-night service aimed squarely at South Beach’s after-hours crowd.
In a statement included in the hotel’s release via PR Newswire, Shani said, “At Naked Tomato, we believe creating naked food is an act of courage.” For diners keeping score, reservations appear to be open on SevenRooms, and the restaurant will share updates through its Instagram handle @nakedtomatousa.
