Flight West, the whiskey-forward restaurant that started in Rochester, New York, has quietly slipped into South Miami, taking over the busy corner of U.S. 1 and Sunset Drive. The new outpost brings live-fire cooking from a charcoal oven and a late-night cocktail scene to a room built around shareable plates and theatrical drinks, aimed at diners who want something closer to home than Wynwood or Brickell.
Kitchen and smoke
The heart of Flight West’s menu is a Mibrasa charcoal oven, which the kitchen uses to layer smoke and char onto steaks, seafood and vegetables. Among the headliners: a whiskey-infused dry-aged ribeye, roasted chicken with a burnt chile-whiskey glaze, anticucho-glazed charred octopus, Alaskan king crab with a gochujang-whiskey glaze and a butter-poached Maine lobster linguine. The bar is stocked with roughly 350 whiskeys, and the team plans guided tastings in a private dining room, according to the Miami Herald.
Bar and bookings
Flight West is positioning itself as a refined cocktail lounge with a deep whiskey selection alongside a full cocktail and wine program. The restaurant's website lists hours, a reservations link and a phone number for bookings and private events; see Flight West for details.
The team behind it
General manager Marwan Youbi and executive chef Juan Suazo, whose résumé includes Kyu and Komodo, lead the operation, with menu input from Santiago Gomez of Cantina La Veinte and related projects. “Miami has an adventurous dining community, so we felt like our concept really belonged here,” Youbi said in an interview with the Miami Herald.
Where and when
Flight West lists its location on Sunset Drive in South Miami and appears at 5894 Sunset Drive on the restaurant’s contact page. Posted hours are Sunday and Tuesday–Wednesday from 5 to 11 p.m., Thursday–Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., and closed on Mondays. Reservations and contact information are available via Flight West.
Local outlets have followed the buildout and a mid-July launch for the spot, which joins a growing roster of neighborhood destinations along the Sunset Drive corridor, according to SOMI Magazine. For residents south of the city, Flight West aims to offer late-night whiskey flights and charcoal-forward plates without the drive into Miami’s core.
