Staying Power
For Nearly 30 Years, Caffe Abbracci has Remained a Fine Dining Favorite in Coral Gables. Why? Because it Gets Everything Right
By Andrew Gayle // Photos by Jonathan Dann
April 2019
If there were ever a Coral Gables reality show about how to run a restaurant correctly – make that impeccably – it would be hosted by Nino Pernetti. As the founding owner of Caffé Abbracci for nearly 30 years, he has managed his restaurant with such adroit skill that it remains among the most popular dining spots in a city that is notoriously competitive when it comes to food.
From the moment you enter Abbracci, there is a tremendous sense of welcome, a feeling that you have arrived at a special place – and that you are a special person. The staff radiates an old world feeling that you, the customer, are respected, and does so with an affable, welcoming embrace (abbracci, in Italian, means “hugs”).
There is rarely a free table at Abbracci, either during lunchtime – when it’s the haunt for the city’s political, social and business elite – or in the evening, when it’s a retreat for couples of all ages, where a woman can wear her pearls and where, at the same time, a multi-generational family of six or eight can feel comfortable. It is both sophisticated and familial, in the best of Italian traditions.
Abbracci is one of the few owner-driven restaurants (here or anywhere) still cast in the old school mold where the proprietor knows his customers by name and makes them feel like VIP members of the family. It is the Gables’ answer to classic restaurants like Sardi’s or Delmonico’s in old New York, a place that’s glamorous and yet intimate, and where everyone wants to go to be part of the energy.
The restaurant itself is not large, though it has a second room for busy weekend nights. It is a rectangular space divided neatly in half by a waist high riser that further separates diners with a shoulder-high glass panel. Two chandeliers hang in the raised ceiling above the divider, with individual blown-glass pendant lights over each table. It is a cozy space, and makes diners feel protected, as though they were inside a culinary womb. This is partly due to the complete absence of windows (and one reason why, when a U.S. president or congressman visits the Gables, they invariably dine at security-safe Abbracci.)
It is also a place where you can be heard: One of Abbracci’s best features are its sound-absorbing panels (sound-studio quality) on the walls and ceiling, which dampen the noise. No matter how enthusiastic the chatter becomes, you can always hear the person who is sitting next to you.

The food, as one might expect for a gustatory icon, never disappoints. Chef Antonio Alfano hails from Salerno, which is near Naples on the southwest coast of Italy, but Pernetti (himself from northern Italy) insists the dishes come from all over his home country. The menu adroitly spans the spectrum of Italian tastes, with classics such as mushroom polenta, eggplant rollatini and seafood linguine, and more innovative dishes such as salmon carpaccio, black lobster ravioli, and risotto with champagne, asparagus and mascarpone cheese. We tried the salmon carpaccio, marinated in fresh grapefruit and orange juice, and topped with coriander, fennel and capers. It was light, refreshing and savory. We also went with a traditional fettucine Bolognese for pasta, and were pleasantly surprised that it was not crunchy
in the al dente style which is all the rage these days. Just richly flavored comfort Italian food.
We also tried the air-cured beef “bresaola;” the grilled crab cakes with pistachio puree and fried, shredded leeks; the veal scaloppini “Valdostana” (with prosciutto, Fontina cheese and veal gravy) and a special spaghetti with grilled sea food. All were prepared with great attention to both cooking and presentation. And while Abbracci is renowned for its tiramisu, for dessert we could not resist the profiteroles, three puff pastries filled with double-cream vanilla gelato and topped with bittersweet dark chocolate sauce and Grand Marnier. A delightful experience, to be shared.
Just as exceptional as the food is the wait staff – many members of which have been at Abbracci for more than two decades (some for 30 years). They comprise a swarm of servers, all men, dressed in black (some with golden vests), who bustle about the tables and make sure every need is satisfied.
Abbracci may be the warmest restaurant in the Gables, with a wide ranging customer base of all ages, a place where you can come for a first date or a 50th wedding anniversary. No matter when or why you arrive, Pernetti will be there to greet you, and you will quickly understand why Abbracci is one of Coral Gables’ great institutions of fine dining.
Center cut grill 14 oz. veal chop Grilled crab cakes filled with pistachio puree and fried leeks Linguine Frutti di Mare with mussels, clams & lobster