New Places: Celosa Café and Better Days Robotic Kitchen
Celosa Café & Lounge
Just in time for the winter weather, Celosa Café at The Plaza Coral Gables is our new favorite open-air bistro. The outdoor bar, situated right out front of the Loews Hotel, features a small menu of snacks and a larger menu of cocktails, spirits, beer, wine, and signature lemonades. With a cool breeze wafting through, we forewent the tables and cozy lounge space and sat directly at the bar, which was shaded and staffed by two friendly bartenders.

JAMON SERRANO OVER BREAD

The Plaza’s fountain tinkling just behind reminded us that it was time for a drink, and the Summer Session cocktail ($16) was our favorite: a refreshing mix of Hendrick’s gin, a dash of Cointreau and lime for citrus, and ginger beer and Prosecco for a little extra bite. We paired it with the bar’s hummus ($11), which includes crispy chickpeas perched atop the spread, giving it a lovely crunch.
Our absolute favorite menu item, however, was the Jamon Serrano over bread ($21). An open sandwich without the top slice of bread, this exquisite dish is only marred by how messy it is. Still, it’s worth every smeared napkin. Topped with Manchego cheese and a divine pepper spread that gets all over your hands (you can’t help licking it off your fingertips), the ham melds seamlessly with sauce, cheese, and bread to form a light and savory concoction. Perfect for a little carb-ing up without becoming bloated before the drinking starts. –Kylie Wang
2950 COCONUT GROVE DR.
786.772.7704
CELOSACAFE.COM
OPEN TUESDAY-SATURDAY 11:30 AM TO 8:30 PM
Better Days Robotic Kitchen
Coral Gables’ newest chef is a robot, and one of the first of its kind in Miami-Dade. It’s the star of Better Days Robotic Kitchen, a new restaurant focused on providing health-focused options at an affordable price. By using robots, Better Days has minimized the cost to consumers without compromising quality. Having never tried a robot-prepped meal, we paid a visit to see if the machine could cook as well as a human. Better Days primarily operates through delivery (Uber Eats, Doordash, or Grubhub) although you can also take out from their Gables location on Eighth Street and see the robot in action. We ordered a meal combo of spicy rigatoni, turmeric roasted cauliflower, and roasted garlic broccolini for only $12.

SERVED BY A ROBOT

Each dish is prepped ahead of time in a commissary kitchen where chefs (the human kind) chop, season, and mix the dish specifically for the in-house robot to finish cooking. Within seconds of entering your order, the robot fetches your dishes and places each in an oven. Based on the customer’s arrival time and the dish’s weight, it uses AI to calculate the optimal temperature and cook time. For some dishes, it even checks the internal temperature before serving the packages to you in a neat stack.
Despite coming in a box, we were impressed by the quality. The cauliflower melted in the mouth, the rigatoni tasted like it was made by your favorite Italian restaurant, and the broccolini was simple and delicious. At $12 for the meal, we enjoyed eating healthily and heartily without breaking the bank. – Patrick McCaslin
3830 SW 8TH ST
316.300.6920
BETTERDAYS.RESTAURANT
Looking for more places to dine? Check out our Bites section for your culinary guide in the Gables.