The interior of the eclectic kosher restaurant Maison Ostrow, opening in North Bay Village.
Courtesy of Maison Ostrow
To Chef Olivia Ostrow, bigger is better — especially when it comes to her new kosher restaurant.
The Paris-born Ostrow, who opened Ostrow Brasserie in Miami’s Buena Vista neighborhood in 2023, is ready to open her new endeavor, Maison Ostrow, in the former space of Osteria del Teatro in North Bay Village. The restaurant will serve French cuisine with a Mediterranean touch, and it, too, is kosher.
Or rather, it just “happens to be kosher,” as Ostrow says. Because first and foremost, Maison Ostrow is about fine dining.
“One thing that I always say is we are not a kosher restaurant,” she explains. “We do not do kosher food. We just happen to make our food kosher.”
Chef Olivia Ostrow at Maison Ostrow in North Bay Village. Courtesy of Maison Ostrow
The distinction is a fine one. Trained in France, Ostrow explains that she’s well aware that certain expectations often come with the idea of a kosher restaurant. Customers often assume their choices will include popular kosher comfort food like beef brisket or matzo ball soup. Ostrow and her team, however, create a fine dining menu first, then work on making each dish kosher.
“We make our food the way we know how to do it,” she says. “When you learn to make classically French food, you can make any kind of food. Greek food, Italian food, Mediterranean food. We do not serve anything that is not the real dish. If we cannot master it by making it kosher, it doesn’t make it to the table.”
Ostrow calls the new spot phase two of the Ostrow Global brand, which she hopes to expand to France. Maison Ostrow, she says, is a “chill French restaurant” to which she will add Mediterranean flavors as well as a touch of Italy through homemade pastas. There will be soups and salads, fish and meat dishes, and house-baked bread, which you can also buy to take home after a quick stop in the restaurant’s shop. Also for sale: sauces and Ostrow’s famous non-dairy butters, among other items.
One of the eye-catching nooks at Maison Ostrow in North Bay Village. Courtesy of Maison Ostrow
At 3,500 square feet, the new restaurant has a much bigger kitchen than Ostrow Brasserie, which closed in May, and allows Ostrow more flexibility with the menu. She can also now offer full catering services, something she has wanted to do for a while.
The restaurant seats 145 diners indoors and on an outdoor terrace that seats 40, and there’s a private dining room and a chef’s table. There’s also a full liquor bar, which Ostrow Brasserie didn’t have, where you can order cocktails and tapas flights.
Ostrow loves the new location in North Bay Village, which she believes can draw guests from neighborhoods across Northeast Miami-Dade and Miami Beach. The fact that it’s a bit removed from other Miami restaurant clusters is a plus, she says: That makes it a destination.
The bar at Maison Ostrow in North Bay Village. Courtesy of Maison Ostrow
“I don’t necessarily want to be surrounded by other kosher restaurants,” she says. “I like to stand on my own. It’s an incredible neighborhood across from the water, and it has a great view. The feel is extremely French.”
Part of that French vibe involves the liberal use of Ostrow’s personal art collection, which plays a huge role in the decor and producing the Parisian brasserie atmosphere that defines the restaurant. She used it to some extent at Ostrow Brasserie, but with more room, she can showcase more of the art that’s meaningful to her in salon-style fashion.
“People say, ‘Oh my God, you cannot go crazy,’ but I’m actually going even crazier,” she said. “I’m pushing my limits with everything.”
The wine storage at Maison Ostrow in North Bay Village. Courtesy of Maison Ostrow Maison Ostrow
Where: 1666 79th Street Causeway, Suite 102, North Bay Village
Opening: Aug. 17
Reservations: Resy
Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sunday-Friday; dinner 5-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-seasonal hours Saturday
More information: maisonostrow.com
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don’t make her eat a mango.
Dining and Cooking