MIAMI BEACH — After more than two decades, siblings Elizabeth and George Iglesias have not grown weary of eating at George’s Italian Restaurant, which they opened on 72nd Street near the North Beach Bandshell in 2000.
“We still eat here five times a week,” Elizabeth Iglesias says, laughing. “We’re not tired of it. Our families eat here. Our kids eat here. It’s home for us.”
Their devoted customers aren’t sick of it, either. Talk to diners at the restaurant, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, a not insignificant marker of success, and they’ll echo the same sentiments: George’s is a restaurant that feels like home.
You can see it in the way George Iglesias stops by tables to greet the familiar faces there; in the way the customers all seem to know each other, shaking hands and patting backs; in the care of the staff that’s attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and the wines and ready with good — and affordable — recommendations.
During a tough year for local restaurants, at a time when even upscale spots are withering in the cruel Miami summer, George’s stands out as a spot that truly is a community magnet.
“Since day one, we wanted to focus on locals,” George Iglesias says. “That’s why we picked this location. Twenty-five years ago, this location was one not that many people knew about. But we knew it would be a destination for locals, and that was always our direction.”
Classic Italian cuisine
The Iglesias siblings are originally from Los Angeles but grew up in Argentina with a Spanish father and Cuban mother. They ended up living on opposite sides of the hemisphere, Elizabeth in L.A. and George in Argentina. Eventually, they came to Miami with the idea of reuniting their family and opening a business. Italian food seemed the natural choice.
“We grew up eating Italian food,” says George Iglesias. “You can’t live in Argentina without eating a lot of Italian food.”
When they opened the restaurant, they started out working as servers, getting to know their customers, their likes and dislikes, rushing to correct mistakes and making sure everyone was comfortable.
For the menu, they landed on classic Italian fare, and it hasn’t changed much over the years. You’ll find appetizers like the succulent filet mignon carpaccio with capers, cherry tomatoes and arugula ($19) and a variety of salads to start, with pastas ranging from $20 to $28 (seafood risotto with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari and salmon). Standouts include a lobster ravioli in a lobster cream sauce topped with shrimp ($26) and a delicious fiocchi alla pera, pasta pockets filled with pear and ricotta in a creamy sauce with a hint of gorgonzola. There are also steaks like the grilled skirt steak ($32) as well as chicken, seafood and veal dishes.
“The menu is basically 70 percent the same since the beginning,” George Iglesias says. “I believe consistency is everything. There are always going to be better restaurants. But people expect to eat the same thing the next time they come, so you have to be consistent. Our chefs have been with us almost 20 years. Our kitchen staff has been with us a long time, too.”
The neighborhood has changed, of course, but in ways that make it an ideal location for George’s. In the beginning, the clientele was older, often retired. Now, with new buildings popping up and development continuing, they see more young professional people at the restaurant, not just from North Beach but also North Bay Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor islands and Aventura.
There are two distinct sets of diners now: An older crowd that comes early and a younger one that arrives after 9 p.m. Many customers just walk over from the nearby buildings (and if you don’t live close by, there’s a big parking lot right across the street).
“It’s still a neighborhood,” George Iglesias says. “A lot of trends didn’t happen in this area. A trendy restaurant wouldn’t survive here.”
‘They’re just so great to me’
George’s customers don’t seem to value trends too much. What they value are their memories.
Gilda Orozco recalls first eating at George’s in 2002, not long after it opened.
“One of the reasons I admire them both so much is that they were so hands on,” she says. “They were both there all the time. They built this from scratch. I admire the way they are as a family. They work together. And of course the food is amazing. Especially the osso buco.”
“My kids laugh at me. They’re in California. And when we’re on the phone and I say, ‘We’re going out to dinner tonight,’ they say: ‘We know, you’re going to George’s.’ ”
For Kerry Allen, who now lives in North Bay Village, George’s has long been a place for the family to get together. She lived in Aventura, with her sister and brother-in-law in Miami Beach, and their parents came down from western Massachusetts every winter. They met every Saturday night for Italian fare at George’s.
“It became the family place,” she says.
When her father died in 2014, her mother came to live with her — and George’s became their place.
“Everybody treated her like a queen,” she remembers. “The food is fantastic. We made so many friends. I even got her an accountant through people we met at George’s.”
Allen’s niece and nephew joined them over the years. They celebrated her mother’s 90th birthday there, the staff quick to come out and help her into the restaurant every time Allen’s car pulled up. And when her mother passed away a year and a half ago, she got a call from George Iglesias, who said, “We still expect to see you on Saturday.” So now, she has dinner there every weekend at the bar, usually by herself but never truly alone.
“So many people would come up to me and tell me my mother was an elegant, beautiful woman and they missed her,” she says. “It was really something. They’re just so great to me. When you work from home like I do, you can get cut off because you’re working, but you don’t see people. This is a great outlet. And the food is consistently great.”
‘Our pride and joy’
In July, George’s threw a party for its most loyal customers and packed the house, indoor and outdoor tables full, wine and pasta flowing. There was a band and dancers, even a magician roaming from table to table to entertain.
The real magic, of course, lies in the community they’ve created.
“We knew every single person who came to celebrate with us,” Elizabeth Iglesias says. “I think that’s what helped us succeed, bonding with our customers. The community is what helped us through the pandemic and the rough times.”
Since that opening in 2000, the Iglesiases have expanded their culinary empire, taking over the Cuban restaurant Sazon Cubano on the block just north of George’s. They have also opened Burgers & Shakes, a hamburger spot with locations two blocks north on Collins Avenue, one in Hollywood and another in Fort Lauderdale at beachside Marina Village. Two more are on the way, one in North Miami and the second in the former spot of Andiamo in the MiMo neighborhood.
And yet, George’s is still the restaurant closest to the family’s heart, because it started everything.
“That’s our baby,” George Iglesias says. “That’s our pride and joy.”
George’s Italian Restaurant
Where: 300 72nd St., Miami Beach
Hours: Noon-midnight Monday-Saturday; noon-11 p.m. Sunday
Reservations and more information: www.georgesmiamibeach.com or 305-864-5586
Dining and Cooking