CHEF KEVIN CORY
Chef of Japanese Cuisine
BIOGRAPHY | INTERVIEWS | PRESS
Top 5 Japanese Restaurants in the United States
La Liste 
11/16/2023
The Best Sushi Omakase Restaurants in Miami
"(Naoe) turned out to be the best and most unique omakase in Miami"
The Infatuation 11/3/2023
Representing Miami with the Five-Star Award for E11EVEN Consecutive Years
- 1 of Only 79 Restaurants in the World -
- The Only Five-Star Restaurant in Miami -
Forbes Travel Guide 2/15/2023
AAA Unveils (Complete) Top Diamond Designated Hotels and Restaurants of 2022
* * * * * FIVE DIAMOND DESIGNATION * * * * *
- 1 of Only 65 Restaurants in North America -
- The Only AAA Five Diamond Designated Restaurant in Miami -
AAA Newsroom 2/7/2023
- AAA FIVE DIAMOND DESIGNATION -
- INSPECTOR'S BEST OF FIVE DIAMOND -
"Best Of Diamonds stand out from other AAA Diamond hotels and restaurants
at their same Diamond Designation level by scoring in the top 20%
for their category, from simple to spectacular."
AAA Diamonds of 2022
- NAOE Completes A Decade of Ten Consecutive Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards -
"If you're looking for an intimate dining experience, this is it."
Forbes Travel Guide 4/26/2022
~ ~ NAOE Celebrates 10 years in Brickell Key and 13 Years Overall ~ ~
4/17/2022 (Brickell Key 2012)
3/19/2022 (SIBFL 2009)
Chef Kevin Cory, a Miami native, has long had a mission:
to showcase just what Japanese cuisine can be outside of Japan.
NAOE was Miami's first omakase-only spot.
Miami Herald / Miami.com 3/9/2022
FARE WORTH FLYING FOR
OPEN FOR DINE-IN:
NAOE
via Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF)
SINGLETHREAD FARMS
via Charles M. Shulz - Sonoma County Airport (KSTS)
DANIEL
via JetLinx New York @ Teterboro Airport (KTEB)
FINE DINING TO-GO:
ATELIER CRENN - San Francisco, CA
BENU - San Francisco, CA
PER SE - New York City, NY
SOAR Magazine Winter 2021
* * * * * FIVE-STAR AWARD * * * * *
Forbes Travel Guide 2/16/2021
"This is a meal like no other!
This intimate atmosphere is the perfect environment to try chef Kevin Cory’s take on traditional Japanese fare."
AAA Diamonds 2020
* * * * * FIVE-STAR AWARD * * * * *
Forbes Travel Guide 2/12/2020
2019 Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S.
Gayot 12/20/2019
* * * * * FIVE-STAR AWARD * * * * *
"In this petite Japanese jewel box, only eight diners can claim seats.
Chef/owner Kevin Cory and manager Wendy Maharlika treat you like a guest in their own home."
Forbes Travel Guide 2/26/2019
Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. 2018
Gayot 12/18/2018
Genus Erstklassiges Essen auf kleinstem
Raum: die besten Mini-Restaurants in aller Welt
Translation:
Culinary delight: Enjoy first-class food in the smallest
spaces: the best mini-restaurants in the world
Lufthansa Woman's World Magazine 
No. 4 (Winter 2018)
At NAOE, Passion for Sushi Is a Family Affair (EN)
Chez NAOE la passion des sushis est une histoire de famille (FR)
Pen Magazine International 
11/25/2018
Oryx Magazine (Qatar Airways) 
August 2018
The World's Best Hotels, Restaurants, and Spas
FIVE-STAR AWARD
Forbes Travel Guide 2/20/2018
Gayot 12/14/2017
Florida Trend December 2017
Elite Magazine 
9/5/2017
Bloomberg 5/1/2017
10 World-Class Sushi Restaurants
to Add to Your Travel Bucket List
Bravo 3/24/2017
FIVE-STAR AWARD
Five Years in a Row
2013 ~ 2014 ~ 2015 ~ 2016 ~ 2017
Forbes Travel Guide 2/22/2017
"simultaneously intensely local and exotically esoteric"
Edible South Florida January 30, 2017 / Winter
15 Best Sushi Restaurants in the U.S.
Japanese-People Approved Top Sushi in America
We Love Japanese Food / Lighthouse Japan 12/12/2016
Charter a Private Jet to America's Hottest Chef's Tables
"NAOE, located on Brickell Key, is among the most exclusive restaurants in America,
with diners flying in from around the world"
15 November 2016
Most Expensive Sushi in the U.S.
