Spanish Restaurant Near Me in Coral Gables: Sra. Martinez on Galiano Street

Search spanish restaurant near me from an office tower on Ponce de Leon Boulevard or a hotel near Miracle Mile, and one of the strongest answers sits on a quiet block of Galiano Street. Sra. Martinez, at 2325 Galiano Street in Coral Gables, is the Spanish restaurant of James Beard Award winner Michelle Bernstein and her husband and business partner David Martinez, and it serves croquetas, rice pans and late cocktails five days a week.

The kitchen does not chase a museum version of Spain. Spanish technique is the base, but the plates read like the way Bernstein likes to cook at home, which is how the restaurant itself explains the menu. That means a croqueta built on the flavors of carbonara sits next to pan con tomate and padrón peppers, and a paella made with oxtail shares the list with a classic seafood pan. Regulars come for that mix of the familiar and the personal, and first-timers should order with it in mind.

Begin with the tapas and snacks section of the dinner menu dated June 2026. Carbonara croquetas, with cured egg yolk and pecorino, are $14, and so are the mushroom croquetas with melting cheese and truffle. Pan con tomate on pan de cristal with grated tomato and Spanish olive oil is $14, and adding jamón ibérico costs another $14, while boquerones add $11. Fried eggplant chips with honey and Maldon salt are $12, as are the crispy artichokes and the padrón peppers with smoked paprika and garlic oil.

The rice is the main event, and the paellas are set apart in their own box on the menu. The oxtail paella, finished with melting bone marrow and a parsley salad, costs $48 and carries one of the menu's heart symbols marking house favorites. The seafood paella, made with bomba rice, prawns, mussels, cuttlefish, saffron and seafood broth with an orange peel aioli, is $56. A vegetarian paella with vegetable demi glace and braised seasonal vegetables is $36. Order one pan for the table and build the rest of the meal around it.

If you want rice but not a full pan, the starters include arroz negro with cuttlefish, mojo de ajo and aioli for $24. Braised mussels in white wine, saffron and orange zest with grilled bread are $29, and chicken liver pâté with warm beignets and house marmalade is $26. The untraditional patatas bravas, with brava sauce, garlic crema and crunchy jamón, are $14 on the sides list. Larger plates run from harissa chicken at $38 to a New York strip with green peppercorn sauce and chimichurri at $66.

The smartest way to try the place is the happy hour. It runs daily from 4 to 7 pm in the bar room, and on Fridays it starts at noon and runs until 7 pm. It is first come, first served, so there is no booking for the bar. The happy hour menu lists three house croquetas for $8, eggplant chips and pan con tomate at $8 each, braised mussels for $14 and the Sra. Martinez burger for $19. Beer is $5, wine is $7 and classic cocktails such as the negroni and the mojito are $9.

Timing matters because the restaurant does not open every day. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Lunch runs Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 pm, and dinner runs from 5 to 9 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 10 pm on Friday and Saturday and 5 to 8 pm on Sunday. Sunday brunch is served from 11 am to 3 pm, with dishes such as prawns and grits, a croque madame made with jamón serrano and lemon ricotta pancakes.

Saturday night has a different energy. The restaurant's hours page lists live music on Saturday from 7:30 to 11 pm, and no live music on the other open nights. If you want conversation over a slow dinner, choose a Wednesday or Thursday. If you want the room at full volume, book a Saturday table that starts around 7 pm, order the paella early because it takes time, and stay for the second set.

Reservations go through OpenTable, linked from the restaurant's website, and the OpenTable listing describes the dress code as business casual and the parking as valet. Weekend tables fill first, so book several days ahead for Friday or Saturday. Walk-ins have the best chance at the bar during happy hour. For private parties and larger group dinners, the restaurant has an inquiry form on its private events page, and the OpenTable listing names a private dining contact.

Wine is mostly by the bottle, but the glass list on the dinner menu is short and useful. A house Bordeaux blanc is $20 a glass, Bico da Ran Albariño from Spain is $15 and a Monte Real Reserva de la Familia Rioja is $19. The full wine list is posted as a separate download on the menus page. For something lighter with the croquetas, the cocktail list includes a house sangria and several zero-proof drinks built on fruit, honey and herbs.

Coral Gables rewards a slow walk before or after the meal. Sra. Martinez sits a short block north of Miracle Mile, the stretch of Coral Way lined with shops and cafés. Head west along Aragon Avenue and you reach Books and Books at 265 Aragon Avenue, an independent bookstore with a café in its courtyard, and then the Coral Gables Museum at 285 Aragon Avenue, set in the city's former police and fire station. Keep walking to the west end of Miracle Mile to see Coral Gables City Hall at 405 Biltmore Way.

A few small habits make the visit easier. Arrive by 4 pm on a weekday if you want a bar seat for happy hour, since bar seating is first come, first served and there is no way to hold a spot. If you cannot decide between the two croquetas, the happy hour order of three lets you try both. Share the paella between two or three people rather than ordering one each. Save room for Michy's bread pudding with chocolate and cognac soaked raisins, a dessert named for Bernstein herself.

Practical notes: Sra. Martinez is at 2325 Galiano Street, Coral Gables, FL 33134, near the corner of Aragon Avenue, email info@sramartinezmiami.com. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, with happy hour daily from 4 to 7 pm in the bar room and from noon on Fridays. Reserve through OpenTable and expect valet parking. For more Coral Gables dinner ideas, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP.