The saying ’all good things must come to an end’ is not one we ever want to associate with our favorite restaurants. But alas, here we are. Let us be the bearer of bad news today: Eating House in Coral Gables is closing its doors next month. After nine years in business, the small-but-mighty restaurant from Chopped champ Giorgio Rapicavoli and partner Alexander Casanova will be shutting down on July 18th.
Eating House got its start as a short-term pop-up in the summer of 2012 and immediately drew large crowds to its cozy corner spot, located at the intersection of SW Eight Street and Ponce de Leon. This writer remembers lining up on the pop-up’s last day of service before anyone knew Eating House would be sticking around for nearly another decade—not that the news would’ve kept me from waiting two hours for my Tang mimosa and cap’n crunch pancakes.
For its final farewell, Eating House introduces a special menu of its most popular dishes over the years. The aforementioned pancakes make an appearance in miniature size, as do the cauliflower elote and the thing that put the restaurant on the map (at least for us), carbonara pasta. Queso frito, chicken and waffles and the dirt cup, another beloved signature, are also available.
With his lease set to end, Rapicavoli realized he and the team had outgrown the space. The small dining room has been bursting at the seams for years now and lockdown, with its capacity and social-distancing restrictions, only made it worse. Diners deserve better, he says, and he plans to give them just that. While no official announcement has been made, sources say Rapicavoli plans to reopen somewhere else in the near future. In the meantime, you can satisfy your cravings for handmade pasta at his new Italian restaurant in Coral Gables, Luca Osteria.