(That's Actually Worth It)
Food & Wine 8/19/2016, updated on 2/22/2023
PureWow 8/18/2016
Gayot 7/21/2016
FIVE-STAR AWARD
1 of 3 Japanese Restaurants in the World
Forbes Travel Guide 2/22/2016
Best Restaurants in the World
Top 3 Japanese Restaurants in the United States
La Liste 
12/12/2015
"The Japanese restaurant Naoe is one of the very best in the world outside of Japan."
- Ferran Adrià
Miami Herald, Lunch with Lydia: Ferran Adrià 10/27/2015
Time Out 10/19/2015 / NY Post 10/31/2015
"La esencia de Japón llega a Miami en una experiencia gourmet única para sus comensales."
Robb Report México 
Octubre 2015
Translation:
"..many, many of the 3-star Michelin (small business model) that are like that, like Naoe here.
Like that one there a many other like it in Japan. Surely is the best business in Miami.
It is fantastic. I was there the other time..
One of the best Japanese restaurants that I have been to outside of Japan, in the world.
I don't know if you are conscious of the place that you have here. Naoe.
One of the best Japanese restaurants. It is authentic, authentic.
Now, there are a great business but the Chef is always there."
Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress with Ferran Adrià in
Miami 
9/21/2015
Gayot 4/30/2015
MIAMI RISING
"Leading the charge is renowned chef Kevin Cory"
CENTURION Magazine Spring 2015
FIVE-STAR AWARD
Forbes Travel Guide 2/11/2015
Special Select 50
US Japan Publication (UJP) December 2014
Ocean Drive Magazine November 2014
3 TOQUES
"a cultural and culinary revelation"
Gayot 10/2014
SNAIL OF APPROVAL AWARD
"for contributing to the quality, authenticity and
sustainability of the food we eat in Miami"
Slow Food Miami 4/25/2014
FIVE-STAR AWARD
"In this petite Japanese jewel box, only eight diners can claim seats.
Chef/owner Kevin Cory and manager Wendy Maharlika treat you like a guest in their own home.
Maharlika holds down the dining room while Cory single-handily prepares every dish that comes out of the kitchen"
Forbes Travel Guide 1/22/2014
"This is sushi as a near-religious experience."
Louis Vuitton City Guide 11/1/2013
FIVE-STAR AWARD
1 of only 28 Restaurants in the World
"a jewel box of a Japanese restaurant"
"an impeccable experience in flavor, presentation and gracious service"
"the freshest, purest Japanese dishes found this side of Tokyo"
Forbes Travel Guide 2/26/2013
Ocean Drive Magazine February 2013
"one of the best restaurants in the country"
"some of the finest sushi you'll ever taste"
"simple perfection"
New York Post 1/14/2013
"one-of-a-kind multicourse omakase experience"
"an astonishing procession of nigirizushi rarities"
Bon Appétit January 2013
OpenTable 12/12/2012
"At this shrine to sushi, the meal is meant to be a personal experience,
orchestrated by a chef who will leave you in trusted hands."
Travel + Leisure December 2012
Art Basel: Where to Find Beautiful Food in Miami
"it is best to think of Naoe's fare like a sculpture by Isamu Noguchi:
subtle yet striking, sensitive yet compelling"
Miami New Times Food Blog Short Order 12/3/2012
"I can't believe this exists in Miami" since it would be "outstanding even in Japan",
gush fans of this culinary star, rated the city's tops for Food and Service
Zagat 2013 America's Top Restaurants 11/6/2012
Best Things to Eat in Miami
- Michael Schwartz & Norman Van Aken
Chefs Feed 10/2012
* ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS *
* FIVE STARS *
yelp 5/2009 - 8/2012
Florida Trend July 2012
Features Fashion / Restaurants
"Eight Glorious Pieces of Nigiri"
Miami | Modern Luxury July/August 2012
"Elegant Courses of Nigiri"
"Pescetarian Delights"
CNNGo 6/17/2012
"Supreme Serenity"
"Mind-Reelingly Fresh Nigiri"
"Few Eating Experiences on Earth are More Luxuriant."
