THIS IS A NON LIVE LOCATION
The Story Behind the Sushi Pub
Chef José Mendín opened Pubbelly Sushi with one question: where do chefs actually want to eat? Fifteen years later, the answer is still this.
One Spot in Sunset Harbour
In 2010, Mendín planted his flag in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour with a simple mandate - inventive food at honest prices, in a space with real soul. Locals found it fast and never left.
Not Traditional Sushi
The menu pulls from Mendín’s Puerto Rican roots, classical Japanese training, and a genuine refusal to play it safe. Butter Krab Roll, Tuna Pizza, lobster donuts, Short Rib & Truffle Dumplings - these aren’t just dishes, they’re the reason people come back obsessively.
The Kitchen Behind It
Mendín - a five-time James Beard nominee - trained at Nobu, Café Boulud, and Sushisamba before channeling all of it into Pubbelly. Director of Culinary Operations Jorge Mijangos keeps every location executing at that level.
The People Make It
Read the reviews and you’ll find something unusual: guests call out servers and bartenders by name, the way you do at a place that’s actually yours. That’s not luck - it’s a culture built around people first, every single shift.
Seven Locations, Same Energy
From Sunset Harbour to Brickell, Aventura, Dadeland, Pembroke Pines, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach - the footprint grew, but the creative energy never budged.
Jose Mendin, Executive Chef
Born to parents with an appreciation for cuisine (and a great-grandmother who was a cooking instructor), José Mendín didn’t discover his own love of cooking until he was off at college on a volleyball scholarship and preparing his own meals. Mendín moved from his native Puerto Rico to Miami in 1998 to enroll at Johnson & Wales University, from which he graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in the Culinary Arts. Mendín went on to help open Nobu Miami that same year and Nobu London in 2002, with chefs Mark Edwards and Thomas Buckley, respectively.
In 2003, Mendín traveled to Spain to work for Chef Jesús Ramiro in Valladolid, and later Chef Juan Pablo Felipe in Madrid at Michelin-starred El Chaflán. Upon returning to Miami, he joined Rising Star alum Jordi Vallès to open Mosaico.
In 2004, Mendín opened Sushisamba Miami Beach as chef de cuisine, rising to assistant corporate chef for the company in two years and later opening Sushisamba Vegas. Continuing his streak of successful openings, Mendín opened Mercadito Chicago in 2009 and Mercadito Miami in 2010, where he met chef de cuisine, Sergio Navarro. The pair partnered up with Andreas Schreiner to found The Pubbelly Restaurant Group in 2010, where the trio won StarChefs Rising Star Restaurateur Award in 2016.
Mendín is a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef, Southeast.”
Jorge Mijangos, Director of Culinary Operations
Pubbelly Sushi’s Director of Culinary Operations, Chef Jorge Mijangos, developed a love for cooking as a child while working at his Grandmother’s family run restaurant in Mexico. After receiving an education at LATCC in Los Angeles, Mijangos embarked on his culinary career as a Sushi Chef at the world renowned, critically acclaimed Nobu in Miami Beach. After several years behind the sushi bar and hot kitchen, Chef Jorge desired to expand his horizons and took an opportunity to work under the decorated French Chef Daniel Boulud at Cafe Boulud. Chef Jorge began work with Chef Boulud first in Palm Beach before traveling to their Las Vegas location. This was followed up by a stint at Joel Robuchon at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in the MGM Casino, also in Las Vegas.
In 2006, Chef Jorge returned to his love of Japanese cuisine after being called to return to Nobu, this time in the Bahamas. Three years later he was tasked with opening and operating Nobu Mexico City. Mijangos then returned to Miami and was the opening chef at Miami Beach’s Sushi Garage before joining the Pubbelly Sushi team in 2017.
At Pubbelly, Mijangos works closely with Founding Chef Partner Jose Mendin and is responsible for the brand’s new openings and overall operations. Chef Jorge prides himself on technique, quality control, consistency, continuing education, and mentorship.
