If you’ve ever been down on Brickell, you’ve probably seen a towering castle on the corner of Brickell Avenue and Fifteenth Road, across from the historic St. Jude Church. It sat shuttered and abandoned for years, with a chain-link fence surrounding its limestone terrace. Before the pandemic, there were whispers that celebrated Palm Beach chef Clay Conley would return to Miami with a restaurant inside the forgotten estate. Instead, Major Food Group (MFG)—known for Carbone, Dirty French, and several other NYC imports—purchased the property, poured a hefty sum of money into restoring it back to its original grandeur, and has opened it as Chateau ZZ’s, an upscale Mexican concept.
Built in 1931 by architect Martin L. Hampton, the two-story European-style chateau was formerly known as Petit Douy since homeowner Ethel Sheelah Murrell had a personal connection to the French village of Douy. The Murrell family lived in the home for more than fifty years. In 1983, it became historically protected, then a decade later was transformed into a medical office building, and then abandoned for more than a decade.
Today, its grounds are verdant once again. In collaboration with legendary designer Ken Fulk, the team created a first-floor bar, dining room, and glass-enclosed greenhouse dining room with a sun-filled wrought-iron staircase and sparkling chandelier leading up to the second-floor members-only lounge, terrace and private bar.
This is the first-ever Mexican restaurant for MFG and its eighth Miami concept. Diners can look forward to MFG’s elevated take on Mexican cuisine with dishes like coconut snapper ceviche, littleneck clam aguachile, sweet corn elote and housemade tostadas topped with spicy tuna, caviar & crema or fried egg, and Iberico ham.
1500 Brickell Ave., Miami; chateauzzs.com
