Meet the B100M: A Restaurant Collective in Downtown Miami Home to Sushi Yasu Tanaka

Downtown Miami, once known as the financial district of Miami with only a slew of decades-old jewelry stores and restaurant vacancies, has since entered a renaissance of sorts in terms of restaurants. In the past five years, food attractions like the food hall Julia & Henry's, as well as the opening of the acclaimed restaurant Tâm Tâm, have brought life to its food scene. Now, another big name has entered the area — this time, inside of a residential building.

A new chef's collective of restaurants called the B100M has opened at 100 Biscayne Blvd. in downtown Miami featuring three restaurants: Miami's beloved Sushi Yasu Tanaka and two newcomers, Cotoa by chef Alejandra Espinoza and the namesake B100M by J.D. Hilburn. The idea to create this collective of chefs in the upscale residential building was the idea of restaurant developer Macromia Group.

The chef's collective is not quite a food hall but not a traditional restaurant—it blends the two concepts, which allows the three renowned chefs to come together and serve their signature flavors to locals. The culinary hub will transition throughout the day as the sun rises and sets: from a coffee bar in the daytime to a cocktail bar called Shade and from a fast-casual restaurant for lunch hours to a reservation-only chef's table experience for dinner.

The collective started under the guidance of Macromia Group's culinary director J.D. Hilburn, the former chef of the two-star Michelin restaurant Danube by David Bouley. The group is known for its success with Mia Market in the Miami Design District, home to the original Sushi Yasu Tanaka.

Chef Tanaka of Sushi Yasu Tanaka Takes on Downtown Miami

Chef Tanaka was born in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, and graduated from Tokyo Sushi Academy. Upon graduation, he learned to perfect the traditional form of omakase, but through his career, he also gained inspiration from other cultures. The chef tells New Times his sushi career started in Mozambique, Africa, where he passed his sushi experience to the people before returning to Japan to work at Ginza Iwa, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo. His career eventually led him to the United States to work for the Sushi Azabu brand in New York and Miami.

In 2020, Tanaka and his wife opened their first sushi restaurant, Sushi Yasu Tanaka by Masumura in Mia Market. The brand quickly became popular in Miami due to its high-quality sushi and fair prices, earning recognition from the Michelin Guide. It even received the recognition of being named New Times' Best Sushi in 2023.

"I want to expand the sushi culture in Miami," Chef Tanaka tells New Times. "I'm known in the Design District, but I think it's a different culture in downtown Miami, even if it's only a few miles away. When I started, I knew I needed a balance of my traditional training and the local culture in my menu. This is my next challenge, and I'm enjoying making sushi for the locals here."

Although the restaurant will serve a different menu than its original Miami Design District location, the chef guarantees that he serves the same quality of fish at both, which are flown in directly from Japan. The menu at the downtown location features a nigiri omakase, maguro flight, salmon sampler, and a six-piece chef's selection with reasonable prices ranging from $29 to $59.

"I really like the concept here," says Chef Tanaka. "For example, I have my Japanese friends coming soon; they will have omakase sushi, but I want to ask Alejandra [Espinoza] to make dessert because her desserts are amazing. So, being in the same place allows people to mix. I am good friends with the chefs and want to learn a lot from them; they have different techniques and inspirations."

Chef Alejandra Espinoza Brings Quito to Downtown Miami

Across from the sushi balcony of Sushi Yasu Tanaka, guests will find Cotoa by chef Alejandra Espinoza. In 2019, she moved to Quito, Ecuador, to open Somos with her brother, which was named one of the best restaurants in Ecuador by World's 50 Best. The restaurant in Quito has helped raise the global profile of Ecuadorian cuisine, so much so that Chef Espinoza has become a United Nations Tourism Special Ambassador of Gastronomy thanks to her contributions to Ecuador's cultural heritage.

Now, the impressive chef brings her culinary talents and vast knowledge of her craft to the Magic City.

"The goal of opening Somos was always to have not only a restaurant but also a project that can bring Ecuadorian food to the world," she tells New Times. "I've been in Miami for a year, and it's a very complex city, so for me, the opportunity to have a space here to start, to build up a clientele, and to understand the dynamics of the city was very important."

Cotoa's name comes from a mix of the words "Cotopaxi," a mountain range in Ecuador (the chef loves mountain climbing), and "Toa," an Ecuadorian indigenous princess and inspiration behind her daughter's name.

"If you have been to Ecuador, you connect to memories from there because the flavors of our country are in every single bite, but not in a traditional way," she explains. "So, if you haven't been, you still connect to the food, but in a different way. We are bringing ingredients and techniques from Ecuador but doing everything our way while always remembering our roots."

The culinary experience at Cotoa begins with pan de yuca, an ode to her roots. She recalls vendors selling it fresh along the road on every trip to the beach with her family, making it a happy memory (and her top suggestion for all guests who dine at the restaurant). Two other menu highlights include guaguas, her version of Ecuadorian pizzas made with cassava sourdough, as well as fruit-infused ceviches.

Each dish served at Cotoa is served in ceramic plateware from Ecuadorian artists as a way to make the restaurant a window for not only food but also Ecuadorian culture in Miami. "For me, this is a space for these artists to reach and connect with the world — it's not just me growing; it's all of us in Ecuador. It connects to the meaning behind the collective, I think the world is turning towards collaborating and here we are a community that can share ideas."

The Namesake Restaurant of the Collective Is Not to Be Overlooked

The meaning behind the collective was a selling point for chef Maykel Vargas, who joined the project as the visionary behind the menu of the namesake restaurant, B100M, which reads as "bloom."

"What I want for this place is for it to bloom like the name," he tells New Times. "I live by the philosophy, 'I am because you are.' Every place needs everybody to make it work. Being under the same roof and having three different chefs with different backgrounds, and everybody coming together and working together, that's why I joined the project."

Guests will find Chef Vargas at the center counter of the collective space with a menu that aims to serve elevated yet approachable food. The menu is inspired by his Cuban background and extensive travels throughout the Middle East and Europe.

"Our main dish is the rotisserie chicken," he says. "I grew up in a really poor family, so, lucky me if I was able to have a chicken. Here, I brine the chicken for 12 hours, and I hang it for 48 hours before it even starts roasting. My favorite country is Italy, that's why I added the panini to the menu because I used to eat it every Sunday when I lived there to learn to make pasta."

All restaurants will soon start offering a tasting menu for dinner service, but dates and details have yet to be confirmed. The service will allow B100M to transition from a fast-casual lunch space to an elevated dining destination for dinner.

The B100M. 100 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 104, Miami; 786-542-5868. theb100m.com. Daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.