i. Biography
Miami's Best Burger in 2023 gives Pedro Lara's work its sharpest public marker, but the materials around it are just as telling: shrimp and scallop folded into dumpling, jasmine rice with oyster sauce, tofu under Impossible Meat sauce, Wagyu formed for a burger. In Miami, his cooking is documented through specific plates rather than broad claims, each one built from named ingredients, sauce, smoke, crisp texture, and grain.
The Estate
Since 2021, Pedro Lara has held the executive chef role at Palmar in Miami, the venue tied to three featured dishes listed by StarChefs from that year. The address is the clearest point for his work, with seafood, tofu, rice, and layered sauces appearing in the named plates. His career history also includes a chef role at La Natural in Miami. The same city appears again in 2022 with Coney Burger, where the Wagyu Burger is the dish attached to that part of his work. The 2023 award, Miami's Best Burger, narrows the lens to one very public form: a burger carrying the city's name in the title. Beside the Palmar dishes, it gives Lara a two-part Miami signature, one running through dumplings and fried rice, the other through a burger.
In the Cellar
The Shrimp-Scallop Dumpling listed by StarChefs for Palmar in 2021 is built with avocado mousse, smoked tamari, XO sauce, and dill. Its materials move from shellfish to smoke to herb, with sauce as the hinge. The Impossible Mapo Tofu, also listed that year, sets crispy tofu against Impossible Meat sauce, crispy noodles, and chives. The structure is simple to read from the name and ingredients: tofu, sauce, crunch, allium. The Palmar Special Fried Rice uses jasmine rice, shrimp, ham, oyster sauce, scallion, and bean sprout. It is the grain dish in the set, carrying seafood, pork, sauce, and fresh green notes in one named plate.
The Bottlings
The named releases are compact and practical: Shrimp-Scallop Dumpling; Impossible Mapo Tofu; Palmar Special Fried Rice; and the Wagyu Burger from Coney Burger. Each dish is tied to Miami, and each is fixed by its core ingredient rather than by abstraction. A burger award in 2023 sits cleanly with a 2022 Wagyu Burger, while the 2021 Palmar dishes show the other side of the same career: dumpling, tofu, and rice handled through precise accompaniments. Nothing in these dishes requires a sweeping claim; the names do the work.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Pedro
Where does Pedro Lara work?
Pedro Lara has held the executive chef role at Palmar in Miami since 2021, and his career history also includes chef at La Natural.
What style or method defines Pedro Lara's work?
His named work centers on layered sauces and crisp textures, including smoked tamari, XO sauce, oyster sauce, crispy tofu, crispy noodles, and Wagyu Burger craft.
What are Pedro Lara's signature releases or dishes?
His named dishes are Shrimp-Scallop Dumpling, Impossible Mapo Tofu, Palmar Special Fried Rice, and the Wagyu Burger from Coney Burger.
