Matchbox Food Group announced the latest expansion of Matchbox American Kitchen + Spirit to Coral Gables, Florida, in The Shops at Merrick Park, the area’s leading shopping and retail destination. The new build, full-service restaurant will open at 358 San Lorenzo Avenue later this year. The new restaurant will be the second for the group in South Florida, with another location expected at Sawgrass Mills in the fall. Owners Drew Kim and Mark and Ty Neal have a goal of extending the restaurant brand to 48 restaurants nationwide by 2020.
Matchbox will make its Coral Gables debut with a multi-level dining space and a large outdoor patio. With upward of 350 seats, the restaurant will feature a vibrant, yet comfortable atmosphere where guests can expect great service and refined, casual food. Using true materials like salvaged woods, raw steel, and stone, will bring high-energy to the spacious restaurant, making it a destination within the shopping center. Other design elements include floating “box” booths, giving patrons an exciting open view of happenings below, an indoor/outdoor bar, and reclaimed tables and wood for stair treads.
Diners can expect a wide variety of menu items sure to please every taste, from spicy tuna tartare tacos and roasted garlic and artichoke dip appetizers to baked Dijon salmon with leeks, potatoes, and lemon at lunch, or short ribs with baked beans and honey corn bread at dinner. Those familiar with the concept from Washington, D.C., will find familiarity in favorites such as the 3.6.9. mini burgers and signature artisanal pizzas. The Coral Gables location will be the 10th for the award-winning restaurant group, accompanied by locations in Virginia, Maryland, California, Texas, and D.C.
“Joining the Coral Gables community is a very proud moment for us,” says Ty Neal, CEO. ”We look forward to building great relationships in our new community here, and are anxious to bring our culture and commitment to culinary quality to diners here and elsewhere in Florida soon.”
