The owners of Mundo Kitchen + Wine Bar, an intimate small restaurant tucked away in a quiet area just off S. Dixie Highway in Coral Gables that opened on July 15, are well known in South Florida.
Catherine and Jose Luis Pawelek are the proprietors, with more than 35 years of restaurant experience. They used to own the Botticelli Trattoria in South Miami, Pinecrest and Coral Gables, and have many fans from those days. They have traveled and opened restaurants in other cities around the country but have now returned to the area they consider home.
“This is a great location,” said Jose Luis. “We’re in Coral Gables, and we’re near Pinecrest, South Miami and Coconut Grove.
We’re in the middle of the action and the University of Miami and South Miami Hospital are nearby.”
It’s a cozy 30-seat venue. They are known for having great prices, great value and great service from an attentive staff, but most of all for their food.
“We call our cuisine ‘Global’ but I would say it’s an Italian inspired menu,” Pawelek said. “We do a variety of pastas and offer different daily specials at value-driven prices for both lunch and dinner.”
They feature a half dozen pastas (Cioppino, Linguine Elements and their famous monthly six-layer Lasagna Special), Asian fusion (Ravioli Curry and Branzino Ponzu), as well as Argentine influences (Provoleta and Arrachera).
There are not too many small restaurants in the area; most are chain restaurants. Pawelek and his wife of 38 years are proud of being personally involved with the cooking and with their one-on-one contact with their customers.
“We are a ‘mom and pop owner’ here,” Pawelek said. “That’s what we did at Botticelli years ago. All the desserts are made in-house by Catherine. She’s famous for her desserts and for her lasagna and her meat sauce.”
They are open Monday-Friday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday through Saturday for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m.
Mundo Kitchen + Wine Bar is located at 1533 Madruga Ave. For information or to make reservations call 786-275-4443, visit the webpage at mundokitchen.com or send email to info@mundokitchenandwinebar.com.
