Yamashiro opened in the Hollywood Hills in 1914. It was originally built by the Bernheimer brothers to house their extensive art collection, and was modeled after a palace located in the ancient province of Yamashiro near Kyoto, Japan. Over the years, the property transformed into a private dining club for film industry elite, and in the 1960s it became a full-service Japanese restaurant that still stands today.
On October 29, Yamashiro opened a new location in Miami, marking its first expansion since its founding 111 years ago.
The expansion is led by Los Angeles-based Boulevard Hospitality Group, which operates a portfolio of restaurants, lounges, and hotels.
The rooftop restaurant is 9,000 square feet and looks over the Miami skyline.
“The connection with Yamashiro actually started through Russell Galbut, cofounder of [real estate firm] Crescent Heights, and his family, who are deeply rooted in both the Los Angeles and Miami real estate markets,” said Boulevard CEO Freddy Braidi. “As longtime admirers of Yamashiro’s Hollywood legacy, the Galbut family had been encouraging me to bring the concept to Miami for years.”
When Braidi saw the proposed location — a rooftop site at Gale Miami Hotel & Residences — he said “everything just clicked. The energy, the skyline views, and the property’s design felt like the perfect setting to reimagine Yamashiro for Miami while preserving the spirit that’s made it iconic for more than a century.”
The new restaurant spans nearly 9,000 square feet and features Japanese design aesthetics, including reclaimed wood, unpolished stones, and bonsai trees. There are fountains and koi ponds and a floor-to-ceiling mural. The expansive bar is anchored by a replica of a Japanese temple, and the dining room is lined with garden pathways and has plush green seating.
The menu blends Japanese-inspired dishes with Miami accents.
Partner and former “Top Chef” competitor Charbel Hayek and executive chef Gustavo Montes lead the kitchen. The menu offers a broad interpretation of Japanese cuisine, with some dishes that pay homage to Yamashiro’s Hollywood roots and others that channel the flavors and ingredients native to South Florida.
There’s sashimi and nigiri, robata-grilled proteins and vegetables, Japanese-style fried chicken, and a katsu sando served on Japanese milk bread. Larger dishes include a wagyu tomahawk steak served with bone marrow teriyaki sauce and house pickles, Maine lobster in a miso beurre blanc, Alaskan king crab with yuzu hollandaise, and Iberico pork marinated in a black garlic mojo and served with calamansi emulsion.
Yamashiro’s beverage program serves Japanese-inspired cocktails that bring in Miami’s tropical flavors. Signature drinks include Dragon Pearls (gin, lychee shrub, and sparkling sake) and the Fortune Teller, made with Japanese whisky, honey, yuzu, sweet chile sauce, and blue spirulina, which gives the drink a blue-green color. Martinis are crafted tableside, chilled with liquid nitrogen, and served in frozen crystal glasses.
A wagyu tomahawk steak is served with bone marrow teriyaki sauce and pickles.
Boulevard Hospitality Group is just getting started with Yamashiro.
“Miami is just the beginning,” said Braidi. “We have plans to expand Yamashiro to other major East Coast and destination markets, including select casino and resort locations where the brand’s blend of luxury and experience truly fits.”
He noted that two new, yet-to-be-disclosed Yamashiro locations are already in development and expected to debut by late 2026.
Boulevard is also preparing to open the 400 Club — a 6,000-square-foot lounge that’s part Hollywood Golden Age, part Tokyo cocktail culture — and an invite-only speakeasy, both slated to debut at Gale Miami Hotel & Residences early next year.
