Restaurant Miami

I had heard of this Restaurant Miami in a newspaper review when it opened. Just before me and group of friends were heading out on a thurday to check out these new djs who spin vinyl records only to find out they no longer were playing 80's music. The place was completely dead with only 5 people including host and some other guy hangin out at end of bar who was bouncer or manager, we didn't know. We ordered one round of their pricey drinks, listened to some current music from the the house speakers, chatted about how this place is losing money. The whole atmosphere didn't feel like Miami Vice it felt like your in a remodel tanning salon. The host was always at bar, talking to this one guy who sits at end bar. There was lots of people walking by outside heading to some other venue. There's no place to dance. We left for another eatery/bar. My suggestion keep walking by this place. more

I got myself all worked up and excited for this place, only to come away wondering how they are staying in business. I organized a fairly large group to go for dinner and drinks on Friday night at 8:30pm. Walked in, and the place was absolutely dead. Drinks are good and strong, but very expensive. Decorating is extremely cheap and cheesy and straight out of Ikea, as the other reviews suggested. I'm wondering if the owner's are the ones posting the reviews about this place being the best in the Twin Cities? Anyways, the music was fun at least and kept everyone together while we waiting over an hour for the glorified Schwann's food to arrive. I'm thinking the menu is completely different then their website and other reviews as there's only about 8 dinner items now. Our waitress had a flat tire on her car, which is unfortunate, but don't stop taking our order multiple times to talk to AAA about it and leave during service for 1/2 hour to get it fixed. Call and arrange for it at the end of the shift or have someone, like oh maybe the owner who sat drinking at the bar all night take, care of it or have someone cover our table - my drink glass was empty and buzz gone for over an hour. Food finally showed up and it was mediocre at best. Scallops were sent back because they were raw (how food that took over an hour to show up is raw when there's literally 4 other tables in the place is amazing to me). I bitched to the host and owner who told me their computers were down and they didn't know how to deal with it. Got 1/2 off the dinner, paid cash, and got the hell out to go to a real restaurant\bar. I don't want to offend, but anybody who rates this place above 2 stars is either an insider or needs to get out more often. Pros: Music, strong drinks Cons: Horrible service, cheap interior, mediocre food more

We went this weekend a had a blast!! The drinks are SUPER strong and tasty and they do $4 apps from 10pm - close. The music was awesome and my friends danced all night to classic 80s music. Its so unique and different. If youre looking for somewhere fun to go without pretentious people then this is the place to go. Knight Rider was showing on the TVs behind the bar! We will definately go back for sure!! Pros: STRONG drinks, GREAT music, GREAT place for a big group!! more

This place is great for a night out. The drinks are good, the staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is most definitely unique. Try it out! more

I totally agree with the review that mentions all of the IKEA furniture. I have nothing against IKEA, but everything in that restaurant, including the rope lights and cheesy lit up palm tree, was cheap, CHEAP, CHEAP... except for the $8 martinis. I ordered the coconut shrimp appetizer and got literally 7 shrimp, which would have been fine if they were anything to brag about. It was almost impossible to get to the bathroom or the front door because of all the chairs and tables being so close together. Sorry, but when I have to use the rest room shouldn't need to say excuse me like 20 times. The music was good, but it didn't make up for the sub par service, high prices, and very un-awesomely 80's atmosphere. Pros: Location: at least we were in Uptown so we could leave and go somewhere else! Cons: Ambiance: cheap and cheesy more

We went to Restaurant Miami on Saturday, December 16th for my sister-in-law's birthday dinner. About 15 minutes after we had ordered, the waitress came out and informed us that they were out of salmon, halibut, mussels, and seafood ravioli. Hmmm. An uncrowded Saturday night (8pm) and half the menu is unavailable? Our food came out in pieces, and there were about ten minutes in between each person being served. Our food was cold. The pork chop wasn't cooked. There were flies (one of which landed in my friend's beer). The waitress apologized for everything, and offered us free shots for our trouble. Free shots? Meanwhile, the owner of the restaurant simply stood/sat at the bar and watched all of this go on. Every time our waitress passed by him, he would pull her over to, I assume, ask what was going on. But not once did he even remotely seem concerned or inclined to come over to our table and apologize. The next morning I was informed that one person in our party, who had eaten the scallops, had been up all night - sick. All in all, an extremely negative experience and none of us will ever be going back. If the owner/managers of Restaurant Miami are reading this? Good luck to you - you'll need it. Cons: Everything more

