Michael’s Moving to Vilano Beach
RENOWNED EATERY MICHAEL’S ANNOUNCES MOVE TO NEW COASTAL DINING SPACE
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (October 14, 2024) – After nearly two decades of crafting high-quality cuisine in downtown St. Augustine, the acclaimed Michael’s is fully embracing its Spanish coastal roots and moving to a brand-new beach location. Michael’s will finish service at 25 Cuna Street on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2024, and plans to open in February 2025 at its new location in the Hyatt Place St. Augustine, at 117 Vilano Road, located in the quaint oceanside hamlet of Vilano Beach, less than four miles away.
“Honestly, it’s a move I’m incredibly excited about,” says Michael Lugo, Executive Chef and Owner at Viva Hospitality, the restaurant group that Michael’s and Chef Lugo’s other two restaurants are under. “Occupying a historic building comes with its own set of unique challenges. The Hyatt Place is brand new, so I can focus more of the efforts and budget on projects that fine-tune the dining experience. The new location also has more space for our extensive wine library, a brand new kitchen, and a luxurious section for our refined chef’s table experience. It will be an adjustment, but I truly believe this will be a transformative change for the restaurant, our staff, and our diners.”
Michael’s opened as The Tasting Room in 2006 at its original Cuna Street location. It has graced “Best Of” lists time and time again, most recently earning a prestigious Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. Over the years, as the restaurant grew, so did the struggles of the location. Chef Lugo has dealt with persistent and, at times, devastating flooding, infrastructure issues, power outages, and an increasingly difficult parking situation. In a stroke of fate, he was presented with a solution in the form of his newest venture, Pesca Vilano. This fun and fresh concept, centered around the Puerto Rican dishes of Chef Lugo’s home, was perfect for the expansive rooftop at the Hyatt Place on Vilano Beach, with its warm breezes and ocean views, but it didn’t suit the bespoke dining room on the hotel’s first floor. Chef Lugo and his management concluded that the space would be perfect for an even more refined version of Michael’s. The new space offers intimate dining areas, plentiful parking, a more comfortable seating arrangement, and more space for the carefully curated wine library, a hallmark of the Michael’s experience. Expanded kitchen space and refrigeration will allow Chef Lugo’s team to introduce a wider variety of fresh seafood, like oysters.
Michael’s will continue to offer its signature five-star experience at 25 Cuna Street during the busy Nights of Lights holiday season through December 31st. Viva Hospitality will maintain a downtown presence with its French restaurant, La Nouvelle. Pesca will continue to offer Latin flavors and creative cocktails at its rooftop location at the Hyatt Place St. Augustine / Vilano Beach. Photos can be found here.
ABOUT VIVA HOSPITALITY –The Viva Hospitality family of restaurants in historic St. Augustine, Florida, includes Michael’s, La Nouvelle, and Pesca Vilano. Michael’s, located at 25 Cuna Street, features a seasonal menu focused on steaks and Coastal Spanish-inspired cuisine; La Nouvelle, located at 102 Bridge Street, features French Nouveau cuisine with an elevated edge; Pesca Vilano, located at 117 Vilano Road, is a tribute to Chef Lugo’s Puerto Rican lineage, fusing global coastal cuisine with Latin flavors. Learn more at vivahosp.com and follow along on social media @MichaelsStAugustine @LaNouvelleSTA and @PescaVilano
