For you super-planners out there, you can book this Michelin-starred spot a year in advance.
Credit: N.A. Photography
A restaurant tucked inside an unassuming North Miami shopping plaza recently made culinary history and it’s not looking back. Mutra, chef-owner Raz Shabtai’s intimate Israeli restaurant, became the world’s first kosher restaurant to earn a Michelin Star in May, roughly 15 months after opening. Michelin’s inspectors classify its cooking as Middle Eastern and place it firmly in special-occasion territory.
Named for Shabtai’s grandmother, Mutra draws from the overlapping culinary traditions of Jerusalem, including influences from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Shabtai applies contemporary pizzazz to story-driven dishes, all with a focus on seasonal ingredients and locally-sourced produce.
The setting adds a whole other layer here. Colorful jars of pickled vegetables line walls, weathered tile evoke old Jerusalem and an expansive counter wraps around the open kitchen. The latter offers the totally best view in the house.
“The Chef's Counter is truly how Mutra was meant to be experienced. I want you to feel like you're at a dinner party in my home and I'm cooking for you, Shabtai tells Browardist. “You see me and my team at work. You smell the aromas of what we're cooking. I've even curated the playlist to shift the energy throughout the night. Not only can you watch all the magic happen in the kitchen, but I'm right there at the counter and I love meeting my guests, sharing the stories behind our dishes, and hopefully seeing the smile on your face when you take the first bite,”
The seasonal menu stretches well beyond the hummus-and-kebab expectations sometimes attached to Israeli dining. Recent creations have included white Albino beets presented four ways, ravioli doppio with mushroom duxelles and vegan feta foam and Korean Musakhan made with Yemenite lachuch flatbread, overnight short ribs and sumac-pickled onions.
The Chef’s Counter experience typically lasts 105 minutes, according to Resy.
Demand has soared since Michelin bestowed its star, but Mutra has taken an unusually traveler-friendly approach by releasing reservations through July 2027.
“Even before the Michelin award, we would see guests who'd find out about Mutra through word of mouth traveling to Miami to visit the restaurant,” says managing director Noa Figari. “Now we've started to see more reservations come in from around the country and abroad, and we want to let guests plan their travel ahead of time knowing they have a reservation at Mutra confirmed, which isn't always the case with many other destination restaurants that release availability only a month or two in advance,”.
Already booked your desired date? Figari has a game plan there, too.
“If you don't see reservations available for the night you want to come in, you can always sign up for the wait list on Resy in case seats open up last minute. Monday through Wednesday are more likely to open up than Thursday and Sunday nights. We close every Friday and Saturday for Shabbat.”
Mutra serves dinner Sunday through Thursday at 2188 NE 123rd Street in North Miami.
