The “taste of paradise” in Sunset Harbour has come to an end. Paya, the island-inspired restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Niven Patel and his Feal Hospitality partner, Mohamed Alkassar, officially closed its doors on March 2.
The restaurant, located at 1209 17th St., enjoyed a relatively short run after its September 2024 debut. Conceived as a “love letter to Miami,” the menu drew from Patel’s experiences in the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys, bringing together Caribbean, Southeast Asian, and Spanish flavors with local produce sourced from Patel’s Homestead farm, Rancho Patel.
Despite its high-profile pedigree, the restaurant served its final dinner on March 1. According to a Miami Herald article, Alkassar declined to provide specific reasons for the closure but noted that the transition is part of a strategic pivot.
An “Edgy” New Concept on the Horizon
The space won’t stay dark for long. Alkassar, a Miami Beach local who lives just blocks from the restaurant, told the Herald that he plans to bring a new concept in the same space as early as next month. While Patel will not be part of the new venture, Alkassar intends to lean into what he described as “South Beach’s edge.”…