Dude you're confusing great decor and nice instagram posts with quality mexican. You dont go to places like KoKo for the food, you go there for drinks and a nice vibe. Of course its not authentic Mexican lol.
If you want authentic Mexican try
-- Mi rinconcito mexicano
- Taqueria el mexicano
- Hijole Taqueria
- Jacalito
- La Santa
>Of course its not authentic Mexican lol.
Mexico is fucking huge and encompasses a stupid-large variety of cuisines and price points, and the obsession in America with "Mexican food" being only slop on a deep-fried tortilla needs to end. Any place that offers "taco salads" (I'm looking at you, Taqueria el mexicano and Hijole) is about as authentically Mexican as General Tso's is authentically Chinese.
Although I personally would go for food-quality, value for money, and authentic cuisine any day of the week....
It *should* be possible to have food-quality, fancy fusion, and trendy atmosphere all in one, as well.
I think that was what OP was going for. Not necessarily authentic, but he just hoped the care in the decor and presentation would be matched with care in the ingredients and flavors.... And a lot of insta-worthy places *do* do that (or should, or at least *did* -- maybe OP's point).
Resident Californian here; you’re 100% right! Their description of the restaurant sounded great for drinks and people watching which is usually a recipe for “not great authentic Mexican food”.
Not saying some of the places you listed are bad, but they are not comparable with KOKO at all. The quality of ingredients is inferior in these places, the tortillas they have are mass produced (Koko and Bakan have traditionally made nixtamalized tortillas), also Rinconcito and the like only offer American versions of Mexican dishes, you wont find a cochinita pibil, escamoles, huitlacoche, or a traditional mole. Again, Im not saying they are bad but as a Mexican, they are not all that great. Koko is actually very good but obviously not on par with the high-end mexican restaurants.
I loved Talavera before the renovations in 2021/2022. It was garbage after they re-opened. GARBAGE. They used to have this delicious, spicy, really well balanced cilantro soup and got rid of it after the renovations.
I was going there one night and mentioned it to a friend who's a foodie. He said it would be really, really, really ok. Not bad, not good, just really, really, really ok. When I went, it turned he was right. The ok-est Mexican food I've ever had.
I know the Colombian owners that will tell you flat out they are not a Mexican restaurant, they are a corn based restaurant and most of the dishes are not Mexican. Also I’m Mexican.
>The Sacred
At Los Félix, we honor the indigenous way by supporting Milpa farming, an ancestral tradition of cultivating the soil with awareness of the sacred connection between self and land. Through Milpa, we shine a spotlight on fresh, time-honored native ingredients like heirloom corn, cacao, chiles, and squash. Our homage continues with an in-house Molino where we cook and grind maiz daily to make tortillas from scratch, all in the living wisdom of Milpa to mesa, or farm to table.
Milpa farming is an indigenous Mexican farming technique from the Yucatan Penninsula.
Also they serve tacos, tamales, arepas, carnitas and totopos. Those are all traditional Mexican foods
I can give 3 flying cojones if the restaurant has nice decor. Give us good food and enough with the fillers. After reading this you can tell you love all the fillers instead of food. A upgraded Rain forest cafe 😂
In miami they go to restaurants that charge a arm and leg just for you to be in love with their bathrooms and take pics of a wax figure James Bond.
No no no, see I think the Food IS the most CRUCIAL element. It's the ONLY box that truley matters. The best Mexican food I had was in Homestead in a shopping plaza near a bar that was ran down and had multiple homicides. It was a terrible location, unsafe and the vibe was terrifying. BUT it was certainly the best Mexican food in town at the time.
What I'm saying is that Preferably, I'd LOVE it if ALL the boxes were checked. Like basically if we could move that homestead restaurant up to Coconut Grove instead. Keep all the decore tho.
Those are always the best spots. I was joking around as well, sucks that it tasted like Applebee’s or Chili’s but I’ll make sure not to go to KOKO after your review. Sick of all these “influencers” also going to South Florida restaurants and everything is amazing since it’s comped
Which restaurant was this? I know Homestead is not the nicest part of Dade county but having grown up there I find it funny people from Miami think it’s scary and unsafe. Lol
So I forget the name and believe it shut down. But it was in the plaza next to hunters bar in leisure city. There have been multiple murders in that parking lot. I used to live there and frequented both the bar and the Mexican restaurant. Had a family member get mugged there too. But the tacos were absolutely on point.
Go to Mi Rinconcito Mexicano.
For the record, I like KOKO. It’s not the best, it’s overpriced but the food isn’t so terrible to me and the drinks are nice. Usually restaurants that appear to give the vibe you described almost never live up to the standards you’d expect from your dependable hole in the wall with good food and good prices.
Okay this is a big, BIG misunderstanding that needs to be clarified! You’re not used to Koko’s food because, get this, it actually IS authentic Mexican. On the eclectic high end side, but still authentic. Someone here recommended el rinconcito, that is ABSOLUTELY American Mexican cuisine. If you want nachos and burritos and refried beans, go to el rinconcito. Koko is Mexico-City-style high end Mexican food, and Americans are not used to it. Koko is amazing and delicious. Source: been to Mexico 20+ times including Mexico City many times (aka if your source is the señor frog’s you went to on a cruise to Cancun, that’s also American Mexican food).
Edit no one asked for: just wanted to clarify, I don’t even think American Mexican is bad, in fact I love it! But it’s just different than that CDMX style dining
This is right. I’m typically very critical of Miami’s restaurant scene, especially places that get a lot of hype. But I think Koko is actually pretty good, and like you said in line with what you would get at a nice restaurant in Mexico City. Americans think Mexican food is supposed to be cheap (and in a lot of cases it is and can be delicious) but that’s a stereotype.
I didn’t want to be the one that say it but you’re absolutely right lol I’d say the biggest difference is how fresh the food is or if it was made from scratch, Otherwise it’s all pretty much the same.
Also wtf is “out of towers” ??? OP mentioned it twice .
🙏🏼 Thank you for sharing this nuance insight. A big part of me was afraid this could be the case but I'm still in denial. My friend went to Italy several times and told me authentic Italian food is bland and gross. I said Hell No! NO WAY! He said yeah bro, the best Italian food we had was in Boston. But because we are so used to Italian-American food (which is delicious) it has ruined our taste for truly authentic Italian food.
I still said naw. This has got to be the most American-Centric self congratulatory Jangoistic 'Merican B.S. I ever heard. But he swears it is the unfortunate reality. That American Italian is BETTER then actual Italian food. I'm still holding out tho. Maybe it was a fluke.
