The Room: One of Miami's Great Dining Spaces

The Pao dining room at the Faena Hotel is one of those spaces that justifies a trip to Miami Beach on its own terms. The grand tiered chandelier — hundreds of incandescent bulbs arranged in concentric rings beneath a gilded ceiling — creates a quality of light that flatters every table. Animal-print sofas and lounge furniture occupy the forward section of the room; behind them, formally set tables fill to capacity on any given Friday or Saturday evening.

The design is the work of Len Blavatnik and Ximena Caminos, who conceived the Faena project as a total work of art — every detail deliberate, every surface considered. The result is a room that feels simultaneously glamorous and warm, which is difficult to achieve at this scale.

The Food: Paul Qui's Latin-Asian Kitchen

Chef Paul Qui's approach at Pao is grounded in Latin and Asian technique — a framework that produces food with genuine depth alongside dishes that read as effortlessly composed. The menu is organized to move through the evening: raw preparations and lighter starters give way to more substantial shared plates and proteins.

The kitchen takes its role seriously in a room where food could easily become secondary to spectacle. Regular guests return for the cooking as much as the atmosphere, which is the real measure of a serious restaurant.

Live Entertainment & The Faena Experience

Live performance at Pao is classical in the most literal sense. Opera singers, classical vocalists, and instrumentalists — often including a cello or piano accompanist — perform in formal dress most evenings. They move through the dining room, perform tableside, and on special evenings give full performances from the main floor.

The caliber of the performers matches the room. This is not ambient background music; it is genuine live entertainment integrated into the dinner experience in a way that very few restaurants in the world manage successfully.

The Faena Hotel & The Gold Mammoth

The Faena Hotel is one of the defining properties of the Miami Beach luxury hotel landscape — a 169-room property on Collins Avenue in the Mid-Beach neighborhood that opened in 2015 and immediately set a new benchmark for what a hotel could be in Miami.

The most photographed element of the Faena complex is Damien Hirst's "Gone But Not Forgotten" — a gold-leafed woolly mammoth skeleton encased in a glass vitrine in the hotel's outdoor garden. Surrounded by tropical palms, candles, and the sounds of the hotel bar, the sculpture encapsulates the Faena philosophy: art, beauty, and the extravagant gesture as a way of experiencing the world.

VIP Tables & Group Reservations at Faena Miami Beach

Tables at Pao are limited and the prime positions — those with views of the chandelier and the main room — are among the most sought-after in Miami. Golden Palm Hospitality works directly with the Faena reservations team and can confirm seating when standard availability shows full. For groups and special occasions, we coordinate complete arrangements including performer requests, dietary requirements, and occasion setups.

Ready to Book Faena Miami Beach?

Contact Golden Palm Hospitality. We respond within the hour and can secure the tables that matter.