DAVID BRACHA THE RIVER OYSTER BAR
Chef David Bracha brings more than two decades of culinary experience to Oak Tavernin the Miami Design District. The talented chef/restaurateur, a mainstay on the Miami dining scene since he opened his first critically-acclaimed South Beach restaurant, 411, in 1992, also owns the landmark downtown Miami seafood restaurant, The River Oyster Bar which has garnered consistently stellar reviews for cuisine, service and ambiance since he opened its doors in 2003. His culinary career began taking shape in the early 1980s in New York where he honed his culinary skills and technique at the legendary La Caravelle, Manhattan’s temple to French gastronomy, before spending the next three years rounding out his experience in all aspects of kitchen operations, working with top chefs from New York to St. Thomas.
In 1988, he relocated to South Florida, where he joined Chef Norman Van Aken and Proal Perry at Hoexter’s Market and Supper Club, in Boca Raton. Bracha then went on to assist Van Aken in opening two of South Florida’s most important restaurants, Stars & Stripes Café and A Mano, at the Betsy Ross Hotel, in South Beach. In 1992, he decided to branch out on his ownand opened South Beach’s contemporary hotspot, 411, a venerated restaurant located south of 5th Street. In 1995, he envisioned and created a casual upscale seafood concept, Fishbone Grill which opened in downtown Miami, followed by a second location in Coral Gables. In 2001, Bracha opened Jake’s Bar & Grill, a critically successful contemporary American restaurant, in South Miami.
A longtime advocate of utilizing local seafood, farmers, and vendors, in 2003, Bracha opened The River Oyster Bar using the freshest product available to create a menu of dishes reflecting his decidedly modern twist on classic seafood cuisine. The restaurant went on to earn critical acclaim, and became a major downtown Miami dining destination. When the land was sold in 2013 and The River’s neighbor, Tobacco Road, was demolished, it became a possibility that The River would need to move. Thankfully, due to negotiations with the new landlord, The River Oyster bar obtained a new lease, which will allow the River to stay at it’s current location and continue to flourish and grow with the new Brickell neighborhood that now surrounds.
