Kwame Onwuachi helms a couple of top-rated restaurants: Tatiana in New York City and Dōgon in Washington, D.C. Recently he joined the team at Las’ Lap’s new Miami Beach outpost, which opened Aug. 5 at the Daydrift Hotel.
Las’ Lap — named for the final hours of Carnival — started in New York. The rum bar and restaurant serves cocktails and Caribbean cuisine, like jerk chicken and codfish fritters. The new location in South Miami Beach is the first extension of the brand, and the founding team considers it a “standalone destination with a new culinary lens and sense of place.”
The menu features Afro-Caribbean cuisine that reflects Kwame Onwuachi’s heritage.
“The decision to bring Las’ Lap to Miami was a natural evolution for the brand,” partner Bryce Sheldon said. “West Indian culture already runs deep in the city’s food, music, and spirit. Las’ Lap fits into that cultural fabric while adding something distinct.”
The partnership with Onwuachi was key to forming the next iteration of the concept. His grandfather hailed from Trinidad, and Onwuachi is known for cooking Afro-Caribbean cuisine that reflects his Creole, Nigerian, Jamaican, and Trinidadian roots.
“Everything about this space was intentional,” Onwuachi said. “I’ve always been drawn to places with personality and purpose. Partnering with the Las’ Lap team made sense. Our visions aligned, and I’m able to honor my grandfather’s heritage here as well.”
Dishes include chilled escovitch crab claws and an oxtail Cubano.
The Miami Beach menu includes a section of raw and chilled items, like escovitch crab claws, snapper with guacamole and plantain chips, and oysters with tamarind and green mignonette.
Sticky wings are smoked and dressed with hot honey and jerk spices, and a Cuban sandwich features mojo oxtail, black truffle, and wagyu beef bacon.
Larger shared plates include wagyu tasso with pikliz (Haitian pickles), coconut collards, and rice and peas, and a charred dorade with coconut curry. There’s also a nod to Rasta Pasta, the creamy pasta dish made with jerk seasonings and bell peppers. The Las’ Lap version calls for bucatini, Manila clams, jerk clam bianco sauce, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
The bar stocks an extensive rum selection, and cocktails highlight Caribbean flavors.
The Caribbean focus extends to the bar, which is building one of Miami’s most extensive rum selections and features cocktails made with fresh tropical juices and other island ingredients. Sample cocktails include a rum punch and a refreshing mix of gin and ting, the sparkling grapefruit soda.
Las’ Lap is around 3,000 square feet, and the design is meant to evoke intimacy and escapism. Inside, there’s plum-hued wallpaper, patinated mirrors, a crystallized marble bar, velvet-upholstered banquettes, and tropical greenery. The space also features a lush patio along the Collins Canal and a rooftop bar overlooking the street below.
“This intimate setting adds something new to South Beach,” Onwuachi said. “It’s low-key, late-night, and detail-driven. It just felt right.”
