When Michelin added eight new Miami-area restaurants to its guide on Feb. 14, it included the laid-back Pez Mexican restaurant in downtown Miami, praising its ability to deliver “a taste of Baja.”

“Choose from an array of tempting menu items but don’t skip the Ensenada-style tacos for a true taste of the coast,” the guide advises. “And, while the usual array of ceviches is on offer, the one to order is the atún con ‘mashaca,’ made with diced yellowfin tuna, dried shredded beef and habanero cream for a thoroughly unexpected delight.”

But you won’t be able to experience that delight via the ceviche or the tacos, at least not at the moment. Pez, which opened at 20 West Flagler St. in 2019, had closed on Feb. 11 — three days before the announcement.

The restaurant, operated by Baja Restaurant Group, announced it was closing via Instagram on Feb. 2, inviting customers in for the two following weekends to “come and say goodbye to your favorite seafood.”

A direct message on Instagram confirmed the closing but called it temporary, saying that the restaurant team will be looking for a new space in Miami. At the moment, the barbecue joint Drinking Pig BBQ is operating a weekend pop-up in the former Pez space.

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“We’re temporarily closed and moving to a smaller location,” the account reported, adding that team members are in New York preparing for the opening of another restaurant, Tacos El Porky.

A version of Pez will also be opening as a summer pop-up in New York’s East Village Memorial Day Weekend.

The Michelin Guide, which was unaware Pez had closed when it was added to the list, has no plans to remove the restaurant from the guide.

“The Michelin Guide is treating the restaurant’s closure as temporary and therefore, doesn’t intend to remove it from the Guide selection at this time,” it said in a statement.

The other Miami-area restaurants added to the guide are EntreNos in Miami Shores, which just opened last fall; Kaori in Brickell; Maty’s in Midtown, which was named one of the best new restaurants of 2023 by Esquire and Bon Appétit; Ossobuco in Wynwood; Ogawa in Little River; Shingo in Coral Gables and Tam Tam in downtown Miami. The guide also added five restaurants in the Orlando area and six restaurants in Tampa.

Michelin releases additions to the guide throughout the year. The restaurants mentioned might receive Stars or Bib Gourmand awards at the 2024 Michelin Guide Ceremony, but there’s no guarantee. This year’s ceremony will be held April 18 in Tampa.

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