TIKL Raw Bar and Grill

With all of the amazing restaurants in the Brickell neighborhood in Miami, it’s hard to imagine that yet another new eatery would create much excitement. TIKL Raw Bar and Grill (pronounced "tickle"), across from the Four Seasons Brickell building, may have you rethinking that assumption.

Brought to us by the same team that created Altamare, TIKL offers affordable small plates with indoor and outdoor dining.

Owner Claudio Giordano was born in Venezuela but grew up in Naples. As a teenager he took various summer restaurant jobs in Rome, Tuscany and Munich to nurture his burgeoning desire to work in the hospitality industry. At a young age he was offered the opportunity to become a partner and owner of Taverna Fra’ Diavolo, in Venezuela.

Upon his move to Florida in 1984, Giordano purchased Coral Gable’s La Bussola where he offered Italian cuisine. The eatery’s almost instant success allowed Giordano to expand the restaurant from 60 seats to 120.

Over the years, Giordano has helmed amazing restaurants such as Claudio’s Restaurant Bar & Club (which he sold in 2001) and Altamare (originally named Altamar) on South Beach.

Giordano says that TIKL chef Simon Stojanovic’s farm-fresh small plates are meant to be shared, much as one finds in a tapas restaurant. TIKL’s menu is seafood-focused and divided into the following sections:

• Snacks – includes items such as garlic bread, chili chicken thighs and bloody Mary bruchetta 
• Raw – snapper or lobster salad and spicy tuna bomb highlight this section
• Small – small plates of short rib soft tacos, fried squid and thai curried mussels are meant to be shared
• Robata – octopus, asparagus prepared in miso truffle butter and Korean hangar steak are a few of the offerings here
• Skewers – try the bacon-wrapped enoki, chicken thighs or local shrimp
• Large – a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak or a whole fish-of-the-day

TIKL’s prices range from $4 to $6 for snacks; $10 to $16 for the raw menu items; $10 to $18 for items from the “Small” section; from $5 to $14 for Robata and Skewers items and $45 for the Porterhouse (subject, of course to change).

Favorable reviews are already mounting, with the grilled scallops, pork belly and tuna bomb coming out as early favorites. Add to that the rave reviews for the eatery’s modern décor and personable servers, and Brickell seems to have another winner. 

You can find TIKL at 1450 Brickell Avenue, across from the Four Seasons. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from noon to 1 am and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Happy Hour is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.