WSVN — If you haven't heard the name "Pubbelly" by now, then, well, we're here to school you on what's quickly become a restaurant empire.
Sandra Fine: "The great thing about them being all here in the same neighborhood is, if one is busy, you can go to the next, and it's just fun."
It seems these three partners — Andreas Schreiner, Jose Mendin and Sergio Navarro — have the golden touch. In just two years, the talented trio has opened up five restaurants in a small area of Miami Beach.
Sandra Fine: "I've been to all five Pubbelly restaurants, and I love them all."
Jennifer Tammaro: "I've been to four out of five."
Kyle: "I've been to, of course, every single one."
Keep up and count 'em. The empire started in November 2010 with Pubbelly, a tiny gastropub in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach.
Sandra Fine: "This is probably my favorite, because I'm obsessed with the Brussels sprouts."
Right next door, and just as popular, is Pubbelly Sushi, where locals pack in for lunch and dinner. We even caught rapper Pharrell having lunch during the week.
Christie Coats: "The food is phenomenal, the yellowtail roll with the truffle is delicious."
Belkys Nerey: "If you had to marry one, which one would you pick?"
Mike Dannheim: "This one. I think I'm already married, with the amount of money I've spent."
Just around the corner, Barceloneta was born, which is their Spanish tapas-style bistro. Then a few blocks away on Alton Road, Macchialina, which serves up rustic Italian. And now, the most recent of the 'Belly bunch is PB Steak.
Jennifer Tammaro: "This is my first time at PB Steak, and I'm blown away already."
Belkys Nerey: "How do you figure out, 'OK, we're gonna do sushi, we're going to do French, we're going to do Italian, the steak house.'"
Andreas Schreiner: "Being food geeks and loving what we do, we have all these concepts and ideas. Depending on the location, we see what will work better in each space."
So we're talking about five restaurants, all of them in the west end of Miami Beach, all of them doing gangbusters. What is the secret to the PB guys' success?
Andreas Schreiner: "It's about loving what you do, being consistent. In Miami Beach you have to be. People are fickle, and things open and close here, so if you put out a product, make sure you do it the same or better, and the locals will support you."
Christie Coats: "Every single restaurant you walk into in the Pubbelly family, you feel like family."
Belkys Nerey: "Do you think that's the secret?
Christie Coats: "I think so. Consistency is key, and they have it on lock."
The Pubbelly gang still has more tricks up their sleeves.
Andreas Schreiner: "We thought we were going to stay quiet for a while, but we are developing the food and beverage operation for a new hotel that is opening up around 63rd and Collins. It's going to be called the Cabana.
Belkys Nerey: "What's the concept for the food there?
Andreas Schreiner: "I'll give everyone a sneak peak, just cause it's you and I love you. So, we are going to do French style brasserie with PB style."
When you're the hosts with the most, everyone always wants to come back for more.
There's also another outpost of Barceloneta that opened in South Miami. The City of Miami Beach mayor even officially proclaimed March 13th "The Pubbelly Group Day," so it looks like they've got lots of fans.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
PUBBELLY1418 20th St. Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 532-7555
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PUBBELLY SUSHI1424 20th St. Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 531-9282
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MACCHIALINA820 Alton Rd. Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 534-2124
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BARCELONETA1400 20th St. Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 538-9299
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PB STEAK1787 Purdy Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 695-9550