Popular Argentine smash burger spot La Birra Bar surprised its fans this week by opening its sixth restaurant in South Florida. And this one is located in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Miami — Coral Gables.
Located at 219 Miracle Mile in the heart of the Gables, La Birra Bar opened to major fanfare and lines out the door for its juicy burgers. The opening joins its other locations in North Miami Beach, Wynwood, Fort Lauderdale, Doral, and Weston.
Argentina and the Birth of the Burger
So, why all the fanfare? It all started in 2001 as a bar-café in Boedo, a working-class neighborhood in Buenos Aires. That’s when siblings Daniel, Roxana, and Renzo Cocchia opened a small spot next door to their parents’ rotisería. For the next 14 years, the place fed the neighborhood with their grandparents’ recipes
The burger pivot came in 2015, when the family started focusing on smash burgers. They tested beef blends, fat ratios, and bun recipes for years, turning away professional bakers until they developed their own: pan de nube, a soft bun that compresses under the burger’s weight and springs back without going soggy…