Biscayne Times June 2012
Eight Seats, Unreal Sushi
"even he'll (Lebron) have a tough time getting a seat at a tiny sushi temple that makes all your decisions for you"
Thrillist 4/30/2012
UrbanDaddy 4/27/2012
~ ~ NAOE quietly reopens in Brickell Key ~ ~
4/17/2012
Food & Wine 3/5/2012
Eater National 2/16/2012
Q by Equinox 12/20/2011
OpenTable 12/13/2011
FOUR-STAR AWARD
- Top 4 Japanese Restaurants in North America -
Forbes Travel Guide 2012
World's Top Restaurants
"Of those (1,404) restaurants, 23 are considered the tops"
Chicago Tribune / Zagat World's Top Restaurants, Fourth Edition
(released 11/9/2011)
Zagat Survey 2012
(released 10/25/2011 & 11/1/2011)
"Kevin Cory's sushi shrine is without question Miami's most transporting eatery"
"raw fish selection from Japan is astounding"
"egg-and-seafood custard that tastes like the best of the farm meeting the best of the ocean"
New York Post 11/1/2011
"Once in a rare while, you discover a restaurant so authentic, so special, yet still undiscovered by the masses.
By virtue of its petite size and strict seating times, the Japanese gem, NAOE, will forever remain intimate and original."
"Gastronomic Adventure"
"Stellar Service"
Fodor's South Florida 2012
(released 10/25/2011)
- Zagat Picks for Good Restaurants on a Business Trip -
"These restaurants, which scored 29 of a possible 30 for food,
are the best restaurants in the country."
USA TODAY Travel (Zagat 2012) 10/25/2011
TripAdvisor 9/25/2011
Top 50 Best Service Restaurants
in the United States 2011
OpenTable 2/28/2011
"Hidden Gem"
"A Good Choice for Adventurous Eaters"
Fairmont Magazine February 2011
Ocean Drive Magazine February 2011
OpenTable 12/16/2010
FOUR-STAR AWARD
- Top 3 Japanese Restaurants in North America -
"Chef/owner Kevin Cory and manager Wendy Maharlika
treat diners at this petite Japanese jewelbox as they would guests in their own home."
Forbes Travel Guide 2011
(released 11/16/2010)
"His 17 seats are the toughest in Miami to get."
Florida Trend 12/2010, 12/2011
(released November)
"#1 each week for the past year"
Miami's Restaurant Power Rankings 11/10/2010
NAOE
Zagat World's Top Restaurants, Third Edition
(released 11/3/2010)
"Power-Player Restaurant"
"NAOE has eclipsed long-standing Miami sushi doyen Nobu for favorite sushi spot."
eHow 10/1/10
3 out of 3 Stars
"stellar NAOE has a Hollywood vibe and serves up sushi with star-power"
Frommer's South Florida, 7th Edition
(released September 22, 2010)
NAOE
3 out of 3 STARS
"Exquisitely prepared, hyper fresh sushi and Japanese fare.
This may be the closest Miami gets to Tokyo."
Frommer's Florida 2011
(released August 31, 2010)
"Here's a list of bicoastal hot spots that would surely entice the modern-day Don Draper"
Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood
NAOE, Miami
Town Hall, San Francisco
Alinea, Chicago
Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Portland
Monkey Bar, NYC
Delta Sky Magazine July 2010
"Foodies are wild for this 17-seat omakase spot"
To Live & Dine in Miami
5 Chefs We Love
Miami Magazine | Modern Luxury July/August 2010
- Ten of Our 100 Favorite Foods in Miami -
Bento Box at NAOE
Miami New Times 6/24/2010
Miami New Times 6/17/2010
Top 10 Late-Night Restaurants in Miami / South Florida
#1
Gayot 5/2010
NBC Feast Rank 4/2010
~ ~ NAOE ~ ~
~ ~ First Year Anniversary! ~ ~
3/19/2010
Top 10 Japanese Restaurants in Miami / South Florida
#1
Gayot 3/2010
"one of Miami's not-so-secret best-kept secrets"
"It's not just a meal; it's an adventure"
Aventura Magazine 2/2010
"always comparable in quality to those in New York or Japan's best"
Gayot 1/2010
- #1 (TIE)
Gayot 1/2010
- Best Heart-Healthy Restaurants in Miami -
- Miami / South Florida Hot 10 -
Gayot 1/2010
"the dining scene's most exciting newcomer"
UrbanDaddy 12/28/2009
Trust "Omakase (whatever’s best)'’ in Kevin Cory’s no-menu temple.
It’s a beautiful bento of fish and vegetables pure as his family’s legendary shoyu and sake.