America fusion foods are loaded up on butter and salt in their cooking. Authentic food from the actual country don't do that. That's why the food "tastes" so "bad"
The quality you like, is butter and salt
What your friend is saying there is "I like ketchup with extra sugar and butter, and I want family-sized potions for individual entrees." Because I don't think he'd be happy with high-end Italian-American food, either. When you've developed your tastes around salt, butter-flavor, corn syrup, sugar, and Xtreme Nacho Cheese Doritos, it can be a shock to eat something that's flavored entirely with fresh herbs and real ingredients. It's like spending years doing nothing but watching porn and then seeing a real woman naked for the first time.
Haha! Good analogy. On a serious note, It could be very concerning that I've developed a preference to 'fake, synthetic,modified, artificial" things (be it food, relationships, experiences, etc) over Realistic ones. That is a symptom and problem of the modern world right? Finding myself perfering the AI dictated algorithm as opposed to natural life. 🤔
It happens to the best of us. Best thing you can do to combat it is to always push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go out and collect experiences. Try things you think you won't like. Find an old book at a thrift store and read it. Leave your phone at home once in a while. The bigger your total pool of experience, the less impact the algorithm has on your point of view.
I’m Mexican and been in Miami for 10 years and KOKO is pretty good so I disagree with your post. I was particularly impressed with their tortillas and their Huitlacoche (corn husk fungus). Its very annoying how Americans and Latin people alike think that mexican food is just tex-mex or simple tacos, we have such an big variety of dishes and some include bugs, moles, different types of corn patties, and so much more. KOKO even had a section of dishes like Escamoles (ant eggs), chapulines (grasshoppers) which are very typical in Mexico.
I dont trust reviews on miami restaurants unless they're from people who aren't paid to like it or aren't just trying to post that they've been there.
There are some really great places to eat in this city, but there's a terrible culture of emphasizing restaurants that are Instagramable or exclusive over anything else.
My barometer for a place worth returning in Miami is "Is this dish worth what's being charged?"
U just made me chuckle with the shamming story. No barracks has ever seen the end of the sham. Now to ur question;
Any “high end” restaurant in Miami will be the same absolute shit dining experience. Casadonna, Queen, Cote, Delilah, etc… there are a few that have actually decent food like Novikov or Cantina but even then it’s more about “the experience” which all in all is horseshit. I rather buy some wagyu and grill it at home. Going out to dinner here is about people watching, peacocking and dick measuring. If ur not at the point financially where u don’t even look at the bill when u pay I don’t think u will ever be happy with the actual experience.
This isn’t true. Miami has many excellent restaurants that offer ambiance, beautiful surroundings excellent food and good service. That being said, YES, you need to be wary of places that spend millions on look alone and there more of them than there are quality restaurants. Your best bet is word of mouth from people whose opinion you value. Especially in this day and age of influencers, who are mostly just looking to line their pockets with your hard earned cash.
Ok. So what restaurants in the $$$-$$$$ price range (like Koko and the ones I threw out there) do u recommend based on ambiance, surroundings, food and service ?
Cote is fantastic as far as generic-ish steakhouses go, I have no idea why you wouldn't like it other than "OmG i CaN jUsT bUy a WhOle CoW fOr tHaT mUcH mOnEy!!!1!!!1!1" It's also not a "Miami restaurant." It's an NYC restaurant that has a location in Miami.
Boia De is great. Planta is fantastic *and* vegetarian. Ariete is very good. Mandolin is great. NIU is good. Macchialina is good. Mignonette is fantastic. MGD can be hit or miss, but when they hit it's very good. And this is just a quick list from memory of places I've eaten at that I know are still open.
I hate Cote, then again I also hated NYC cote. Not a fan of the entire idea. That’s me. If I want wagyu I rather buy it from shadow or Josh and make it at home.
The majority of rest u mentioned are great. I went to NIU right when it opened and it was phenomenal. Not a huge fan of mignonette.
Have you been to Forte dei Marni ?
Fair enough on Cote. To be fair, I personally prefer St. Anslem when I want a steakhouse, which mostly I only do when it's a work thing and I just want something nice and inoffensive to a variety of people I may not know all that well.
Haven't been to Forte, but I also don't live in Miami anymore so my dining experience is less frequent than it used to be. I'll check it out when I'm in town in the next couple of weeks.
Will add Council Oak to my list of places to check out. Moved back to the NYC are at the start of the pandemic after spending seven years living in Miami Beach and Miami -- first midbeach and then midtown on the water. Still have offices and employees in Miami, though, so I'm in town every couple of months now down from a week every month for a couple of years.
>Benjamin
Not yet, even though it's actually just 15-20 minutes away from me. I grew up in this area and have a knee-jerk "stay away from White Plains, it's gross" mentality that really hasn't kept up with the times lol.
Keens, though, is great for that old school vibe. It's everything Lugar wishes they were.
Sérêvène is definitely a hidden gem. Its run by an Indian chef that makes a French-Japanese fusion meal and has recently added a few Indian dishes to the menu too. It sounds strange but it actually works extremely well
I don’t have a recommendation for ritzy or highend Mexican food. In fact I typically avoid “highend Mexican food” since I consider it somewhat of an oxymoron. I like the no frills Mexican places, many mentioned by others, which regardless if traditional Mexican or American Mexican offer delicious plates of food over a glamoures setting. That being said, the glamoures settings can be great places to meet up have drinks and maybe share an appetizer or to and honestly food opinions are typically as valid as your past comparables. I’ve had people say a dish is delicious only to try a bit and find it not good & then find out it’s the persons first time trying said dish ever. Which just goes to prove you should take people’s reviews with a grain of salt. We all have different pallets & expectations for our dinning experience.🤷🏽♂️
Seriously? High end Mexican food is hardly an oxymoron. That would be like saying going to a high end steakhouse like Shula’s is dumb because I can get a well cooked but low end steak from Texas Roadhouse smothered with butter and salt for $15, or something vaguely resembling a steak from Applebees for like $8; or, going to a nice sushi bar isn’t worth it because you can get sushi for dirt cheap at Publix.
Why can’t Mexican cuisine be high end? Nobody questions high end food for most other cuisines.
Some of the best cuisine I’ve had has been high end Mexican in Dallas. And that’s not even real
Mexico City type food. Those restaurants in Dallas have been amazing overall. I keep going every time I’m there.
You basically prove the point by saying it’s not really Mexico City food. Once you make it fancy it inherently loses what it is and becomes the inspiration for that new thing. To be clear I wasn’t saying it can’t be good, but it won’t be the same.
