1. Chef Jonathan Eismann, owner of pan-Asian eatery Pacific Time, opened casual Pizza Volante in the design district in June and serves Roman-style pies and $1 Budweisers. Polished concrete floors, exposed ducts, floor-to-ceiling windows, a wood-burning oven, and bright orange accents adorn the 900-square-foot restaurant. The main seating area is comprised of 10 white marble tables arranged in three communal groups to seat 35.
2. Opened downtown at the end of May, Ecco Pizzateca and Lounge serves classic Italian and organic brick-oven pizzas from chef Massimo Fabio Bruni. The 4,500-square-foot bilevel eatery has high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and an eclectic mix of love seats, high-back chairs, and sofas in the side cafΓ©. The main dining room seats about 170, and there are two private rooms that hold about 40 and 70 each. The upstairs lounge opened in August with entertainment nightly.
3. From the creators of neighboring Italian restaurant Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante, Casale Pizzeria Mozzarella Bar opened in Miami Beach in July. The 8,000-square-foot dining room seats 130, with a long brick bar for 12 in front of the exhibition kitchenβs wood-burning ovens. The second-floor lounge is outfitted with leather sofas and chairs, a foosball table, and two flat-screen TVs; it accommodates 100 inside and on the patio.