There's quality that often goes unmentioned with familiarity and consistency that applies to this restaurant and sometimes goes overlooked for what is new and up-to-date, but often sometimes proves to be a flash in the pan. Before I continue, I must acknowledge my own bias that I have been coming here for decades and many of the dearest celebrations that have been held by friends and family who grew up in this neighborhood took place here; certain family traditions are special. Guests are treated to this Nicaragua restaurant fair with Spanish influence and I have been happy to be coming here for what I can only approximate to be three decades. I also acknowledge that we are familiar faces since money talks and repeat business holds more weight. It's because of that that my family continues to opt to come here. Dinner wouldn't be dinner without an order of fried cheese and a nice Big Daddy Churrrasco steak. We were helped by Frank and German/Hernan and receded and treated kindly and welcoming despite arriving at 9 o'clock on an evening where the restaurant closes at 9:30 PM. Service was top-notch from the entirety of the staff team from the bus to the back way to the head server. I ordered my steak medium, and I am pleasantly surprised to report to the YELP community that arrived exactly as I hold for which is something that a lot of restaurants miss and air on the side of caution by sending it out medium well. I'm not a steak snob or a steak foodie or a steak of fish I'm just a guy who can tell the difference between medium and medium and well and I'm glad that they followed through accurately. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior feels like an outside Hacienda and there's something comforting about that to me something nice and different in a place where everything has to be chic.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'm just a guy who likes to eat good food and be treated well. Had a nice price point with people I care about this case my immediate family so that's why I'm giving this place five stars. I think it's worth checking out if you're interested. read more

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This place used to be one of my go-to spots, but recently the quality of the meat seems to have gone down a bit. It's still decent, but it doesn't feel quite as fresh or flavorful as it used to. That said, the sides are still really good and continue to be the highlight of the meal. They're consistently well-prepared and full of flavor, which definitely helps make up for the change in the meat. Overall it's still decent, but I'm hoping the meat quality improves and gets back to where it used to be. read more

This place has been here for quite a while and thankfully the food is still hitting the spot. Is it the best meat? No but you're also not paying $75 for an 8oz steak! The one thing though, service was very slow. It's more of an old family tradition at this point I guess. Ample parking as this location sits in the middle of a shopping plaza read more

El Novillo Restaurant - "el Novillo" Churrasco Classic with gallo pinto - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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It had been years since my last visit to El Novillo, and it was just as good as I remembered. The food, service, and ambiance were all excellent. I started with the fried cheese and house salad, then had the baby churrasco with gallo pinto and plantain chips. The meat was tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Overall, a great experience and I definitely recommend! read more

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Celebrating a family's birthday with great Nicaraguan cuisine. El Novillo is a staple in Miami. Having moved to the Melbourne area a few years ago, we have not been able to find Nicaraguan cuisine so the only time we are able to its when we visit our family in Miami. This time I ordered the Fried Cheese with salad(made with carrots and cole slaw). I ordered Vigoron which is an appetizer with chicharron, boiled yuca and cole slaw. For my entree I ordered the baby churrasco with gallo pinto and maduros. And to finish off my meal, I ordered a coconut flan. What can I say, the food was so tasty and flavorful. read more

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Came here with a party that wasn't super big, but honestly, the prices of most of their food is a little bit high for what you can get at any other restaurant. It was really weird to me that they Served the rice and beans separately and unfortunately, my waiter ended up dropping rice and beans on my lap because he couldn't really reach me. I wish they would just put it on the plate when they serve you. Also, why is the side of maduros is only two per plate. All of the employees there were nice, but overall it's just expensive for almost no reason. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I did really like the live music and it definitely had an interesting atmosphere of being in a town Square almost.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food just didn't impress me that much and that's the point of a restaurant. read more