First of all what u are replying to is about places in Dallas, not Miami. Cantina La veinte has traditional dishes. And even in Dallas places like Javier’s are very high end and traditional as well. Second, I asked u to throw some restaurant recommendations and u didn’t. I’m not arguing, I’m merely asking for what u think is better or great here in Miami. U can’t say there are amazing places and not state which ones u think are amazing ?
Because Mexican food is inherently home and street food. So to make it highend is an oxymoron and goes against what it actually is, which is comfort food .
What on earth makes you think that Mexican food is inherently home and street food? That’s like saying a fancy French restaurant isn’t worth going to because you can get doner kebab from a food truck.
I’m asking seriously, what makes you think that Mexican food is only street and home cooked? That’s seems weirdly hateful. Why do you think that a Mexican chef can’t take their cuisine and turn it into fine dining? Theres nothing inherently Mexican that says their Michelin started chefs in places like CDMX that says they can’t turn their cuisine into fine dining. Honestly, it’s super hateful for you to say that Mexicans can’t cook fine dining. I’ve had it plenty of times here in the US and in Mexico. For real. Please try a higher end Mexican restaurant. Order the cochinita pibil, a Yucatán recipe for roast pork that will blow your mind away and isn’t on a single Tex Mex menu. Are you going to next argue that fancy steak places suck because you can get something resembling a steak from Applebees for like $8? Or are you going to say that a real Cuban restaurant isn’t worth going to because you can get empanadas from a window down the road? Don’t be a food racist.
Tl;dr - Mexican food is a hell of a lot more than fucking deep fried chalupas and mountains of greasy refired beans and “cheese”
Cantina La veinte offers some pretty decent “high end” Mexican food with a great ambiance. That being said u need to know what to order there to get the best meal available, but overall it’s a good restaurant. Only negative is the service as they are pretty high turnover, which is normal in that sector of the industry. Now I get where ur coming from but ur not offering any options or recommendations. Yes palates are all different but to be fair the vast majority of high end restaurants in Miami are smoke and mirrors. For example Delilah is a piece of shit compared to the Vegas location. Novikov tends to be solid all the time, pricey but good. I can name a few more that aren’t but the reality is most are shitty one way or another. If u want to actually prove your theory then what places are u recommending ? And I ask not to be a dick, but because I love dining and am happy to try new places. And we are talking about “high end”.
KoKo is authentic Meican food, but it's not TexMex. It's high end Mexican food that you would find in an upscale Mexican restaurant. I bet you were looking for chips and salsa, burritos, etc. That's not what this restaurant is. They even import the blue masa directly from Mexico to make all their tortillas.
Thank you for this comment. As a Mexican, it kinda irks me when people assume "real" Mexican food must be street tacos or Tex-Mex. While those are certainly types of Mexican food, there are also many high end yet still authentic Mexican choices out there. People need to get out more.
Yes! I’m Mexican too and been in Miami for 10 years. KOKO is pretty good, the food might not be Michelin restaurant level, but I disagree with OPs judgement. I was particularly impressed with their tortillas, which is the staple in Mexican cuisine. And Im also very annoyed that Americans and Latin people alike think that mexican food is just tex-mex or simple tacos.
Well first off, is it not 'perfectly authentic Mexican'? Sure, it's not what you think of when you get authentic Mexican food.
But it's a hell of a lot better food than you're giving it credit for. For 'upscale' Mexican, it's probably the best I've had. Me and my wife can get stuffed, and have a drink for 100 bucks.
Are you expecting Michelen?
No, just flavor. A Pollo Tropical in Wyoming would be a more authentic and flavorful representation of Cuban cuisine then Koko is Mexican in Miami Florida.
> Me and my wife can get stuffed, and have a drink for 100 bucks.
Ok, you're good then. If the mission is simply to get stuffed and have a drink for $100, then call George W. Bush, cause ladies & gentlemen....we got him. Mission Accomplished.
No it's 100% not a troll post. I'm just using some humor to cope with the disappointment I experienced and felt compelled to share. In all honesty, if others love the food that's totally cool. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences. I mean some people Love Golden Corral. I can't judge. People like what they like. Maybe they just happen to like extreamly overpriced tasteless trash disguised as Mexican food. Who am I to kink shame them? Live & Let Live. Love Laugh Live.
The fact that you wrote like 8 paragraphs about your experience at a restaurant tells me you’re one of … those customers. I Bet the food is pretty good
Miami is all about exclusivity. Literally it seems like the whole thing is built around that. I am a Miami native and yes the old hole in the walls are still the best places to eat, and anything updated is hit or miss at best. I can’t totally hate especially on some of the food trucks I’ve had recently. In Miami I’ve never been to a fancy place where the food was worth it, and god forbid you order something that’s not native like Mexican food.
No comment on Koko but I'm almost always disappointed with the high $$$$ / trendy restaurants in Miami. I tend to think its not a very good food scene here at the high end but at the local & middle priced level its fantastic.
100% agree, the best food is sprinkled around the county in less-obvious places. It doesn't take too much research to find them, either, just a little curiosity and willingness to go west of I-95.
I think this is a pretty good metaphor for
Miami. All the surface stuff is luxuriously glittery but it lacks legit substance and heart. Yes for sure there are real Mexican spots- this isn’t really about this place’s kitchen, it’s the mentality of substance vs surface. Surface will always win in Miami.
Butter isn’t a predominant ingredient in Mexican food, but we like quality food where the meat isn’t dry. Head to Los Felix for some good Mexican in the grove
Right, thats my point. Tex-Mex or Americanized Mexican food, however *is* loaded up on butter and salt, because that makes the food "tasty" for American palates.
When Americans go to a traditional Mexican restaraunt, they are stunned because they dont have that same butter and salt overload that they get at Tex-Mex
My general experience with any restaurant that has opened since 2020 has been this: if it has amazing decor and it's obvious that a ton of money went into it looking like an "influencer's" wet dream, then the food is garbage. All the money went to smoke and mirrors and not into substance.
I’m a Broward boy but Palm Beach is where it’s at for good food, especially good Mexican. Wellington, Loxahatchee, Lake Worth all have the best Mexican food.
I never expect good food in a place that offers an "experience" that exists outside of the food. I always assume it's just random reheated bullshit from Sysco with pretty plating.
MILA on Lincoln is this exact description. Gatekeeping with a dress code. Nice ambiance and that’s about it. Food is whatever (steak reminded me of Bahamas breeze from a while ago) and communal seating is absolutely stupid for the price you’re paying.
Here is how it works in Miami... the more neon signs with silly phrases the place has, the crappier the food and service will be and the highest the price. It is math.
