Chica Miami, the popular Latin American restaurant headed up by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia, has shuttered its doors permanently after six years of operations in the historic MiMo District. The restaurant, which this week posted its closure on OpenTable, is one of many popular Miami restaurants to close up shop this season, one that has been described as a “brutal summer” for the restaurant community in Miami.
“It is with a sorrowful heart and sincere appreciation that we must announce, after six amazing years, Chica Miami closed its doors,” the restaurant staff posted on their goodbye note. The loss is another addition to Miami’s list of high-profile restaurant losses to add to the ranks of Michelin-starred EntreNos, long-time favorite Ms. Cheezious, and beloved Peruvian eatery La Mar by Gastón Acurio.
From Soyka’s legacy to Chica’s colorful chapter
Chica Miami sat on a location rich in dining history, having taken over the previous spot of Soyka, a popular neighborhood eatery which was open between 1999 and 2019. The eatery belonged to upscale 50 Eggs Hospitality Group founded by restaurateur John Kunkel and ran in collaboration with Venezuelan-born celebrity chef Lorena Garcia. The firm also owns popular Miami institutions such as Yardbird and Spring Chicken.
When 50 Eggs bought the Soyka property in late 2018, they maintained the original restaurant for several months before reprogramming it as Chica in late 2019. The transition was a radical shift from the old American fare of Soyka to Garcia’s bold interpretation of Latin American cuisine based on Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru.
A culinary journey across Latin America
Chica Miami’s menu was an extension of Garcia’s own culinary heritage, with dishes named after different Latin American countries and cultures. Crowd-pleasing menu items included piloncillo asado negro arepas filled with short rib, sea bass a la plancha, and the churro bouquet with sparklers made popular on social media. The bar menu included Latin-adjacent cocktails like La Lavanda (smoked lavender martini) and the Spicy Mamacita (strawberry jalapeño highball).
Garcia, the first woman Latin chef to own a signature restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, spent her career introducing rich and vibrant Latin flavors into the culinary forefront. Garcia was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and initially studied law but then went on to attend Johnson & Wales University to study her passion, cooking. Her advertising on such programs as “Top Chef Masters,” “America’s Next Great Restaurant,” and several programs on Univision and Telemundo made her a household name for Latin cuisine.
The pandemic’s lasting impact
The problems encountered by the restaurant business were especially noted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Garcia had to close down her restaurants temporarily in March 2020 and it was “officially the worst day of my life”. The Miami restaurant was closed for nine months, while other venues such as Las Vegas and her airport restaurants in Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth were also made to undergo lengthy closures.
“Releasing everyone, it’s so many. With all my restaurants, there’s hundreds of individuals that you need to furlough in a week,” Garcia said to BravoTV.com, explaining the psychological pressure of the pandemic. The restaurant business has come back unevenly, with the majority of establishments lagging behind their pre-pandemic pace with increased expenses, lease issues, and shifting consumer habits.
Miami’s restaurant scene under pressure
Chica’s shuttering is one of several trend that is sweeping across Miami’s restaurant community. The city, in the opinion of industry observers, is going through one of its most challenging periods in its recent past. Summer 2025 has been especially rough with high-profile closures including:
- EntreNos, the Michelin-starred restaurant that slipped quietly out of town on June 30 for its last dinner.
- Ms. Cheezious, the initial grilled cheese restaurant to be compelled to shut down when its building was sold
- RedFarm in Coconut Grove, which shut down after being open for fewer than 18 months
- Sardinia in Sunset Harbour, which shut down after operating for 20 years
The causes of the closures are numerous but typically include increasing operating expenses, lease issues, sales of buildings, and persistent economic effects of the pandemic. Miami’s urbanization and gentrification also add pressure of increasing rents and prices of properties, which it is difficult for restaurants to continue operating profitably.
Las Vegas operations continue strong
While Miami operations have ended, Chef Garcia continues to operate Chica at The Venetian Las Vegas, where she first opened the concept in 2017. The Las Vegas location, positioned at 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, remains a popular destination for both tourists and locals seeking authentic Latin American cuisine.
“We look forward to welcoming you, see you in Las Vegas!” Garcia’s team noted on the restaurant’s official website. The Las Vegas location features the same bold celebration of Latin flavors that made the Miami location popular, with Garcia serving as the first Latina restaurateur to operate a signature restaurant on the famous Strip.
The Venetian location underwent renovations during the pandemic and has continued to evolve, with Garcia noting that “each restaurant has to have the same Chica DNA, while still allowing about 20 percent of the seasonality, the climate, and the environment of the city to flow in”. The Las Vegas venue also features live DJs, immersive entertainment, and bottle service experiences that transform the restaurant into a nightlife destination.
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