China Grill Reopens at Bal Harbour Shops More Than a Decade After Miami Exit

China Grill has reopened in Miami more than a decade after its original South Beach location closed, with founder Jeffrey Chodorow placing the revived brand at the entrance of Bal Harbour Shops, alongside Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

The restaurant first opened in New York City in 1987, inside the CBS "Black Rock" Building, and became one of that city's most celebrated restaurants. In 1995, Chodorow took a then-unconventional bet on South Beach's southern edge, turning the corner of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue into a dining destination and helping spark the rise of the South of Fifth neighborhood.

"China Grill was my first restaurant, and it really was the experience that turned what was supposed to be a hobby into a business," Chodorow said. "Bringing it back was a goal of mine for a long time."

The site choice is deliberate. "I have always believed Bal Harbour Shops was a special place," Chodorow said. "It is perfect for destination dining or as part of a shopping experience."

What does the menu bring back?

The relaunch leans on returning dishes guests have requested for years, a menu-engineering play that banks on established demand rather than building awareness from zero. Highlights include:

• Lobster Pancakes with wild mushrooms, red chili and coconut milk
• Plum and sesame glazed Lamb Spareribs
• Spicy Beef Dumplings
• Pastrami and Kimchi Eggroll

Salads return as full entrées, led by the Confucius Chicken Salad — the dish Chodorow says draws more recipe requests than any other — plus Crackling Calamari and Peking Duck salads. Large plates include Grilled Szechuan Beef with matchstick frites, Grilled Drunken Chicken, Chilean Sea Bass and Grilled Garlic Shrimp over black fettuccine. Grand plates feature Shanghai Lobster and a whole Peking Duck with housemade pancakes, serviceable with Osetra caviar. Cult-favorite sides Crispy Spinach and Wasabi Mash return alongside Lobster and Truffle Mash.

New additions center on premium sourcing: an expanded dim sum selection with Gilded Dumplings of miso black cod and tobiko, Onion Soup Dumplings, "Green Leaf" Dumplings with truffle and white asparagus, and Florida Shrimp and Garlic Chive Har Gau. The menu also carries crispy rice topped with Wagyu tartare and Osetra caviar, oshizushi, the Singapore 17 Vegetable Salad with salted plum vinaigrette, and a Wagyu steak selection from Australia.

"I'm partial to the classics like the lamb spareribs, Confucius chicken salad, calamari salad and Szechuan beef," Chodorow said. "But the new dishes will be new classics."

How is the operation structured?

The format keeps the original's shareable model, with dishes arriving continuously throughout the meal — a structure built for group occasions, business gatherings and celebrations. At lunch, the China Grill Bento Set pairs a grilled protein — skirt steak, salmon or branzino — with fried rice, a salad and a spring roll or dumplings. Sunday brunch adds Wagyu Skirt Steak and Eggs and Kimchi Fried Rice with crispy fried eggs. Signature cocktails include the Saketini, Marco's Escape and Mango Mirage.

Design carries the brand's DNA into the new space: a Marco Polo world map, excerpts from Marco Polo's journals set into the floors, and the recognizable floating lighting, plus a black and gold bar and an air-conditioned outdoor terrace.

"It was a difficult space to work with, but I wanted to keep the signature features that were part of the DNA of China Grill: the old map of the world, the Marco Polo journal and the lighting," Chodorow said. "Everything was designed around those features."

Early traffic suggests the relaunch is drawing both audiences at once: guests who once celebrated milestones at the South Beach original are returning with their children, while the restaurant retains strong ties to Latin American, European and local Miami communities, including nearby Sunny Isles Beach. The Bal Harbour location now serves as the test of whether a 1987-born concept can convert that nostalgia into sustained volume in a luxury retail setting.