Florida Trend 12/2009
"this year's hottest insider pick is tiny NAOE"
Gayot 11/2009
"Piscivores are flipping over this omakase-only Japanese in Sunny Isles,
a sleek jewel box of a spot where chef Kevin Cory serves pristine fin fare at affordable prices."
Food Decor Service Cost
- - - M
ZAGAT America's Top Restaurants 2010
(released 10/22/2009)
A true Japanese dining and cultural experience —minus the jet lag
Take a Bigger Bite of Japan:
Sugiyama, New York
KAI, New York
NAOE, Miami
Makoto, Washington D.C.
Shiro's Sushi, Seattle
Toyota Connections Magazine Fall/Winter 2009
HIGHEST RATED - #1
HIGHEST RATED - #1
yelp 10/10/2009 yelp 10/10/2010 yelp 10/10/2011
"has fans in a quandary – the space is too tiny to tout, yet they want everyone to know of this talent,
often compared to major sushi chefs in New York and Japan."
City & Shore Magazine October | November 2009
OpenTable 8/2009
"Miami's most serious sushi shrine."
"(matcha snapper) had the shocking depth of flavor that makes dining here a revelation."
"thrilling and almost embarrassingly affordable experience"
"Cory's style is his own -- and one that Miami should be grateful to enjoy."
The Miami Herald 7/16/2009
Fit For Foodies Restaurants - #1
OpenTable 7/2009
(First month eligible)
"unlike anything I’ve experienced in Seattle.
In fact, you’d probably have to hunt carefully to enjoy such an experience in Tokyo."
Gastrolust 6/22/2009
"the best American restaurant value since David Chang debuted Momofuku in New York"
Miami New Times 5/21/2009
"17 Seats of Omakase Bliss"
UrbanDaddy 5/1/2009
food for thought (a miami food blog)
"Undoubtedly one of the Most Unique Restaurants I have eaten at in Miami"
"Quietly Elegant Space"
"The (Chef's Choice) Contents were Just Magnificent, at least if you're an Adventurous and Open-Minded Eater."
"The Chef and Hostess were Earnest, Friendly, and Absolutely Charming."
Frodnesor / Food For Thought Miami 4/26/2009
~ ~ NAOE quietly opens ~ ~
3/19/2009
Nichiei Sake-Fermented Caribbean Spiny Lobster with Granddad's Corn-Soy Bridge
paired with Poached Local Quail Egg on Fresh Kyuri topped with Unfiltered Shoyu-Tomalley-Miso
Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2/25/2007
The City of Miami
CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION
"Local officials, on behalf of our citizens, wish to pay tribute
to you for your creative involvement in promoting social and
cultural exchanges between the peoples of Kagoshima and Miami."
Mayor, Manuel A. Diaz and Commission Chair, Joe Sanchez 12/9/2005
“Seafood Fanatic, Kevin Cory Transformed Siam River
from a Gimmicky Floating Fish-Boat Snackery
to a Repeat ‘Best of Miami' Winner.”
Miami New Times 9/8/2005
“Our Town's Freshest Seafood”
Miami New Times 5/12/2005
Simmered Live Manilla Clams, Homemade Rice Bran-Pickled Daikon, Salt-Pickled Apricot
and Shiso Leaf rolled in Blanched Fresh Wakame with Seaweed Jelly on top
South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2/27/2005
“The Top Sushi Bar in Town as Well as a First-Rate Thai Kitchen”
Sun-Sentinel 2/4/2005
“Siam River's Sushi is the Most Impeccable in Town.
Chef Kevin Cory Hits Haulover Marina Daily Just as the Fleet
Comes in, For Fish So Fresh That Some Haven't Stopped Flopping.”
City Gourmet Miami 11/2004
BEST OF MIAMI 2004
PERSONAL BEST / KEVIN CORY
“Talking, Dishing, and Serving the Most Innovative,
Undoubtedly Freshest Sushi in Town.”
Miami New Times 5/13/2004
“You'll Find Fresher Fish Nowhere in Town”
Miami New Times 5/13/2004
South Beach Wine & Food Festival's First Annual Award Ceremony 2/27/2004
“Extraordinary Sushi”
“A Dazzling Array of Delicacies”
“The Freshest Uni Imaginable”
Hal & Nancy Berrit / The Miami Herald 12/26/2003
“Kevin ‘@' Siam River Has Some of the Most Creative
and Undoubtedly the Freshest Sushi in Town”
Miami New Times 12/25-31/2003
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