After 23 years, this Japanese restaurant on Miami Beach is closing for good
Another once-popular restaurant has shut its doors in Miami Beach.
Doraku, the sushi-and-cocktail spot on the western end of Lincoln Road, has closed.
The restaurant, led by Kevin Aoki, president of the Aoki Group and son of Benihana founder Rocky Aoki, put up a sign on its doors announcing the news.
“After more than 20 years of dedication to the craft of sushi and izakaya dining here at Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, we have unfortunately decided to close Doraku,” read the sign, which was also posted on Doraku’s Instagram and Facebook pages and website. “We are proud to have been a part of your celebrations, gatherings, and be the place that guests could always enjoy with friends and family. Going forward, please visit us at our sister restaurant in Kendall, Florida, called AOKI Teppanyaki. Again, thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at AOKI Teppanyaki.”
Aoki Teppanyaki and Izakaya is the company’s sister restaurant at the Dadeland Mall in Kendall, a Japanese steakhouse with hibachi meals cooked on tabletops. It also has a sushi bar. The Doraku restaurants in Waikiki and Kaka’ako in Honolulu, Hawaii, will remain open, too.
Doraku opened in a different world at 1104 Lincoln Road in 1999 (the restaurant also opened a location in Mary Brickell Village in 2012, which closed abruptly in 2019). It attracted crowds, especially on the weekends and at happy hour. Many of them were locals, now an endangered species on the pedestrian mall, where rising rents have helped drive out such favorites as Pizza Rustica and Sushi Samba and other retailers, such as Books & Books, which closed in 2020.
On the Doraku Instagram account, Aoki posted a video of himself at the shuttered restaurant as he removed decorative anime panels from the walls and talked about having “so many great memories” over the years on Lincoln Road.
“We’re going to miss all of you guys here,” he said, then urged fans to head south to check out Aoki Teppanyaki. “We’re looking forward to seeing you guys over there.”
He also floated the idea that possibly someday, Doraku could return.
“Maybe in the future we’re going to be opening back up in South Beach,” he said.
After 43 years, this landmark restaurant in Miami Lakes is closing for good