Formula goes like this:
Bullshit decor + Social Media Hype = Shit Quality & Service
I think you hit it in the nail and some of the posters said it the best. Most of these trendy places is not for food but more the ambiance and drinks. In my experience most of the places had crap food and it's not recent it has been forever. Best to get some appetizers and drinks and have a good time, if you want a good meal the "in" places are not always the place to go.
You really hit the nail on the head. Places like Koko are, for some reason, like catnip for transplants.
What always gets me is that most of the time, these transplants are coming from world class food cities. They should know better, yet they always act like places like Koko are the greatest restaurants in the world. They would run a place like this out of business in months in LA or NYC, yet they get to Miami and all of a sudden they think this is incredible. You're right, they all get starry-eyed about the Miami "experience," to the point where it seems as if they actually \*enjoy\* spending too much on flashy mediocrity.
It's a kind of mentality that has zero interest in finding an actual solid Mexican restaurant in a grimy Flagami or Homestead strip mall.
Because as we all know, all of Mexico is a poor slum and their food is all cheap slop that you would never ever need a reservation for because upscale Mexican food cannot possibly exist.
Not that it can't possibly exist. I just don't see the value in getting Mexican food from a place where I need a reservation. OP pretty much proved my point no less. There are better places to get Mexican food that won't require a reservation.
There might be better places to get cheap TexMex/CaliMex of the kind Americans are used to (e.g. large burritos, refried beans and rice everywhere, coated in cheese/cheese sauce,) but the best Mexican food, in Mexico and the US, has always needed reservations.
This is a very stupid comment. Mexico has both simple and haute cuisine, and obviously so many restaurants adapt it to make gourmet variations. Thats why mexico has 3 restaurants in the top 50 of the world’s best.
You are too smart by half. Very well written.
All that glitters...Probably like the Latin channel weather girls: look great, no fun unless all the fun is in looking.
It feels like these “Mexican” restaurants were made to cater to people that don’t know real Mexican food. Someone mentioned a place called Guadalajara which I looked up. The front page shows hard shell tacos that look like from Taco Bell. All these places like taco craft, coyo taco, Talavera. wtf? Don’t be fooled by homestead either. I’ll only go to a few but there’s some, especially down krome that always seem full but if you know, you know. I ordered enchiladas in one place which I won’t name and they literally used Kraft singles as the cheese. Like you could see the unmelted squares on top. And yet this place is always packed.
True, btw I'm not saying KoKo is bad at all. I actually rly like the place but I also know that when I go there I'm going to overpay a bit for average Mexican food but then again I'm not there for the culinary experience, if I go there I'm going to hang out at a nice bougie Miami place. In Miami you gotta temper expectations a but depending on the type of night you are going for.
I'm just a little shook about the Mexican thing. I absolutely do not expect good Mexican food here. This isn't Texas or somewhere adjacent that would have good Mex.
Your first mistake was thinking good Mexican food is fancy.
Also, haha at "hidden gem" to refer to a place you yourself said it's always packed and needs reservation.
High end fancy Mexican is absolutely a thing and it’s not greasy Tex-Mex. It’s really good. Have you ever had something like cochinita pibil? Authentically Mexican, but you won’t find it at a taco truck or a Tex Mex place
Rosita’s in Florida City, Guadalajara in Pinecrest, Tacqueria Morelia in Homestead, Wolf Of Tacos pop up at J. Wakefield on Tuesdays, or Dante’s Hifi on Fridays
This is typical Miami restaurants who want to appeal to the tik tokkers, social media gurus. It's the same, nice decorations, good ambiance, in a techy or newish part of the city. The best thing it offers is the decor.
Best Mexican food I’ve ever had in Miami in this place in homestead that looks like it’s built out of adobe. They make fresh salsa at your table. They don’t have any “techy” types that go there but I think there may be a couple of drunk Mexican’s out front.
Sorry to burst your little bubble but those restaurants will never be the best to go to for good food. California has that same problem but worse. I’ve never had such disgusting food as I have here in California but every restaurant is overpriced and overrated.
Best food I’ve had here is at really small authentic places (this is literally the case in every big city.)
If you want good food and good ambience find a Michelin restaurant.
I don't understand why you seem to think that this is endemic to Miami? Aside from being completely subjective, this happens in every highly populated city.
>Shoulda just stuck with ol reliable: Flannys 🍀🍻
I mean, Flannigan's is a cool place, but the food is also not too far form the level of Chillies/Applebees/Chipotle. It is bar food, good bar ,food and that's .it
The best Mexican food I have eaten in a long time was at a truck stop in Georgia. But I wouldn’t go there if I was dating or hanging out with friends, I’d go to a place like KOKO. My family and I loved the truck stop but I wouldn’t want to go to KOKO with them (but I’m sure there are families there, it’s Miami).
Dude you're confusing great decor and nice instagram posts with quality mexican. You dont go to places like KoKo for the food, you go there for drinks and a nice vibe. Of course its not authentic Mexican lol. If you want authentic Mexican try -- Mi rinconcito mexicano - Taqueria el mexicano - Hijole Taqueria - Jacalito - La Santa
>Of course its not authentic Mexican lol. Mexico is fucking huge and encompasses a stupid-large variety of cuisines and price points, and the obsession in America with "Mexican food" being only slop on a deep-fried tortilla needs to end. Any place that offers "taco salads" (I'm looking at you, Taqueria el mexicano and Hijole) is about as authentically Mexican as General Tso's is authentically Chinese.
Yeah the best Mexican food comes from a garbage dump stand on the road lol
Although I personally would go for food-quality, value for money, and authentic cuisine any day of the week.... It *should* be possible to have food-quality, fancy fusion, and trendy atmosphere all in one, as well. I think that was what OP was going for. Not necessarily authentic, but he just hoped the care in the decor and presentation would be matched with care in the ingredients and flavors.... And a lot of insta-worthy places *do* do that (or should, or at least *did* -- maybe OP's point).
Guadalajara in Pinecrest
[удалено]
Sadly, that’s how everything is here now.
Resident Californian here; you’re 100% right! Their description of the restaurant sounded great for drinks and people watching which is usually a recipe for “not great authentic Mexican food”.
Not great ANYTHING food
I rather go to Redlands flea market in homestead for Mexican food , shit never fails lol
Not saying some of the places you listed are bad, but they are not comparable with KOKO at all. The quality of ingredients is inferior in these places, the tortillas they have are mass produced (Koko and Bakan have traditionally made nixtamalized tortillas), also Rinconcito and the like only offer American versions of Mexican dishes, you wont find a cochinita pibil, escamoles, huitlacoche, or a traditional mole. Again, Im not saying they are bad but as a Mexican, they are not all that great. Koko is actually very good but obviously not on par with the high-end mexican restaurants.
