March 20, 2026
Each Friday, we try to compile South Florida food-related news and events that we couldn’t fit on the site earlier in the week, as well as other local news that piques our interest. Want to be included in our next roundup? Shoot us an email at bark@miamifoodpug.com.
Chef Spring Series at MILA Omakase
Weekend Brunch at CHA CHA CHA
Coming to Brickell: Ludlow Coffee Supply
Opening in Ft. Lauderdale: Sweet Melody Ice Cream
Chef Spring Series at MILA Omakase
MILA Omakase, Miami Beach’s most intimate and design-forward omakase experience by Riviera Dining Group, and part of the globally recognized MILA brand, continues its Chef Spring Series with an exclusive two-night collaboration featuring Chef William Eick, Chef/Owner of Matsu taking place April 7–8. The collaboration marks a bicoastal culinary exchange, with the MILA Omakase team set to travel to Matsu in Oceanside later this spring for a reciprocal takeover, further extending the dialogue between the two kitchens.
Based in Oceanside, California, Matsu has earned widespread recognition for its immersive tasting menu and refined, ingredient-driven approach to modern Japanese cuisine. Since opening in 2021, Chef William has been named Best Chef in San Diego by Thrillist and has received consecutive honors from San Diego Magazine as Best Japanese Restaurant and Best New Restaurant. His cuisine is defined by a disciplined reverence for Japanese technique—from fermentation and dashi to precise knife work—interpreted through a contemporary lens.
For this limited Miami appearance, Chef William will collaborate with the MILA Omakase culinary team to co-create a bespoke tasting menu that bridges coastal California refinement with MILA’s signature MediterrAsian perspective. The experience will highlight a shared ethos rooted in restraint, seasonality, and precision, expressed through a multi-course omakase format designed to unfold as a cohesive culinary narrative.
With only ten seats per seating and two nightly seatings, the collaboration offers a rare opportunity to experience one of California’s rising voices in modern Japanese cuisine within an intimate, counter-only setting. Make your reservation here.
Photo Credit: Alex Tarajano
Weekend Brunch at CHA CHA CHA
Weekend brunch has officially arrived at CHA CHA CHA, Wynwood’s newest hotspot for Pacific-style Mexican cuisine, craft cocktails, and vibrant energy. Starting Saturday, March 21 at 12 PM, guests can enjoy an all-new brunch experience every Saturday and Sunday from 12PM-3PM. Complementing the restaurant’s shareable lineup of authentic Mexican dishes and decadent desserts, the updated menu introduces a selection of indulgent brunch favorites and breakfast cocktails. Highlights include chilaquiles topped with carnitas, a hearty breakfast chorizo burrito, and a classic coctel mixto—perfect for kicking off the weekend in style.
Available Saturdays and Sundays from 12–3 PM, guests can ease into the weekend with a new brunch experience featuring bold, flavor-packed dishes, breakfast cocktails, and live DJ set to keep the energy high. Signature brunch offerings include:
– Chilaquiles ($15) – crispy tortillas tossed in homemade salsa, topped with tender carnitas, eggs, crema and fresh herbs (+$5 for carnitas)
– Breakfast Chorizo Burrito ($14) – loaded with smoky chorizo, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and cheese, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla
– Coctel Mixto ($22) – raw shrimp, raw scallop, octopus, avocado, cucumber, onion, horseradish cocktail sauce
CHA CHA CHA is located in Wynwood at 2637 N Miami Ave (the former Beaker & Gray space) and serves dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5–10 PM, Friday and Saturday from 5–11 PM, and Sunday from 5–10 PM. The restaurant also offers a lineup of weekly programming, including Vinyl Late Night Hour every Saturday from 9:30 PM to close, Happy Hour every Tuesday to Friday from 5-7 PM, and now weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 12–3 PM.
Coming to Brickell: Ludlow Coffee Supply
Ludlow Coffee Supply, the Lower East Side-born coffee brand celebrated for its neighborhood-first energy and meticulously sourced single-origin coffees, is opening its newest location at Domus Brickell Park this spring. This marks Ludlow’s third South Florida location, second in Miami – embracing the city as the “Sixth Borough” – and its first to debut an all-day café concept that seamlessly transitions from daytime coffee and dining into an evening cocktail lounge. The opening signals a new chapter for the brand, expanding Ludlow’s evolution from neighborhood coffee shop into a day-to-night hospitality destination while continuing its growth across South Florida.
The new location builds on Ludlow’s success in New York and South Florida, where existing cafés have cultivated loyal followings with its specialty coffee and fresh breakfast, lunch, and grab-and-go offerings. The Domus Brickell Park location will mark the brand’s first all-day concept, introducing a dedicated cocktail program and evening menu while maintaining the café experience Ludlow guests know and love during the day.
The rollout will unfold in two phases: Phase One launches with the classic café experience Ludlow has refined since its first Brickell outpost at 801 Brickell, while Phase Two introduces a full-service menu and evening programming like listening sessions, DJ sets, and late night events. As Ludlow continues to grow its presence in South Florida, the Domus Brickell Park opening represents the next step in the brand’s expansion – broadening its footprint while introducing a new format that blends coffee culture with nightlife-driven hospitality. With both daytime and evening offerings, guests will enjoy service from baristas skilled in craft and hospitality alike.
