Michelin-recognized COTOA closes its original North Miami restaurant this month and reopens October 22 in a larger space minutes away
COTOA, the Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Ecuadorian restaurant in North Miami, will close its original location later this month and reopen Thursday, October 22, in a larger space minutes away.
The new restaurant will operate at 1111 NE 125th St., Suite 200. Chef Alejandra Espinoza is moving the restaurant from the standalone North Miami location she opened in April 2025 to a room with 80 seats.
The new layout will include a 60-seat dining room, a 10-seat bar and TOA, an eight-seat private dining room. Ecuadorian artwork will appear throughout the restaurant.
The larger kitchen will allow COTOA to add dishes across the menu while keeping some existing signatures. Among the plates associated with the restaurant are Pan de Yuca, Mahi Mahi Manicero and Cevichocho, a lupini bean ceviche.
Bartender James MacInnes is developing a new cocktail menu for the relocated restaurant.
COTOA opened its first standalone restaurant in April 2025 and earned Michelin's Bib Gourmand recognition, a designation Michelin gives to restaurants for good quality food at a good value.
Espinoza also appears alongside two other Florida chefs in Season 2 of the Apple TV series "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars," which follows chefs as they pursue Michelin recognition. She is working on a forthcoming cookbook focused on Ecuadorian ingredients, recipes, people and culinary traditions, and she is developing a podcast exploring Ecuadorian food culture.
COTOA's original location remains open until the restaurant closes for the move. Reservations are available through cotoa.rest.
At the new location, COTOA will serve dinner Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Saturdays, the restaurant will open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for daytime service and from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner. Sunday hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