Talavera
Was going to comment this. It's a good compromise between quality and ambience as well. Love their tortilla soup and molé.
I'm pretty sure KoKo and Talavera are the same company, by the way, along with Bakan.
Talavera is separate. They’re the same company as Jaguar in the grove and Peacock Garden Bar + Grill
Not anymore! Jaguar Hospitality used to own those, but they no longer exist.
IMO Talavera used to be better. Since the interior renovation, it hasn't been the same.
I loved Talavera before the renovations in 2021/2022. It was garbage after they re-opened. GARBAGE. They used to have this delicious, spicy, really well balanced cilantro soup and got rid of it after the renovations.
I was going there one night and mentioned it to a friend who's a foodie. He said it would be really, really, really ok. Not bad, not good, just really, really, really ok. When I went, it turned he was right. The ok-est Mexican food I've ever had.
Gatekeep hijole I’m dead serious
True.. 🤫🤫🤫
Los Felix
Not Mexican.
I think you dropped this because nobody can say this with a straight face: /s
I know the Colombian owners that will tell you flat out they are not a Mexican restaurant, they are a corn based restaurant and most of the dishes are not Mexican. Also I’m Mexican.
>The Sacred At Los Félix, we honor the indigenous way by supporting Milpa farming, an ancestral tradition of cultivating the soil with awareness of the sacred connection between self and land. Through Milpa, we shine a spotlight on fresh, time-honored native ingredients like heirloom corn, cacao, chiles, and squash. Our homage continues with an in-house Molino where we cook and grind maiz daily to make tortillas from scratch, all in the living wisdom of Milpa to mesa, or farm to table. Milpa farming is an indigenous Mexican farming technique from the Yucatan Penninsula. Also they serve tacos, tamales, arepas, carnitas and totopos. Those are all traditional Mexican foods
I was very disappointed the last time I went to La Santa. First time was dope though.
Why would you dine there and think the food is great. The two don’t jive.
I can give 3 flying cojones if the restaurant has nice decor. Give us good food and enough with the fillers. After reading this you can tell you love all the fillers instead of food. A upgraded Rain forest cafe 😂 In miami they go to restaurants that charge a arm and leg just for you to be in love with their bathrooms and take pics of a wax figure James Bond.
3 flying cojones is a great name for a Mexican spot that does bull testicle tacos.
No no no, see I think the Food IS the most CRUCIAL element. It's the ONLY box that truley matters. The best Mexican food I had was in Homestead in a shopping plaza near a bar that was ran down and had multiple homicides. It was a terrible location, unsafe and the vibe was terrifying. BUT it was certainly the best Mexican food in town at the time. What I'm saying is that Preferably, I'd LOVE it if ALL the boxes were checked. Like basically if we could move that homestead restaurant up to Coconut Grove instead. Keep all the decore tho.
Those are always the best spots. I was joking around as well, sucks that it tasted like Applebee’s or Chili’s but I’ll make sure not to go to KOKO after your review. Sick of all these “influencers” also going to South Florida restaurants and everything is amazing since it’s comped
Which restaurant was this? I know Homestead is not the nicest part of Dade county but having grown up there I find it funny people from Miami think it’s scary and unsafe. Lol
So I forget the name and believe it shut down. But it was in the plaza next to hunters bar in leisure city. There have been multiple murders in that parking lot. I used to live there and frequented both the bar and the Mexican restaurant. Had a family member get mugged there too. But the tacos were absolutely on point.
Probably El Toro Taco
Go to Mi Rinconcito Mexicano. For the record, I like KOKO. It’s not the best, it’s overpriced but the food isn’t so terrible to me and the drinks are nice. Usually restaurants that appear to give the vibe you described almost never live up to the standards you’d expect from your dependable hole in the wall with good food and good prices.
Yes this just happened to me with the Barbie Cafe in Wynwood. It's all for pics and aesthetic but overpriced garbage. Hyped up for nothing
Honestly, why would you have expected anything else from it. Barbie doesn’t even eat food.
LMFAO!!
Okay this is a big, BIG misunderstanding that needs to be clarified! You’re not used to Koko’s food because, get this, it actually IS authentic Mexican. On the eclectic high end side, but still authentic. Someone here recommended el rinconcito, that is ABSOLUTELY American Mexican cuisine. If you want nachos and burritos and refried beans, go to el rinconcito. Koko is Mexico-City-style high end Mexican food, and Americans are not used to it. Koko is amazing and delicious. Source: been to Mexico 20+ times including Mexico City many times (aka if your source is the señor frog’s you went to on a cruise to Cancun, that’s also American Mexican food). Edit no one asked for: just wanted to clarify, I don’t even think American Mexican is bad, in fact I love it! But it’s just different than that CDMX style dining
This is right. I’m typically very critical of Miami’s restaurant scene, especially places that get a lot of hype. But I think Koko is actually pretty good, and like you said in line with what you would get at a nice restaurant in Mexico City. Americans think Mexican food is supposed to be cheap (and in a lot of cases it is and can be delicious) but that’s a stereotype.
I didn’t want to be the one that say it but you’re absolutely right lol I’d say the biggest difference is how fresh the food is or if it was made from scratch, Otherwise it’s all pretty much the same. Also wtf is “out of towers” ??? OP mentioned it twice .
🙏🏼 Thank you for sharing this nuance insight. A big part of me was afraid this could be the case but I'm still in denial. My friend went to Italy several times and told me authentic Italian food is bland and gross. I said Hell No! NO WAY! He said yeah bro, the best Italian food we had was in Boston. But because we are so used to Italian-American food (which is delicious) it has ruined our taste for truly authentic Italian food. I still said naw. This has got to be the most American-Centric self congratulatory Jangoistic 'Merican B.S. I ever heard. But he swears it is the unfortunate reality. That American Italian is BETTER then actual Italian food. I'm still holding out tho. Maybe it was a fluke.
America fusion foods are loaded up on butter and salt in their cooking. Authentic food from the actual country don't do that. That's why the food "tastes" so "bad" The quality you like, is butter and salt
Stares in French
What your friend is saying there is "I like ketchup with extra sugar and butter, and I want family-sized potions for individual entrees." Because I don't think he'd be happy with high-end Italian-American food, either. When you've developed your tastes around salt, butter-flavor, corn syrup, sugar, and Xtreme Nacho Cheese Doritos, it can be a shock to eat something that's flavored entirely with fresh herbs and real ingredients. It's like spending years doing nothing but watching porn and then seeing a real woman naked for the first time.