On the cafe menu, guests can enjoy crafted lattes and espressos, single-origin cold brews, teas, and smoothies, alongside signature lattes like Maple, Bourbon Vanilla, Salted Caramel, and Mocha. These beverages pair perfectly with breakfast tacos, sandwiches, salads, and other favorites. As the day winds down, cocktails will carry the Ludlow experience into the night.
Designed by Zyscovich, the Domus Brickell Park location combines Ludlow’s authentic Lower East Side sensibility with Miami’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Guests are welcomed into a bright, airy coffee bar, ideal for remote work, meetings, or casual catch-ups. Outside, the patio offers an open, all-day gathering space where guests can sip coffee, unwind, or linger. When the sun sets, the café transforms, unveiling its cocktail bar and bringing a lively, social energy to the space. Complementing the dining experience, Ludlow Market Supply invites exploration with a curated selection of wellness products, pantry staples, exclusive merchandise, home goods, and vintage finds through Ludlow’s Vintage Supply program.
A place where flavor and culture collide, Ludlow Coffee Supply’s new location is set to supply the block with its laid-back energy, expertly crafted coffee and cocktails, and community-focused atmosphere. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the café will extend into evening hours as the full all-day concept rolls out.
Opening in Ft. Lauderdale: Sweet Melody Ice Cream
Fort Lauderdale is about to get even sweeter! Sweet Melody Ice Cream, the beloved South Florida ice cream shop known for its small-batch flavors and nostalgic, music-inspired spirit, is expanding into the 954 with the grand opening of its third location at The Hive in Flagler Village. Officially opening its doors on Wednesday, April 1, the new 691 square-foot shop – inspired by the 1960s with a rec room vibe and vinyl spinning all day – will bring Sweet Melody’s signature scoops, playful atmosphere and community-driven charm to one of Fort Lauderdale’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
Dreamt up by Founder/Chief Executive Optimist Mike Romeu, Sweet Melody started out as a love letter to his daughter, Melody, and flourished from a passion project to a homegrown success story. After losing his job in 2015, Mike – a glass-half-full kind of guy – saw a serendipitous opportunity to dust off his untouched $50 ice cream maker and create something amazing right out of his apartment.
Within those four walls, the vision for Sweet Melody, named for his daughter and his passion for music, originated, and the brand officially launched in 2016. The original ventanita made its grand debut in Kendall in September 2019, followed by the opening of the second shop at The Citadel in August 2024. A decade later, Sweet Melody has grown into a thriving concept with 2026 marking the brand’s 10-year anniversary and expansion into four locations with the opening of four new outposts this year, starting with the Fort Lauderdale shop in April, quickly followed by the brand’s new flagship location opening on Flagler Street in Fontainebleau come May, and two more shops to be announced later this year.
Today, Sweet Melody continues to craft its ice cream in small batches using thoughtfully sourced ingredients, offering a menu that features both beloved staples and creative concoctions with the brand’s 12 classic flavors alongside four rotating, seasonally-inspired flavors, giving sweet seekers something new to try every time.
Among the signature scoops is the Kooki Monster – a fun take on cookies & cream, made with infused vanilla ice cream loaded with homemade chocolate chip cookies and classic chocolate sandwich cookies; Strawberry Fields Whenever – strawberry ice cream with swirls of housemade honey-strawberry jam; Abuela’s Flan – inspired by Michel’s grandmother’s signature dessert, it features the caramel notes and chewy texture of a classic flan and Cookie Buttah – cookie butter ice cream loaded with Biscoff Cookies as well as more classic flavors such as Vanilla Bean, Ecuadorian Chocolate, Pistachio and Bourbon Pecan.
Available until the end of May 2026, the current seasonally-inspired flavors featured in Sweet Melody’s Spring Series include Banana Pudding – vanilla pudding ice cream with layers of banana brown sugar, brandy caramel and buttery bites of housemade Nilla wafers; Tres Leches – vanilla scented coconut ice cream with silky Italian meringue and Tres Leches cake chunks; Jon Dough – cookie dough ice cream with chunks of housemade brown butter cookie dough and swirls of milk fudge; and Revenge of the Twix – Twix flavored ice cream with housemade Twix and gooey caramel. Sweet Melody’s vibrant flavor lineup also features delicious vegan-friendly options including Midnight Chocolate Truffle and Strawberry Banana Sorbet.
As if the grand debut of Sweet Melody Fort Lauderdale wasn’t already sweet enough, the brand is featuring a signature flavor, The Hive – buttery vanilla ice cream, chocolate flakes and honeycomb candy, exclusively at its Flagler Village shop, and is teaming up with iconic, local concepts – including Heritage, Wells Coffee, Cookie Head and LoveLee Bakeshop – throughout the month of April to dream up creative flavors that will be offered only at the Fort Lauderdale location.
Sweet Melody Fort Lauderdale is located at 908 N Flagler Drive at The Hive in Flagler Village. Hours of operation: Monday to Thursday from 4PM – 10PM; Friday from 4PM – 12AM; Saturday from 2PM – 12AM; and Sunday from 2PM – 10PM.