MIAMI
From Wagyu to Uni Hand Rolls: Why Hiyakawa’s Izakaya Is Miami’s Best Summer Menu
★★★★★
Hiyakawa | $$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Photos and article by Eric Barton | Aug. 21, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
Hiyakawa has always been one of those restaurants where I feel like I should’ve worn a better shirt. The ceiling curves overhead like the ribs of a ship, and the omakase procession feels ceremonial, every cut of fish placed in front of you like it could be the last perfect bite on earth. But this summer, Hiyakawa loosened its tie. They dimmed the lights, turned up the music, and—just for a month—let themselves become an izakaya.
And let’s be clear about this up front: I don’t think there’s a better summer menu in Miami right now.
The first thing that landed in front of me was smoked, marinated eggplant, its flesh silky enough that it almost slid off the chopsticks. Then came wagyu filet, sliced thin and so tender I had to look down and make sure I hadn’t just imagined it. The miso cod was charred on the edges, the kind of sweet-umami balance that makes you forget there’s any such thing as chicken or pork.
Smoked eggplant
The potstickers arrived with their batter spilled out thin across the plate, fried until it formed a golden, lacy crepe. It’s the kind of playful move you expect at a Tokyo back-alley joint after two beers, not at one of Miami’s most precise dining rooms—and that’s the whole point.
A-5 wagyu
Otoro nigiri
The sushi itself hasn’t gone anywhere. A line of nigiri came out, each one a study in minimal perfection: scallop capped with caviar, a hand roll of Hokkaido uni that was gone too quickly.
Japanese chicken curry
By the time the Japanese-style curry with chicken katsu appeared—a sweet ginger punch running through the sauce—I realized this was less a detour from Hiyakawa’s usual formality than a reminder of why people love izakayas in the first place: the food is familiar, the mood makes every visit here feel special, and nothing is too precious to simply devour.
Dessert kept with that same balance of fun and precision. A Japanese spongecake topped with whipped cream, mango, and a dusting of matcha looked almost comically simple but ate like nostalgia.
Mango, whipped cream, matcha, and sponge
With it came a fruit plate, the kind of finale that most places would fumble but here was exotic and sweet, with produce flown in from Santa Barbara.
Fruit plate
Álvaro Perez Miranda, left, and chef Sadanori
Hiyakawa’s owner Álvaro Perez Miranda was there on the night I was, and there are few restaurateurs in town who better understand making people feel welcome. The Izakaya pop-up was supposed to end in mid August, but it became so popular they’ve continued it through the end of the month at least. Then it’s back to business as usual at Hiyakawa.
Which is fine, because the original is one of the best restaurants in Miami. But for a brief moment, it feels like Wynwood borrowed a corner of Tokyo nightlife and let it unfold under that wooden-arch ceiling.
