Cotoa, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant known for modern Ecuadorian cooking, will reopen in a new 80-seat space at 1111 NE 125th St., Ste. 200, on October 22.
From a Food Hall Counter to a Four-Plate Kitchen
The jump is dramatic by any measure. As Miami New Times reports, Cotoa's current home at 12475 NE Sixth Ct. had a kitchen where the team could plate only four meals at once, and a dining room that couldn't accommodate parties larger than six. That original address sits on the same North Miami block as Basque favorite Edan Bistro, a stretch of the neighborhood that, according to Time Out, has quietly become a hub for independent, chef-driven dining as operators look beyond pricier South Beach and Wynwood real estate.
Cotoa began as a food stall inside the B100m food hall at New World Tower in Downtown Miami before Chef Alejandra Espinoza opened the North Miami restaurant in early 2025, per Time Out. The new space will have a 60-seat main dining room, an eight-seat private dining room called Toa, and a 10-seat bar.
A Chef Who Has Made Ecuadorian Food a Global Conversation
Espinoza's rise has moved fast since that food-hall start. In January 2025, Michelin inspectors added Cotoa to the Florida Michelin Guide, making it, according to The Adventurist Magazine, the first and only Ecuadorian restaurant in the world to be recognized in the guide — a distinction that led to a Bib Gourmand award. Miami New Times also named Cotoa among its Best New Restaurants of 2025, and the restaurant recently drew a national television audience as part of Season 2 of Apple TV's unscripted docuseries Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, which followed South Florida restaurants under the pressure of Michelin evaluation, per The Whet Palette.
The menu that earned all that attention centers Ecuadorian cuisine through a modern lens, with dishes like cassava muchines, tortellini con seco de pollo, and cangrejada con patacón. Espinoza, per Miami New Times, said simply: “People feel happy eating our food,” adding that “being able to deliver happiness makes the work worth it.” She's also said that a dish, an ingredient, and a moment can make clients feel something — and that she wants regular customers who return at least once a month.
French Training, a Quito Flagship, and a UN Appointment
Espinoza's culinary foundation traces back to France, where she trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, earning diplomas in culinary arts and restaurant management before working in Michelin-starred kitchens in France and San Francisco, according to her Wikipedia entry. She later returned to build her own brand, launching SOMOS Hospitality Group with her husband, Signo Uddenberg, in May 2019. Their flagship restaurant, SOMOS, is in Quito, Ecuador.
Espinoza has described Cotoa's growing profile as a chance to broaden recognition of Ecuadorian cuisine, according to Miami New Times.
Building Out the Experience
The expanded restaurant will include curated artwork from Ecuador. Veteran Miami bartender James MacInnes is developing a cocktail menu for the larger bar, according to Miami New Times.
Planning Context on NE 125th Street
The City of North Miami’s concept plan discusses massing and height alternatives for NE 125th Street from NE 6th to NE 9th Avenues. That planning context does not establish a cause of Cotoa’s expansion or identify a public investment behind it.
Florida's Ecuadorian-American community may take notice. Cotoa can still be reached at 786-328-1460 or through cotoa.rest ahead of its October 22 debut at the new address.
