a’Riva at Harbour Club

Behind the members-only doors of Harbour Club, in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood, sits a restaurant anyone can book. Its name is a’Riva. The club’s Palm Room lounge and Nikai restaurant stay reserved for members. a’Riva, though, is open to the public. It’s an Italian dining room at 1766 Bay Road. An April 2025 feature in Miami Living Magazine confirms the restaurant is currently operating at that address. So does The Adventurist Magazine’s dining coverage.

Chef Michele Esposito’s seasonal Italian kitchen

a’Riva’s food comes from chef Michele Esposito. His official biography page traces his training through classical technique at The Dorchester in London. It also covers seafood-focused cooking he did on the Amalfi Coast. He then took charge of a Miami Beach kitchen built around tropical greenery, rich woods and dim lighting. Miami Living Magazine’s feature also describes an outdoor terrace at a’Riva for leisurely dining, alongside the main indoor dining room. The Adventurist Magazine’s review adds that his prior Miami post was Casa Tua. It credits him with dishes finished under a wood-fired oven and a habit of shaving black truffle over multiple courses. The result reads as Italian coastal cooking filtered through South Florida ingredients rather than a straightforward trattoria menu, which is also how a’Riva’s own site frames the concept: an Italian restaurant with Mediterranean charm built for both a quick weekday lunch and a slower, multi-course dinner.

Bluefin crudo, Meatballs Angelina and the tableside eggplant parm

The dish that shows up most consistently across a’Riva’s own materials and outside coverage: bluefin crudo with watermelon gazpacho. It’s described on the restaurant’s menu page and pictured in the restaurant’s own photo gallery. Miami Living Magazine’s feature singles out Meatballs Angelina, a family recipe built on eggplant, San Marzano tomatoes and parmesan. It also names a Chilean sea bass and pistachio ice cream made to order.

The Adventurist Magazine’s review adds a tableside eggplant parmesan. It also lists specific pricing: a dirty martini at $10, beef tartare and tuna carpaccio starters at $32, and a Harbour Club Caesar salad at $24. Pasta courses run between $32 and $34, the Chilean seabass main costs $55, and pistachio gelato for dessert runs $14. Put together, dinner mains at a’Riva range from about $32 for pasta to $55 for the Chilean seabass, with appetizers such as beef tartare and tuna carpaccio priced at $32 and dirty martinis at $10.

a’Riva’s own menu pages do not publish vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free designations for individual dishes. Diners with those requirements should ask their server directly rather than rely on the printed menu.

Hours and how to book through SevenRooms

a’Riva opens Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., adds Sunday hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closes entirely on Monday. Those hours are listed on the restaurant’s own contact page. Reservations for a’Riva are booked online through the restaurant’s SevenRooms page or by emailing reservations@arivarestaurant.com, and the same contact page lists a direct line at +1 (305) 910-0415 for same-day questions. The dining room also serves Harbour Club members, so tables can book out during weekend brunch and Friday dinner. Reserving a few days ahead is worth doing before a special occasion.

Tuesday-to-Saturday happy hour at the bar

Miami Living Magazine’s feature on a’Riva describes a happy hour running Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It comes with half-priced rosé and sparkling wine at the bar, described on the restaurant’s about page as ideal for late-night amaros. That bar sits along one side of the main dining room, stocked and backlit. It doubles as a stop for a solo glass of wine before a table opens up. Outside the happy-hour window, the cocktail list leans on the same seasonal, produce-driven approach as the food. Fresh herbs and citrus show up in the glass as often as on the plate.

Weekend brunch and lunch service

a’Riva’s own menu is organized into four sections, and one of them is labeled Brunch & Lunch. The restaurant serves it during daytime hours rather than as a separate weekend-only seating. On Saturdays and Sundays, that daytime service becomes the closest thing a’Riva has to a dedicated brunch. It runs inside the same morning-to-afternoon window the restaurant keeps every day it’s open. Guests who want the full dinner menu need to return for the evening seating. That includes the pasta and seabass dishes The Adventurist Magazine priced out. The two menus don’t overlap.

Private dining and full-restaurant buyouts

Beyond nightly service, a’Riva’s homepage offers a private dine-in booking path for groups. The about page notes the restaurant handles both full buyouts and smaller private dinners. Both use the same dining room as regular service. That flexibility fits the venue’s dual identity. It’s a daytime spot for a business lunch or a quiet coffee-adjacent meal, and an evening room that converts for celebrations without needing a separate private room.

Inside Harbour Club: art, design and public access

a’Riva exists inside a larger project. James Julius founded Harbour Club, drawing on a background at London’s Dorchester and Annabel’s. The club opened in Sunset Harbour in November 2024. Miami Living Magazine’s debut coverage describes a members’ club modeled on London’s private clubs. The members-only Palm Room speakeasy and Nikai sit alongside the publicly accessible a’Riva there. The interiors, designed by YODEZEEN, mix curated artwork from members’ personal collections with the restaurant’s own greenery-heavy, arched dining room. Harbour Club’s own site confirms that members and non-members dine together at a’Riva. The rest of the building, though, requires a membership tier to enter. Readers weighing a’Riva against other options can turn to our Miami Beach dining guide and our fine dining roundup. Our guide to booking dinner in Miami Beach also covers how a Sunset Harbour restaurant like this one fits into a wider night out.