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Everything was great from the service to the food. We were a party of about 25 people, celebrating a rehearsal dinner. We started off with some cocktails and appetizers. The food came out pretty fast, and was very good. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere is nice here, there is a huge fountain in the middle of the restaurant which looks very beautiful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We sat along the side of the restaurant by the bar since we were such a big party. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Everyone had a wonderful time, the Dj was very good and played a bunch of requested songs.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Our servers were all wonderful. When the espresso martini wasn't so great, our server brought us some Baileys and that made it much better. The dessert was the only thing I wasn't crazy about. The flan was okay, it was very basic. Overall, I would recommend you check this authentic Nicaraguan spot out. read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Appetizers (we could not wait obvz) - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Went again and wown still awesome delicious Love the staff attentive and always can handle a crowd. Good bar good prices on drinks. Awesome queso frito yummmm so good and the Bog Daddy steak OMG! Soft perfect churrascaso !!! The sides rice moros Nicaraguan style lord fried plantain strips and the Jalapeño sauce pleaseeeee order it on the side super worth it! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Beautiful ambience what can I say still going strong![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ps coconut flan LORD read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Salonnn nice!!! - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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A great Nicaraguan restaurant with a vast variety of food in its menu. There is a lot to choose; however, I'd recommend either churrasco or whole rosted chicken. Still the rest is good. There's also seafood options and many cocktails to enjoy. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is so nice, feels like in a small colonial town from Nicaragua.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff is really nice and very knowledgeable of the menu. Plenty of free parking in the plaza. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]I really love this place. It has a nice romantic feel with a generous vacation vibe. The decor is terrace- garden inspired.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service is also terrific. It's like these servers were born to do this; they don't walk around tables, they glide and twist and twirl with heavy trays full of yummy gallo pinto ( rice and brown or red beans), plátanos maduros and mariquitas. Their baby churrasco is usually very good but today mine was a little overdone. It was still tasty. Side salad is refreshing and comes dressed. Delicious unlimited breadbasket is my dream come true. I can't get enough bread in my life. And this one is nice and garlicky. If you visit, get the mixed appetizer platter. It has a few taquitos, chorizo, fried cheese and other assorted delicacies. A medium for 4 is plenty. Highly recommend this lovely restaurant. Oh! And I was pleasantly surprised that it was packed on a Saturday night at 7. Always a good sign. However, we did have reservations so we didn't wait long. read more

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What a great day to leave a 5 star review!!!! I came to El Novillo for a private mini party we did for my sisters baptism. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They sat us in a smaller area for about 20 people and it was semi private where no one from the public could come in.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We were served with a few trays of appetizers which was a hit. It came with fried cheese, yuca, different types of meats, etc!! (Not pictured because it was THAT good). We then had salad & bread as an appetizer. We proceed to have gallo pinto, platanito maduros, & plantain chips as a side to our set menu. We had options to choose from churrasco, churrasco de pollo and two other meats which was amazing for those who like a variety meal. Overall the chicken was delicious and the rice was phenomenal. We ended the meal with tres leches which was very fresh. Those who had steak, definitely ate their entire plate as well. I will definitely be coming here again due to the service being beyond amazing. read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Churrasco de pollo - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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The food was soo delicious. I was slightly confused on how they serve. But we were a big party so I finally got the idea when they got to me. You pretty much order your protein they bring it on a plate and then another person comes around with the sides and they serve how ever much you want. Neat concept. As a party of ten the servers did a great job of managing their time and bringing out food hot when served. Highly recommend this spot in Miami lakes. read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Coke - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Been here many times and the food is usually on point, but they are not good for a large get together despite the many large groups you see as you walk in. They aren't capable of taking separate orders and instead bring you one bill where you are left to figure it out. This will most certainly result in errors and the server getting stiffed on the tip, but oh well. On my last visit the steak was cooked perfectly so no complaints there. The fried cheese seems to have been sitting out for a while and could've been sliced thinner. As for service, it was slow to the point I had to chase the waiter down for a drink order. All in all it's a sold Nicaraguan restaurant that I'd recommend for a casual night out. For a large group you should look elsewhere though. read more

We had called a week before and made the reservations for a party of 26 people. Upon arrival we were seated right away. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It was a closed off room for everyone which was great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] There was only one server which had me concerned at first but this man was nonstop. He was so attentive and on top of everything. Truly excellent service. The food was great and the portions are enough for leftovers. The appetizer was my favorite dish with a little bit of everything. I would definitely come back. read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Sampler Platter - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

