NYC's Bondi Sushi Opens First Florida Location in Miami Beach

Reflecting on hunkering down in South Florida during the pandemic, Bondi Sushi co-owner David Hess tells New Times, “There was just nothing at a level of Bondi Sushi’s quality and price point, and I found a lot of the sushi delivery options to be underwhelming.”

A few years later, he and business partners Aiden Carty and Justin Hauser decided to bring the wildly popular, New York City-bred concept to the Sunshine State. Building on its six locations in New York City, Bondi Sushi officially opened in Miami Beach on Thursday, May 11.

Amidst an explosion of sushi and omakase in the 305 in recent years, Bondi Sushi hopes to stand out for its fish selection and pricing. According to Hess, its menu staples include king salmon flown in from New Zealand, carefully sourced Wagyu, and an array of daily specials.

Among the restaurant’s most popular existing menu items is its 12-piece omakase (starting at $75), including sea scallops with lime and pink sea salt, seared A5 Wagyu, and chu-toro with kizami wasabi and caviar. The 16-piece delivery combo boxes are also a hit, including four different rolls and four pieces of each starting at $17. New specifically for the Miami location is a to-go luxe box with eight pieces of nigiri, eight pieces of maki, three pieces of crispy rice, and chirashi salad with salmon, tuna, hamachi, and ikura with a karashi dressing.

Bondi Sushi has express, lunch, dinner, cocktail, and happy-hour menus offering crispy rice selections, nigiri, and handrolls. Another Bondi Sushi bargain is five hand rolls — with options that include salmon ikura, lobster, Wagyu, toro scallion, and more — for $40.
On the beverage front, Bondi's cocktail menu is curated with its sister concepts, the Michelin-starred omakase restaurant Noda and cocktail bar Shinji's. Highlights include the "Seafoam" with citrus sake, cocchi americano, blue spirulina, yuzu, and seafoam, and the "Honey Dew" with shochu, Midori, cucumber, shiso, lime, and brut sparkling wine. The location's happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday with $5 select hand rolls, $5 wines and drafts, $8 cocktails (like the Ume mojito with plum wine, fresh mint, and lime), and a $12 sake option.

At approximately 1,600 square feet, Bondi Sushi's Miami Beach outpost is the company's largest to date. It is anchored by a 24-seat maple-backed sushi bar, mushroom wood walls, and wood paneling with velvet accents. There's also an outdoor patio with seating for 16 that's dotted with Italian parasols.

"We have a passion for sushi and nice dining. That's how it all started," says Carty. "Our approach to sushi is much more traditional and formal, with predominately a bar set-up that delivers the best possible fish selections to our customers."

Beyond the Miami Beach opening, according to Hess, two additional Bondi Sushi locations will open locally by the end of the year in Brickell and Midtown.

Bondi Sushi. 959 West Ave., Miami Beach; 786-232-3437; bondisushi.com. Daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.