Cotoa Is the Intimate, Ingredient-Driven Gem Miami’s Been Missing

Cotoa embodies everything Miami’s culinary scene needs more of right now: an ambitious chef preparing food that tastes like home, an intimate dining room with easygoing style, dishes whose size and quality actually match their prices, and hospitality that’s warm and unrushed. After a brief stint inside Downtown’s B100m food hall—and a swift recommendation from the Michelin Guide—Ecuadorian chef Alejandra Espinoza’s Cotoa transplanted to North Miami this spring, settling into a cheerful corner space on the same block as local Basque favorite, Edan Bistro. The 24-seat restaurant is a follow-up to her Quito restaurant, Somos, a World’s 50 Best award winner. After dining at Cotoa, it’s obvious why Espinoza was named a United Nations Tourism Special Ambassador of Gastronomy, representing Ecuado