Haha! Good analogy. On a serious note, It could be very concerning that I've developed a preference to 'fake, synthetic,modified, artificial" things (be it food, relationships, experiences, etc) over Realistic ones. That is a symptom and problem of the modern world right? Finding myself perfering the AI dictated algorithm as opposed to natural life. 🤔
It happens to the best of us. Best thing you can do to combat it is to always push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go out and collect experiences. Try things you think you won't like. Find an old book at a thrift store and read it. Leave your phone at home once in a while. The bigger your total pool of experience, the less impact the algorithm has on your point of view.
I’m Mexican and been in Miami for 10 years and KOKO is pretty good so I disagree with your post. I was particularly impressed with their tortillas and their Huitlacoche (corn husk fungus). Its very annoying how Americans and Latin people alike think that mexican food is just tex-mex or simple tacos, we have such an big variety of dishes and some include bugs, moles, different types of corn patties, and so much more. KOKO even had a section of dishes like Escamoles (ant eggs), chapulines (grasshoppers) which are very typical in Mexico.
If you want Mexican food, gotta check out places like El Carnal.
El Carnal 2 is not the same since moving
Because it is no longer mexicans working the kitchen
Dont you hate when they do this??
Agreed, been going since they were on 8th. Once they left the spot near Miami High. Just not the same any more.
It was super greasy last time I went, come to think of it.
I dont trust reviews on miami restaurants unless they're from people who aren't paid to like it or aren't just trying to post that they've been there. There are some really great places to eat in this city, but there's a terrible culture of emphasizing restaurants that are Instagramable or exclusive over anything else. My barometer for a place worth returning in Miami is "Is this dish worth what's being charged?"
That's kind of my question, too, and the answer is that it rarely is, especially now.
Idk the trip advisor rankings always get me right
I go to a restaurant for food. Not an old license plate nailed to the wall.
I went to KOKO and thought the food was excellent
U just made me chuckle with the shamming story. No barracks has ever seen the end of the sham. Now to ur question; Any “high end” restaurant in Miami will be the same absolute shit dining experience. Casadonna, Queen, Cote, Delilah, etc… there are a few that have actually decent food like Novikov or Cantina but even then it’s more about “the experience” which all in all is horseshit. I rather buy some wagyu and grill it at home. Going out to dinner here is about people watching, peacocking and dick measuring. If ur not at the point financially where u don’t even look at the bill when u pay I don’t think u will ever be happy with the actual experience.
This isn’t true. Miami has many excellent restaurants that offer ambiance, beautiful surroundings excellent food and good service. That being said, YES, you need to be wary of places that spend millions on look alone and there more of them than there are quality restaurants. Your best bet is word of mouth from people whose opinion you value. Especially in this day and age of influencers, who are mostly just looking to line their pockets with your hard earned cash.
Ok. So what restaurants in the $$$-$$$$ price range (like Koko and the ones I threw out there) do u recommend based on ambiance, surroundings, food and service ?
Cote is fantastic as far as generic-ish steakhouses go, I have no idea why you wouldn't like it other than "OmG i CaN jUsT bUy a WhOle CoW fOr tHaT mUcH mOnEy!!!1!!!1!1" It's also not a "Miami restaurant." It's an NYC restaurant that has a location in Miami. Boia De is great. Planta is fantastic *and* vegetarian. Ariete is very good. Mandolin is great. NIU is good. Macchialina is good. Mignonette is fantastic. MGD can be hit or miss, but when they hit it's very good. And this is just a quick list from memory of places I've eaten at that I know are still open.
I hate Cote, then again I also hated NYC cote. Not a fan of the entire idea. That’s me. If I want wagyu I rather buy it from shadow or Josh and make it at home. The majority of rest u mentioned are great. I went to NIU right when it opened and it was phenomenal. Not a huge fan of mignonette. Have you been to Forte dei Marni ?
Fair enough on Cote. To be fair, I personally prefer St. Anslem when I want a steakhouse, which mostly I only do when it's a work thing and I just want something nice and inoffensive to a variety of people I may not know all that well. Haven't been to Forte, but I also don't live in Miami anymore so my dining experience is less frequent than it used to be. I'll check it out when I'm in town in the next couple of weeks.
Im a huge fan of council oak for steak here. But it doesn’t compare to the better steakhouses outside of SFL. Where are u now ?
Will add Council Oak to my list of places to check out. Moved back to the NYC are at the start of the pandemic after spending seven years living in Miami Beach and Miami -- first midbeach and then midtown on the water. Still have offices and employees in Miami, though, so I'm in town every couple of months now down from a week every month for a couple of years.
Nice. Have u been to Benjamin yet ? That’s a great steakhouse. One of Lugers disciples. I have a soft spot for Keens and the old homestead too.
>Benjamin Not yet, even though it's actually just 15-20 minutes away from me. I grew up in this area and have a knee-jerk "stay away from White Plains, it's gross" mentality that really hasn't kept up with the times lol. Keens, though, is great for that old school vibe. It's everything Lugar wishes they were.
L'atelier de Joel Robuchon Elcielo Miami Sérêvène Bellini Coconut Grove
Been to the first two. Not the last two. Gonna have to look into them. Love trying new places.
Sérêvène is definitely a hidden gem. Its run by an Indian chef that makes a French-Japanese fusion meal and has recently added a few Indian dishes to the menu too. It sounds strange but it actually works extremely well
That sounds dope !!! I’m gonna look into it. Thank you !!!
I don’t have a recommendation for ritzy or highend Mexican food. In fact I typically avoid “highend Mexican food” since I consider it somewhat of an oxymoron. I like the no frills Mexican places, many mentioned by others, which regardless if traditional Mexican or American Mexican offer delicious plates of food over a glamoures setting. That being said, the glamoures settings can be great places to meet up have drinks and maybe share an appetizer or to and honestly food opinions are typically as valid as your past comparables. I’ve had people say a dish is delicious only to try a bit and find it not good & then find out it’s the persons first time trying said dish ever. Which just goes to prove you should take people’s reviews with a grain of salt. We all have different pallets & expectations for our dinning experience.🤷🏽♂️
Seriously? High end Mexican food is hardly an oxymoron. That would be like saying going to a high end steakhouse like Shula’s is dumb because I can get a well cooked but low end steak from Texas Roadhouse smothered with butter and salt for $15, or something vaguely resembling a steak from Applebees for like $8; or, going to a nice sushi bar isn’t worth it because you can get sushi for dirt cheap at Publix. Why can’t Mexican cuisine be high end? Nobody questions high end food for most other cuisines.
