Your date might give you a funny look when you tell them you’re taking them to the pump house. But once they get there, they’ll understand. Maybe it’s not the 1923 coral home that brings the romance to EOS Garden. Maybe it’s the water trickling through the ponds out back, or the streams of lights that twinkle off the surface as sultry music plays. The setting creates waterfront dining far from the shore, and is the kind of hidden, sexy place that makes whoever booked the reservation look very much in-the-know.
EOS has opened in the old ZOI spot, another three-letter restaurant that serves grilled middle eastern meats. Miami, can we please get a little more original with these names? This new incarnation comes to us from Ilyas Ortatepe and Chef Halit Avuka, who’ve worked everywhere from here to Istanbul and bring a more inventive, complex menu than their predecessors. The spot is still new, and save for a few Instagram reels hasn’t been blown up by the influencers yet. And as the dog days of summer linger, now is the best time to check this out before the masses.
Ok but WTF is a pump house?
In this case? It’s a coral-walled building that literally pumped water to Bay Shore development and other northern parts of Mia-muh back during the 1920s. Originally called the Bay Shore Pump House, it boasted a pair of wells in the back that developers bragged gave the development its own water supply. Those wells are now decorative ponds in the back, creating a calming water feature that gives the historic restaurant its charm. It’s been several restaurants and private homes since, and was also once home to notorious murderer Robert Brent Bowman. They leave that part off the menu.
The scene: Inside feels like a real slice of old Miami, albeit an air conditioned one. Pitched, wood-beamed ceilings stand over a coral-walled dining room, centered by an elegant chandelier. Outside is a tropical garden dream, where thick Florida foliage makes you forget you’re right behind the Brightline tracks. Take a pre-dinner lap over the footbridge and around the property and you’ll get the kind of relaxed aura that usually requires a trip to the Keys or lorazepam.
What to eat and drink: Like most Mediterranean spots, the dip sampler is de rigeur as a starter, and the hummus, babagannoush, tzasiki, and muhammara might fill you up before dinner. The stuffed eggplant is also a guaranteed winner, packed with onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and raisins.
The main side is a lineup of spectacular grilled meats, headlined by the shashlik steak skewers with yogurt, and the lamb shish kebab. The Butchers Meatballs are, ironically, EOS’s best vegetarian offering, spicy spheres of smoked eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic.
The wine might be the most impressive thing at EOS after the architecture, a selection of Turkish vintages I’ve yet to see on another menu. Your server is pretty adept at telling you what to pair, and since the menu’s not big the choices aren’t overwhelming.
Perfect for: Romantic dinners and date nights.
Pro tip: Ask for bug spray. They have some, and it’ll make your meal a lot more pleasant.
Expect to pay: About $75 each, $100 if you try the wine.
How’s the parking: Plenty of good street parking along NE 4th Ct.
@eosgarden // 5808 NE 4th Ct. MiMo