Storia will be your new go-to Italian restaurant
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Just look at that ceiling! Photo: Sommer Brugal/Axios
The first thing you'll notice when walking into Storia, the new Italian restaurant in Upper Buena Vista, is the stained glass ceiling.
- The colorful panels beautifully contrast the industrial train station-like feel.
Why it matters: The restaurant is from Andrea Fraquelli, who in 2024 opened Cotoletta and put the single-item menu on the map, and his new hospitality group.
- Fraquelli is joined by his uncle, chef Giulio Rossi
What they're saying: "Although Storia isn't just one dish, it's still a small menu and it's [dishes] we like to eat ourselves," Fraquelli told Axios.
- "We want to hug the folks that serve us. We want the experience to be non-transactional."
The intrigue: The name means romance or history in Italian, depending on the context, Fraquelli said.
- "It has that little twist, which I like; Restaurants need to have a bit of spice and romance to make them interesting."
The vibe: The round tables for four or six anchor the open-air dining room to encourage long conversations.
- A large chalkboard above the bar features the menu. (The physical menus are also handwritten.)
- The walls are painted a dark pink (as are all of Fraquelli's restaurants).
Together, the details create a space that feels intimate, relaxed, homey — a reprieve from Miami's hustle and bustle.
State of plate: We started with the mussels (the surprise menu favorite, Fraquelli said) and beef carpaccio.
- The shellfish: The tomato sauce is light with a nice kick. The meat: perfectly thin, topped with generous amounts of parm.
- Fettuccine truffle and mushrooms (Fraquelli's grandfather's recipe): Truffle can be overpowering. This wasn't. The freshly made pasta was balanced, creamy and delicious.
- Branzino ala griglia: Light, flaky, citrusy with perfectly crispy skin.
- Get the tiramisu for dessert.
Between the lines: The Cotoletta Milanese and Rib Eye (menu specials), along with the cacio e pepe crocchettes have also become crowd favorites, Fraquelli said.
- The chicken parm features a sliver of eggplant between the chicken and tomato sauce.
If you go: Storia doesn't accept online reservations; they can only be made over the phone — the old-fashioned way.