RESTAURANTS • First Person
Deanna Sison opened her colorful new Filipino spot Mestiza in South Beach this spring, after years serving up fried chicken at Little Skillet, a neighboring soul food destination. The new restaurant is an homage to Sison’s Filipina heritage, with a focus on vibrant vegan offerings.
Located on a long block near the ballpark, what initially appears as a simple lunch counter changes once you work your way through the space, which opens up into a moody blue patio with live plants and lattices overhead. On the rear wall, a mural of a Filipina singer with closed eyes and open palms invites you to take a breath and a seat.
Lunch options include a mushroom tofu sisig and calabaza coconut curry, available as either a wrap or a bowl. Sit down for dinner, and those come as full plates with jasmine rice and papaya salad. A vegan take on lumpia rolls up sweet potato and brussels instead of the usual pork. But Sison caters to non-vegans too, serving up braised pork adobo for the fans.
The coolest experience is the full kamayan feast, which must be reserved in advance and is available only on Friday and Saturday nights. The staff lays banana leaves on the table and arranges a minor mountain range of food down the center: beef tenderloin, shrimp gambas, jammy eggs, garlic rice, fresh fruit — more than 15 items, all told. Per tradition, everything’s up for grabs to eat with your hands. Mestiza doesn’t have a full liquor license yet, so the cocktails run refreshing and light, from the calamansi spritz to the pineapple-hibiscus mimosa.
Sison clearly understands what the downtown crowd wants and needs, whether that’s a happy desk lunch or a jungle oasis worlds away from the office. Just remember: It’s nigh impossible to check Slack with a handful of crispy lechon. –Becky Duffett
→ Mestiza (SoMa) • 214 Townsend St • Tues-Sat 1130a-8p, kamayan feasts by reservation only Fri & Sat 6-8p • Reserve • Photo: Melissa de Mata.