My friends and I had to stop by because we heard the place might be fun. We were underwhelmed. The first thing we did was wait for a table. Then we saw the owner (who had his shirt unbuttoned down to his rotund belly) running around like a cocky rooster repositioning fans to keep the place below 100 degrees. It was loud. There were drunk frat-type boys running around getting in trouble. The place looked like they shop at Ikea. The ceiling and walls looked like a a couple of drinking buddies slapped them up. The food and drinks were overpriced. We'll never go back! Pros: It was a learning experience. Cons: The place is too small for the owner's ego. more

I was so excited when my co-worker told me about Restaurant Miami. I looked at the website and was wanting to go so bad. I finally took my girlfriend and was embarrassed and disappointed. I went in and the atmosphere is not exactly what I expected. Most of the waiting staff seemed so nice and fun, but....... We just had a bad entrance with the person working the front. Looked at the menu and everything was far over priced...I was shocked in many ways and not in a good way. A disappointment, yes. a failure no....I will try again. Just not what I thought Pros: Good idea and some wonderful employees Cons: Where do I start. Harsh, but I will try again. more

It was 1986 all over again?Bon Jovi, Scarface, and neon colors. My favorite appetizers included the calamari and chicken-on-a-stick. Great place for a party! Pros: location, music, food, decoration Cons: not enough people know about it more

Restuarant Miami is EXACTLY what the cities needed! The staff are incredibly nice, the drinks are remarkably tasty, and the food is out of this world. Everytime I have gone here it has been an utterly fantastic experience. If you haven't been yet then I highly suggest going as soon as possible! It is perfect for a fun date or for a large group of friends! The VIP Lounge is very fun and hip as well. So don't wait any longer! Go check out one of the newest of by far the coolest new spot in Minneapolis! Restaruant Miami for Life! Pros: Food, Drinks, Scene, Staff, everything! Cons: absolutely nothing! more

The restaurant has great potential; the clean, crisp decor, the excellent drinks, the slightly out-of-the-way location (always chic) make the possibility of it becoming a great place to go on Saturday night, IF you're looking for class! However, if the management continues to let the early 20-something frat boys come in and get outrageously drunk & disgusting, waving potted plants in the air, knocking down chairs (I nearly lost a finger), and littering the floor, it will never make it for the over-30's set, who enjoy dressing up a bit, going to a nice club on a Saturday night, and who have money to spend! The former case was the scene last Saturday night, and I felt like I was at a frat party! To top it all off, the music is several decibels too loud for this small club. We all like to hear music, but in a place that should be good for conversation and socializing (the tables have phones so guests can ring up each other and flirt, but how is this possible if you can't hear one another?), and is small and intimate, the level of the music makes it unbearable. It's not a dance club, and it should not be a 20-something college kegger, so I say---turn the music down a notch, kick the disreputable louts out, and make it attractive to a classier crowd!! The neighborhood is watching, I understand! (P.S. great key lime pie) Pros: Crisp, classy appearance Cons: Music 'way, 'way, 'way too loud and the crowd was out of hand more

An 80's Miami Vice vibe mixed with the sassiness of Scarface... We booked a reservation, were seating promptly, served drinks immediatly, served apps, in perfect time and ordered another because the calamari was that GOOD! Munched happily on plantation chips with curry infused yogurt (drooling yet?), and feasted on Mignon fit for a Caribbean King. All the while sipping on drinks and lapping up the atmosphere. For those whom diss the price of the dish at this establishment I suggest sticking to your typical A@@lebees, because getting calamari for $8 a plate is nothing, I would have paid $12. Everything was decently priced and worth every penny. We enjoyed the new refreshing dishes and innovative atmosphere. What's better than picking up your table phone and calling the bartender and requesting your drink? Nothing besides the fact your waitress brings it too you! more

I went there last weekend with a group of friends and found that this place is so over price that I could just afford a couple of drinks and not a meal. The servers are nice but you need to wait at least for 30 minutes before getting anything. Small place with a big and empty VIP area. I love the 80s theme but I was a little disapointed with this place :( Pros: The mojitos are good!! Cons: you can't afford to hang out for too long more

