After 15 years in a town all too frequently dazzled by the hot new thing, the pull of Mandolin Aegean Bistro remains remarkably powerful.
Every day, as noon arrives -- sometimes in a blistering swell of heat or, if it pleases the heavens, on a welcome refreshing breeze -- the blue doors that hide the shady oasis from traffic on Miami's Northeast Second Avenue open, and customers pour in to experience genuine Mediterranean cuisine and hospitality.
Founded in a 1940s home in December 2009 by Anastasia Koutsioukis and Ahmet Erkaya, Mandolin has been a staple at the northernmost edge of the Design District. Recently, Yelp named Mandolin the top place to eat in Miami, over newer and trendier spots like Klaw in Edgewater and Wynwood's Pastis as well as Michelin-starred restaurants like Little River's Boia De and Cote Korean Steakhouse, a Design District neighbor.
The restaurant has also been named a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand for the past three years, a rating that indicates a restaurant that serves high-quality food at reasonable prices.
Erkaya, who manages day to day operations and works with his team on the menu and in the kitchen, still marvels at Mandolin's continued popularity.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would become what it is today," he said.
The menu is packed with Greek and Turkish mezes (small plates), salads, flatbreads and sandwiches as well as entrees like spiny lobster orzo, kebabs and souvlaki, and there's an ever-changing daily specials menu guided by what's available from fishmongers and local farmers. Could be clams with butter and chile or maybe squash with pumpkin seeds or maybe grilled swordfish.
There's no blaring soundtrack to artificially jack up the excitement. No bar to congregate around. The restaurant doesn't even serve liquor, just wine and beer.
But no matter what's on (or not on) the menu, customers keep flocking, even though most of the restaurant is outdoors in a city that is no stranger to wet, hot and occasionally violent storms.
Mandolin has grown over the years, starting with only a few tables and a shockingly tiny kitchen into a grand garden space that can seat 200 and an indoor dining room that can seat up to 26 people. Most of the outdoor seats are under cover, though the restaurant did add a small uncovered courtyard near the new kitchen (not surprisingly, Mandolin's outdoor set-up helped it weather the 2020 pandemic).
But the glassware and the chairs (made in the restaurant's carpentry shop) are the same, much like Mandolin's menu and philosophy about remaining a "classic dining establishment," Erkaya said. The Mandolin team largely ignores the trends that fuel many Miami restaurants and relies on its strengths: A menu that hasn't changed featuring cuisine that's become even more popular.
"We all want to eat healthier these days, and the Mediterranean diet is no frills," he said. "Good olive oil, vegetables, seafood, and on the meat side, more lamb or goat, which are easier to digest."
Shareable plates are a trend now, but Mandolin's been leaning into that style of eating since it opened.
"I grew up eating that way," Erkaya said. "I was born and raised in Turkey. I've been in the restaurant business for the past 28 years, and it's basically replicating what I've seen from my grandma and then from my mother. I literally grew up in the kitchen of my mother, and it's inevitable to keep watching your mom cooking all the time. I wanted to be part of it and develop a taste level based on her cooking. So that became the threshold."
Erkaya said he moved to Miami from New York to open Mandolin with Koutsioukis because New York wasn't the ideal place for a year-round outdoor restaurant.
"Our main criteria was to have an outdoor patio, preferably hidden in the back of a house so that the dinner party experience could be replicated in a restaurant environment," he said. "And we stumbled upon this property. It was quite dilapidated. And we loved that imperfection. And in fact, this became our model within our culture to perfect imperfection. Back then, this was a sketchy area, and we didn't know what was coming in the Design District."
The Design District has changed since its early days, now home to Michelin-starred spots, including Florida's only two-star restaurant, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Erkaya says the growth and change has been positive on all levels for Mandolin. Even as curious diners explore the different choices on offer now, Mandolin remains a spot they're loyal to, even in the summer (fans and natural vegetation keeps the outdoor patio from becoming an oven).
"As the neighborhood grew, we were exposed to to a much wider guest profile internationally, but we also kept our neighborhood restaurant feel," he said. "It's very healthy for the entire neighborhood to have as many restaurants as possible. More restaurants will bring more people. It's wonderful. I'm super happy the way the area turned into what it is today."