Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli is expanding his Luca restaurant family to Miami Beach with Luca Trattoria, a new Italian restaurant expected to open in North Beach this fall. An exact opening date has not been announced.
The restaurant is taking over the former Las Vacas Gordas space at 933 Normandy Drive in Normandy Isles. Rapicavoli recently teased the project on Instagram, offering a first glimpse of the new location.
Luca Trattoria will be a sister concept to Rapicavoli’s Luca Osteria, which opened on Giralda Avenue in Coral Gables in 2021. Rather than duplicate the original, the North Beach restaurant will have its own identity while retaining Luca’s emphasis on Italian cooking, seasonal ingredients and carefully sourced products.
The beverage program will include some cocktails familiar to Luca Osteria regulars. A more focused wine list will highlight European and Argentine producers alongside Italian selections. The restaurant’s design will also take cues from Luca Osteria’s mid-century aesthetic, incorporating warm woods and gold accents.
Rapicavoli, who is also behind Coral Gables’ Eating House, became the first Miami chef to win Food Network’s “Chopped” and is a James Beard Award semifinalist.