Totally uncool when restaurant owners post reviews as though they are happy customers. :) Cheers. Pros: a bar from Ikea Cons: a cheap dive with a bar from Ikea :) more

Food: awful ?need a new chef with training and experience. Drinks: disgusting!!! Atmosphere: stupid and tacky. Staff: poorly trained. Don?t waste your time here. more

The best way to describe Restaurant Miami is "almost already closed". While the food is decent-yet-overpriced, pretty much all other aspects are sub par at best. The service is completely horrible (we sat for 35 minutes before getting a server, and were there for over an hour before our drinks came). The decor and atmosphere are as ambiguously gay as the management. The bathroom smelled like poo. Our server was rude and annoying (but in an uptown kind of way, so I guess it's cool). On top of being overpriced and taking forever, the drinks are 'OK' at best, but all have retarded names. Restaurant Miami is what happens when trust fund babies invest in junk real estate to open and close a restaurant in less than one year to temporarily impress...no one. Pros: it will be closed soon, bryant lake bowl is still cool Cons: its not closed yet more

Everyone talks about the drinks and the atmosphere and the music, but few ever talk about the food at Miami, which if you are a seafood lover is EXCELLENT. We had the Halibut, it was a special, stuffed with crab and shrimp and served in a white wine/butter reduction. Dont worry about the calories (im sure there were millions) but the taste was fantastic. My friends had the Mahi Mahi, also excellent with a tangy mango emulsion and a coconut rice cake, the pork tenderloin, cooked to perfection and very tasty, and my girlfriend had the Scallops which were plump, fresh, and perfectly seared. The place was absolutely PACKED and the staff did everything in their power to accomodate us. Somebody wrote a review on here saying how terrible it was that it took them an hour to get seated and they were give rounds of drinks free for waiting. You have to expect to wait when you are going to one of the hottest places in town. And i think the management were very nice to do that. We were sitting at the booth next to them, and what the reviewer failed to mention is that the manager brought all 7 of those people 2 rounds of mixed drinks for free before they were even seated. You just can't please some people. Anyway, we were very happy, and no we didn't want to leave because we were having such a good time, and we stayed until closing, well after we had finished our dinner. The cocktails were TASTY!! I can undertand why the restaurant gets backed up with their reservations sometimes. Overall an excellent experience enjoyed by everybody at my table, and by the entire restaurant by the looks on their faces!! HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended. Pros: Food, drinks, Ambience, MUSIC Cons: not big enough. more

Restaurant Miami is a breath of fresh air to the Twin Cities. There is no place like it around. I love the 80's music that they play and the drinks are really good. Also, the names of the specialty drinks are great. The food is great and reasonably priced. And the Scarface lounge is terrific. I'll be back many times for sure. Pros: Damn near everything Cons: None more

As a bar, this place certainly has potential, but a restaurant it is not. Don't bother to make a reservation b/c while the restaurant will take it, don't plan on them being able to seat you. We waited an hour while the manager kept pointing to various tables saying "they're going to leave soon". While the manager did try to apologize, the fact of the matter is none of the tables were planning on leaving b/c it's a BAR not a restaurant and people were sitting around drinking/socializing until bar close. We didn't get seated until over an hour later. We ended up with seven people shoved into a booth that fit only four. We were offered a free round of shots and this is where it gets unbelievable... the shot consisted of our waitress bringing out an eighth of an bottle of mandarin peach vodka and three shot glasses and then rudely telling us this was the best that she could do and we'd have to wait at least a half an hour if we wanted our free shot. Last time I checked that is not a shot and were we supposed to share shot glasses? more

The atmosphere at Restaurant Miami is second to none. Hence the hip crowd who flows through the Lake St. door. My experience was a good one. I was comfortable, entertained, and satisfied. One never knows what one will find on Lake Street. In finding Restaurant Miami, I found a gem! The friendly staff, as well as the mystique of the establishment in general, made it easy for me to enjoy a snack and a dessert. Tasty food! I will definitely experience Restaurant Miami again. Pros: Service, Location, Color schemes, comfort Cons: When you step out the door, you are not actually in Miami. more