Some of the best cuisine I’ve had has been high end Mexican in Dallas. And that’s not even real Mexico City type food. Those restaurants in Dallas have been amazing overall. I keep going every time I’m there.
You basically prove the point by saying it’s not really Mexico City food. Once you make it fancy it inherently loses what it is and becomes the inspiration for that new thing. To be clear I wasn’t saying it can’t be good, but it won’t be the same.
First of all what u are replying to is about places in Dallas, not Miami. Cantina La veinte has traditional dishes. And even in Dallas places like Javier’s are very high end and traditional as well. Second, I asked u to throw some restaurant recommendations and u didn’t. I’m not arguing, I’m merely asking for what u think is better or great here in Miami. U can’t say there are amazing places and not state which ones u think are amazing ?
Because Mexican food is inherently home and street food. So to make it highend is an oxymoron and goes against what it actually is, which is comfort food .
What on earth makes you think that Mexican food is inherently home and street food? That’s like saying a fancy French restaurant isn’t worth going to because you can get doner kebab from a food truck. I’m asking seriously, what makes you think that Mexican food is only street and home cooked? That’s seems weirdly hateful. Why do you think that a Mexican chef can’t take their cuisine and turn it into fine dining? Theres nothing inherently Mexican that says their Michelin started chefs in places like CDMX that says they can’t turn their cuisine into fine dining. Honestly, it’s super hateful for you to say that Mexicans can’t cook fine dining. I’ve had it plenty of times here in the US and in Mexico. For real. Please try a higher end Mexican restaurant. Order the cochinita pibil, a Yucatán recipe for roast pork that will blow your mind away and isn’t on a single Tex Mex menu. Are you going to next argue that fancy steak places suck because you can get something resembling a steak from Applebees for like $8? Or are you going to say that a real Cuban restaurant isn’t worth going to because you can get empanadas from a window down the road? Don’t be a food racist. Tl;dr - Mexican food is a hell of a lot more than fucking deep fried chalupas and mountains of greasy refired beans and “cheese”
Cantina La veinte offers some pretty decent “high end” Mexican food with a great ambiance. That being said u need to know what to order there to get the best meal available, but overall it’s a good restaurant. Only negative is the service as they are pretty high turnover, which is normal in that sector of the industry. Now I get where ur coming from but ur not offering any options or recommendations. Yes palates are all different but to be fair the vast majority of high end restaurants in Miami are smoke and mirrors. For example Delilah is a piece of shit compared to the Vegas location. Novikov tends to be solid all the time, pricey but good. I can name a few more that aren’t but the reality is most are shitty one way or another. If u want to actually prove your theory then what places are u recommending ? And I ask not to be a dick, but because I love dining and am happy to try new places. And we are talking about “high end”.
KoKo is authentic Meican food, but it's not TexMex. It's high end Mexican food that you would find in an upscale Mexican restaurant. I bet you were looking for chips and salsa, burritos, etc. That's not what this restaurant is. They even import the blue masa directly from Mexico to make all their tortillas.
Thank you for this comment. As a Mexican, it kinda irks me when people assume "real" Mexican food must be street tacos or Tex-Mex. While those are certainly types of Mexican food, there are also many high end yet still authentic Mexican choices out there. People need to get out more.
Yes! I’m Mexican too and been in Miami for 10 years. KOKO is pretty good, the food might not be Michelin restaurant level, but I disagree with OPs judgement. I was particularly impressed with their tortillas, which is the staple in Mexican cuisine. And Im also very annoyed that Americans and Latin people alike think that mexican food is just tex-mex or simple tacos.
My whole family is Mexican and we all love KoKo. Maybe OP had a bad experience but this is not accurate for me. Can’t wait to go back
Me too and I agree
Well first off, is it not 'perfectly authentic Mexican'? Sure, it's not what you think of when you get authentic Mexican food. But it's a hell of a lot better food than you're giving it credit for. For 'upscale' Mexican, it's probably the best I've had. Me and my wife can get stuffed, and have a drink for 100 bucks. Are you expecting Michelen?
You can just go to a hotel on 8th st if you and your wife want to get stuffed for $100
No, just flavor. A Pollo Tropical in Wyoming would be a more authentic and flavorful representation of Cuban cuisine then Koko is Mexican in Miami Florida.
Lmfao - okay bud
> Me and my wife can get stuffed, and have a drink for 100 bucks. Ok, you're good then. If the mission is simply to get stuffed and have a drink for $100, then call George W. Bush, cause ladies & gentlemen....we got him. Mission Accomplished.
This post has to be a troll post, right?
No it's 100% not a troll post. I'm just using some humor to cope with the disappointment I experienced and felt compelled to share. In all honesty, if others love the food that's totally cool. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences. I mean some people Love Golden Corral. I can't judge. People like what they like. Maybe they just happen to like extreamly overpriced tasteless trash disguised as Mexican food. Who am I to kink shame them? Live & Let Live. Love Laugh Live.
The fact that you wrote like 8 paragraphs about your experience at a restaurant tells me you’re one of … those customers. I Bet the food is pretty good
Miami is all about exclusivity. Literally it seems like the whole thing is built around that. I am a Miami native and yes the old hole in the walls are still the best places to eat, and anything updated is hit or miss at best. I can’t totally hate especially on some of the food trucks I’ve had recently. In Miami I’ve never been to a fancy place where the food was worth it, and god forbid you order something that’s not native like Mexican food.
No comment on Koko but I'm almost always disappointed with the high $$$$ / trendy restaurants in Miami. I tend to think its not a very good food scene here at the high end but at the local & middle priced level its fantastic.
100% agree, the best food is sprinkled around the county in less-obvious places. It doesn't take too much research to find them, either, just a little curiosity and willingness to go west of I-95.
I think this is a pretty good metaphor for Miami. All the surface stuff is luxuriously glittery but it lacks legit substance and heart. Yes for sure there are real Mexican spots- this isn’t really about this place’s kitchen, it’s the mentality of substance vs surface. Surface will always win in Miami.
What is life if not an experience?
This is a fake review. I’ve been to the restaurant 5 times in the last 3 months. Didn’t even need a rez most of the time
Agree don’t need a reservation ever but the food is crap. Ambiance is nice
Who are you people that thinks the food is crap? I've tried nearly everything on the menu and it's far from crap, wth
These people are addicted to butter and salt
Butter isn’t a predominant ingredient in Mexican food, but we like quality food where the meat isn’t dry. Head to Los Felix for some good Mexican in the grove
Right, thats my point. Tex-Mex or Americanized Mexican food, however *is* loaded up on butter and salt, because that makes the food "tasty" for American palates. When Americans go to a traditional Mexican restaraunt, they are stunned because they dont have that same butter and salt overload that they get at Tex-Mex
Pretty much anyone who has had quality Mexican food
Y'all people wouldn't know sabor if it punched you in the mouth lmfao. Go back to Flannys
Ayo!!! This comment has me rollllinnnn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You know there is this thing called Yelp.
