This chef’s first Coral Gables restaurant is a hit. Now he has opened a new spot

Food admin October 22, 2026 0 Comments

This chef’s first Coral Gables restaurant is a hit. Now he has opened a new spot

When chef Clay Conley and the Ember Group opened the second location of Conley’s popular Palm Beach restaurant Buccan in Coral Gables earlier this year, diners flocked to see what the fuss was about. Just liked they rushed to order the mouthwatering gourmet sandwiches at Buccan Sandwich Shop next door.

Now, the third part of the Miracle Mile trio has opened: A second location of Imoto, Conley’s Palm Beach Asian-inspired restaurant.

The restaurant and its menu were inspired by Conley’s time living and working in Toyko.

“At Imoto, I get to combine my love of Japanese food with innovative techniques,” he said. “The result is layered and complex, yet clean and bright. We’re really excited to share this experience with Coral Gables diners.”

The dining room at Imoto, which is located around the corner from Buccan at 100 Miracle Mile and Galliano Street, is far smaller than the sprawling Buccan. Designed by Peter Niemitz Design with an architectural assist from Spina O’Rourke + Partners, the restaurant has a more intimate dining room with banquette seating, a sushi bar and a cocktail bar.

The menu features Asian-inspired small plates and sushi, starting with shareable items like crispy Peking duck tacos, Maine lobster and shrimp stuffed shisito peppers and lomo saltado gyoza (dumplings). There are also Australian wagyu beef bao buns. Appetizers include scallop with chili crisp, hamachi crispy rice and madai with yuzu dressing and pistachio.

In addition to special nigiri, classic nigiri and a variety of sushi rolls, there are specialties like tuna foie sliders, Kurabuta short rib burnt ends, maitake mushroom and pork belly fried rice.

And despite the growing number of restaurants in Coral Gables, Conley told the Miami Herald he wasn’t worried about oversaturation.

There’s a lot of competition,” he told the Herald in May. “We just do what we do well — execute and give good hospitality, be nice to people. That’s what it boils down to for us.”