Last month, beloved Sunset Harbor restaurant and cocktail lounge Bey Bey announced that it’s preparing to make a comeback. Having moved on from its Sunset Harbor location, together with Cafe du Bey, its daytime café, Bey Bey is reopening in Miami Beach.
That’s part one of the big news. Part two is that renowned chef Roberto Solis is joining the project. With Solis at the helm, the vision of Bey Bey is to blend flavors from Lebanese and Yucatan cuisine, “reimagining,” as a press release puts it, “traditional Yucatecan dishes through modern techniques.”
“This will be my first culinary offering in the United States and there is no place other than Miami for it,” Chef Roberto Solis said in a press release. “Perhaps even more so than New York right now, Miami has such a presence on the world stage. People come to Miami looking to be excited and inspired by new ways of understanding how we are all connected in our experiences. For me, nothing connects us more than food.”
The combination of Lebanese and Mexican cuisine has a storied past, one that Solis has consistently mined in search of the cuisines of the present and future.
“Known for his avant-garde approach to regional cuisine, Solis’s menu will explore the rich historic and cultural ties between Lebanese and Mexican cuisines. Tacos al pastor, a flagship in Mexican street food, traces its origins to shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants over a century ago. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, approximately 15 million Lebanese individuals settled in Mexico, profoundly influencing local flavors and techniques. Chef Solis’s dishes will celebrate this fascinating culinary marriage of Yucatan and Lebanon, unveiling lesser-known stories of cultural exchange.”
Bey Bey’s creator, Tiger Saliba, tells the story of his journey to developing Bey Bey, whose name comes from the Lebanese expression “Beyte Beytak,” which you might recognize in its Spanish equivalent: “Mi casa es tu casa.” It begins with the tragic Beirut Port explosion of 2020.
“Bey Bey embodies the vibrant spirit of Miami—a welcoming space inspired by Lebanese hospitality, rooted in my own journey of resilience after the Beirut Port explosion in 2020, which figuratively and literally knocked me to the ground. Miami welcomed me and provided the opportunity to start again,” Saliba said. “My gift back to this vibrant city is Bey bey—an embodiment of that unique Miami allure that also feels like an intimate invitation into the home of a good friend.”
You can keep up with Bey Bey news by following @beybey on Instagram.