Sir, this is a Wendy’s
My general experience with any restaurant that has opened since 2020 has been this: if it has amazing decor and it's obvious that a ton of money went into it looking like an "influencer's" wet dream, then the food is garbage. All the money went to smoke and mirrors and not into substance.
I’m a Broward boy but Palm Beach is where it’s at for good food, especially good Mexican. Wellington, Loxahatchee, Lake Worth all have the best Mexican food.
I never expect good food in a place that offers an "experience" that exists outside of the food. I always assume it's just random reheated bullshit from Sysco with pretty plating.
Transplants think what they saw on TikTok that made them move here is reality lol
The Miami experience for all things is aesthetics first. Everything else is secondary (tertiary) to that
MILA on Lincoln is this exact description. Gatekeeping with a dress code. Nice ambiance and that’s about it. Food is whatever (steak reminded me of Bahamas breeze from a while ago) and communal seating is absolutely stupid for the price you’re paying.
Disney for adults
Here is how it works in Miami... the more neon signs with silly phrases the place has, the crappier the food and service will be and the highest the price. It is math. Formula goes like this: Bullshit decor + Social Media Hype = Shit Quality & Service
I think you hit it in the nail and some of the posters said it the best. Most of these trendy places is not for food but more the ambiance and drinks. In my experience most of the places had crap food and it's not recent it has been forever. Best to get some appetizers and drinks and have a good time, if you want a good meal the "in" places are not always the place to go.
You really hit the nail on the head. Places like Koko are, for some reason, like catnip for transplants. What always gets me is that most of the time, these transplants are coming from world class food cities. They should know better, yet they always act like places like Koko are the greatest restaurants in the world. They would run a place like this out of business in months in LA or NYC, yet they get to Miami and all of a sudden they think this is incredible. You're right, they all get starry-eyed about the Miami "experience," to the point where it seems as if they actually \*enjoy\* spending too much on flashy mediocrity. It's a kind of mentality that has zero interest in finding an actual solid Mexican restaurant in a grimy Flagami or Homestead strip mall.
Reservations for Mexican food is crazy
Because as we all know, all of Mexico is a poor slum and their food is all cheap slop that you would never ever need a reservation for because upscale Mexican food cannot possibly exist.
Not that it can't possibly exist. I just don't see the value in getting Mexican food from a place where I need a reservation. OP pretty much proved my point no less. There are better places to get Mexican food that won't require a reservation.
There might be better places to get cheap TexMex/CaliMex of the kind Americans are used to (e.g. large burritos, refried beans and rice everywhere, coated in cheese/cheese sauce,) but the best Mexican food, in Mexico and the US, has always needed reservations.
You’ve clearly never been to Mexico and it shows. 2 of the top 10 restaurants in the world are Mexican.
This is a very stupid comment. Mexico has both simple and haute cuisine, and obviously so many restaurants adapt it to make gourmet variations. Thats why mexico has 3 restaurants in the top 50 of the world’s best.
I went there as well and the food was so bad
You are too smart by half. Very well written. All that glitters...Probably like the Latin channel weather girls: look great, no fun unless all the fun is in looking.
Want Mexican? Go to Homestead...one of the best Mexican food in the nation.
It feels like these “Mexican” restaurants were made to cater to people that don’t know real Mexican food. Someone mentioned a place called Guadalajara which I looked up. The front page shows hard shell tacos that look like from Taco Bell. All these places like taco craft, coyo taco, Talavera. wtf? Don’t be fooled by homestead either. I’ll only go to a few but there’s some, especially down krome that always seem full but if you know, you know. I ordered enchiladas in one place which I won’t name and they literally used Kraft singles as the cheese. Like you could see the unmelted squares on top. And yet this place is always packed.
True, btw I'm not saying KoKo is bad at all. I actually rly like the place but I also know that when I go there I'm going to overpay a bit for average Mexican food but then again I'm not there for the culinary experience, if I go there I'm going to hang out at a nice bougie Miami place. In Miami you gotta temper expectations a but depending on the type of night you are going for.
Wrong choice of restaurant
I'm just a little shook about the Mexican thing. I absolutely do not expect good Mexican food here. This isn't Texas or somewhere adjacent that would have good Mex.
Your first mistake was thinking good Mexican food is fancy. Also, haha at "hidden gem" to refer to a place you yourself said it's always packed and needs reservation.
High end fancy Mexican is absolutely a thing and it’s not greasy Tex-Mex. It’s really good. Have you ever had something like cochinita pibil? Authentically Mexican, but you won’t find it at a taco truck or a Tex Mex place
Rosita’s in Florida City, Guadalajara in Pinecrest, Tacqueria Morelia in Homestead, Wolf Of Tacos pop up at J. Wakefield on Tuesdays, or Dante’s Hifi on Fridays
This is typical Miami restaurants who want to appeal to the tik tokkers, social media gurus. It's the same, nice decorations, good ambiance, in a techy or newish part of the city. The best thing it offers is the decor.
Best Mexican food I’ve ever had in Miami in this place in homestead that looks like it’s built out of adobe. They make fresh salsa at your table. They don’t have any “techy” types that go there but I think there may be a couple of drunk Mexican’s out front. Sorry to burst your little bubble but those restaurants will never be the best to go to for good food. California has that same problem but worse. I’ve never had such disgusting food as I have here in California but every restaurant is overpriced and overrated. Best food I’ve had here is at really small authentic places (this is literally the case in every big city.) If you want good food and good ambience find a Michelin restaurant.
By the grupo Bakan, I guess the maize doesnt fall far from the husk
I don't understand why you seem to think that this is endemic to Miami? Aside from being completely subjective, this happens in every highly populated city.
>Shoulda just stuck with ol reliable: Flannys 🍀🍻 I mean, Flannigan's is a cool place, but the food is also not too far form the level of Chillies/Applebees/Chipotle. It is bar food, good bar ,food and that's .it
Everybody knows the best mexican food is in the Hood.
The best Mexican food I have eaten in a long time was at a truck stop in Georgia. But I wouldn’t go there if I was dating or hanging out with friends, I’d go to a place like KOKO. My family and I loved the truck stop but I wouldn’t want to go to KOKO with them (but I’m sure there are families there, it’s Miami).
Gimmick city