When Sal’s Italian Ristorante opened in Southland Mall about three years ago, owner Nuno Beira took his turn in the kitchen. Business was strong and people loved the food.
But he sold the restaurant and it apparently suffered without his personal attention. Today, Beira is back in charge and back in the kitchen giving the Italian eatery his personal attention and returning the food back to its former glory. “Come on in and give us another chance,” Beira said.
There’s every reason for the restaurant to become a hot place to eat again. The restaurant is situated on the outer rim of the mall, between Bally’s and the theaters so the location is good. There are ongoing specials and the staff is ready and willing to give quality customer service that only enhances the good food. Sal’s is a family owned and operated restaurant and pizzeria. Beira said they are running specials to make eating there affordable for families.
“You can get everything from pizza and Veal Parmesan to Chicken Marsala,” he said. Lunch prices range from $4.99 to $10.99, while dinners begin at $9.99 and only go as high as $20.99.
The most popular dish at Sal’s this summer is Chicken Parmesan, but pizza is always a staple for the movie crowd. They do have a moviegoers special for those who attend a showing and then bring in their ticket stubs. “Bring in a ticket and get a 20 percent discount,” he said.
The restaurant has takeout and delivery and there is outdoor seating for those cooler evenings. “We seat about 100 in and out,” he said. “About 75 inside.”
The interior is well designed and pleasing to the eye. It’s family and kid friendly with good service and a staff that is eager to please. Everything on the menu is cooked fresh to order. “It’s homemade Italian food,” Beira said.
Because of his interest in getting the Cutler Bay Sal’s back to being awesome, Beira has sold some of his other restaurants and plans to concentrate on the Southland Mall location. He’s the guy to do it; he has a solid restaurant background, learning his business on the job. He also has a culinary degree and a degree in restaurant management.
“I got into the business when I was in my 20s,” he said. “I started as a busboy.” From that start, he learned enough that he has owned, operated and sold about 12 restaurants in the past 12 years.
“My passion is cooking, so I’ll be doing that in Cutler Bay,” Beira said. “I like to produce the things like Chicken Florentine, Chicken Marsala, Shrimp Scampi. There’s some technique to those.” He also owns a Sal’s in Pembroke Pines and used to own one in Boynton Beach. He’s been involved in Sal’s Italian Ristorante for about 12 years.
There are deals like the $5.99 Lunch Special, which includes a choice of a soup or house salad, a slice of pizza and a choice of half a sub. The sub choices are Chicken Parmesan, Italian Sub, Sub Classic, Meatball Parmesan or Ham and Cheese.
