Michelin Star Chef “Juanma” of Elcielo Miami Launches New 21-Course Menu this Spring

Helmed by the restaurant’s Executive Chef Carlos Flores, Elcielo’s menu changes every season with innovative new dishes that are a tribute to Colombian cuisine.  The food and ambiance will transport you to the beautiful beaches of Cartagena and the mysterious corners of the Amazon jungle. THE EXPERIENCE, a 21-course artful menu boasts surprising sensory moments throughout the course of the night. It is priced at $197 per person, and is served in the restaurant’s great hall section.

Guests looking for a shortened version of The Experience, can opt for THE JOURNEY, a 13-course tasting menu, priced at $157 per person. The restaurant also offers an exclusive wine pairing menu to complement the meal, for $105 for six glasses or $58 for four glasses, per person. Although there is not an a la carte dinner menu available, guests can order a wide variety of cocktails and top shelf liquors off of the beverage menu.

Combining equal parts theater and technical cooking, either menu offers a culinary journey unlike any other in the Magic City. Patrons should expect whimsical experiences like Elcielo’s Chocotherapy where you wash your hands with chocolate and enjoy it through all five senses, the Compresso, an osmotized watermelon with tequila and lime scents, which represents the fruits usually found around the streets of Colombia, and signature dishes like The Tree of Life, a Yucca bread served fresh from the oven on a wire bonsai tree representing the lung of the world, the Amazon rainforest, and the Yuca Gnocchi, an italian technique where the chef adapts the latin american products such as yucca and plantain, and merges the gastronomic jewels such as truffle, truffle oil and a pecorino cheese foam.

Michelin Star and celebrity Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, known in the gastronomic world as “Juanma”, was born in Medellín on June 16, 1983. He is a father, cook, businessman, entrepreneur, lecturer and peace leader with more than thirteen restaurants, bars and a hotel. He is the creator and founder of Elcielo Restaurants in Medellín, Bogotá, Miami and Washington, D. C., Elcielo luxury boutique hotel in Medellín, as well as other prominent eateries and bars such as Lasere, Cuon, Kaime, Elcielo Classic, Aguafresca, Shibari bar, and El Navegante bar, all in Medellin, and AO in Bogotá.

Menu Highlights

Mistela

Colombians drink it around the warm areas. This drink must be experienced cold and it merges the fresh fruits of the season in each region. Along these flavors, herbs and aromatic species give it a special touch. It’s usually served first because represents the beginning of a celebration. Represents the huila and “llano” regions. (MARACUYA-CAFE-ROMERO / Passionfruit – Coffee – Rosemary)

Chocotherapy is a big step in sensory stimulation. This chocolate ganache is poured on your hands where we ask you to rub and then try directly by licking your fingers. We look forward to transporting you to your childhood when eating with bare hands was a common thing. This breaks the scheme of a traditional restaurant because it is trying to take you back to those childhood moments where you wouldn’t have any prejudices about eating at a high end restaurant with your bare hands. 

Tree of Life – Inspired by the tallest tree in the amazon jungle called El Indio Desnudo. This is a tree where you experience the copper color of the amazon sunset. This is a yucca, paprika and basil bread which is displayed on top of a copper tree structure. We invite you to share this bread by taking pieces of the bread representing that life is to be shared with those around you. 

In 2015, celebrated Colombian Chef and Entrepreneur Juan Manuel Barrientos, opened his first ever U.S. location of his original Colombia-based Elcielo restaurants in Medellín and Bogotá. In 2020, he made the leap to the Union Market District of Washington D.C., and from there, he was immediately awarded his first coveted Michelin star, which was also the first Michelin Star in history for a Colombian restaurant. Combining a variety of sensory experiences with one-of-a-kind flavors and textures, Barrientos, affectionately known as ‘Juanma’, has revolutionized traditional Colombian cuisine by combining his avant- garde cooking techniques with his passion for neurosciences. Having trained under world-renowned chefs including Spain’s Juan Mari Arzak, Barrientos combines classical training with modern techniques, resulting in a dining experience that is in a league of its own in Miami. 

Designed by Barrientos and his family, the intimate 45-seat dining room combines elements that represent the Colombian soul – the same essence present in the Elcielo restaurants of Washington DC, Bogotá and Medellín – along with tropical elements of coastal Miami. Bathed in a variety of textures, the dining room features handmade furniture crafted from imported Colombian wood and leather, as well as decor that recalls the various travels through which Barrientos has honed his craft. 

Address: 31 SE 5th St Brickell on the River (River Side), Miami, Florida 33131

Hours of Operation: Monday through Saturday from 6:00pm to 11:00pm

Phone: (305) 874-7867

Dress Code: Miami chic

For reservations, please book via Opentable, or call (305) 874-7867.

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