A new restaurant with Mediterranean dishes and Asian flavors opens Oct. 22 at 904 East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, in the former Mango’s site. The restaurant, called Naia, comes from The Restaurant People, the hospitality group led by co-founder and CEO Tim Petrillo.
Executive chef Miguel Casanova, who previously worked at YOLO, leads the kitchen with corporate sushi chef Ped Phommavong. The menu is built around shared plates, including house-baked sourdough pita with dips such as muhammara and herb labneh. A robata grill turns out harissa chicken and Scottish salmon skewers, and the sushi list features seafood sourced from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market.
Larger plates include salmon meunière, lobster in panang curry and a filet surf-and-turf. Dessert includes baklava and a pistachio soft serve called “Dubai Soft Serve.”
The 5,700-square-foot space was rebuilt and pulled 25 feet back from the sidewalk to make room around the corner bar. The dining room seats more than 200, with an open kitchen, a 24-foot communal table, a 600-square-foot private dining room and plans for a DJ.
Naia serves dinner daily, starting at 4 p.m. It closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Weekday happy hour at the bar runs from 4 to 7 p.m.