I'm Nicaraguan and I rather come here to eat than going to a fritanga. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Hands down the prices are there and you get to sit and enjoy ur dinner with a nice ambience.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The chicken churrasco with shrimp was delicious. Accompanied with gallo pinto, maduros and tajadas. So good ! read more

El Novillo Restaurant - The Chicken Churrasco with shrimp - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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The service at this place was pleasant. Our servers refilled our drinks and our complimentary breads when needed. The Sangria we had was very watered down and didn't have that fruity feel we wanted. I ordered a Baby Churrasco and it was a pretty nice size piece of meat. The side dishes were also tasty. The steak and the chimichurri were kinda bland, the steak also had a weird after taste, which made me not want to eat much. [[HIGHLIGHT]]This place gets very noisy for a fancier restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] This place is nice but wouldn't come here more than once a year. read more

An authentic Nicaraguan restaurant. The food was so delicious and full of garlic (My favorite). The service was super quick with the appetizers and drinks and very efficient. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It truly felt very authentic and there was fun music playing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The Churrasco was absolutely delicious and I ended up putting the chimichurri sauce on absolutely everything. Will be coming back for sure! read more

El Novillo Restaurant - "el Novillo" Churrasco Classic - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

Reserve para mas comodidad para mi mama k no esperara tanto y el senor k hace pasar FUE grocero. Me dijo k esperara porque faltaba 5 minutos de la reservacion cuando nos pasa nos llevo pegado à la cocina en un rincon oscuro, le dije no me gusta sea mesa quiero donde este mas claridad y me dijo No senora., le dije pero senor hay varias mesas y me volvio a decir No senora si no le gusta no puedo hacer nada. Me quede x mi mama porque es diabetica y ya la tenia Baja, pro realmente no voy mas y a todas mis colegas del Trabajo ya se lo dije. K es una atencion muy mala. Y para comer disgustada mejor vas a otros restaurant. K gracias A Dios hay para escoger. read more

I ordered a big daddy churrasco.. what a huge failure.. the steak was not a churrasco and instead I was served a meat plant processed product for which I paid 45+ dollars. The waiters and boss boys are good, however; the steaks quality are not worthy for the price. lo read more

Amazing as always delicious and great service. Love the fried cheese w cabbage wow good sauce. The big daddy churrasco a one pound ! So good soft hot with the moros rice and fried plantain strips so good. I love the sauce too . Chimichurri and the hot picked carrot onion sauce or the red tomato spicy chile sauce all are great. Try the jalapeño white sauce they're bucks. It worth it. The drinks are awesome great sangria home made and fair on drinks. Prices went up just a little bit but still worth it plenty . Good service guys always busy. read more

I hadn't been to El Novillo in years and I'm so excited that my husband and I decided to go for dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I had forgotten how nice the ambience was![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]We went on a Friday night where there was live music playing, and there seemed to have been a celebration going on so they had some mariachis playing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food was excellent! I ordered the baby churrasco, which comes with gallo pinto, plantain chips and a salad. My husband had the Carne Asada, which was also also so delicious. I highly recommend dining here if you're searching for some delicious Nicaragua food. The service was also great! read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Tonight went for a family dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]After we got our main entree the private event had Mariachis come in. It was way too loud, couldn't hold a conversation with the family and my granddaughter was uncomfortable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Knowing you had a private event with Mariachis, we could have been told and sat further away. I asked for the manager and he didn't care one bit. Disappointed because I really loved this place For its ambiance read more

Food was good but not for the price, prices are high, I had a chicken churrasco, this was more like a piece of rubber, not much flavor. I was with a group from work, I would bet money that they use two separate menus. WILL NOT BE COMING BACK read more

Service was fairly quick, gentlemen were very friendly. The restaurant is super cute, looks like you are in a courtyard inside, there was no music tonight but it's a weeknight and it was early. Food was good, my Carne Asada seemed a bit under seasoned but the sauces make up for that - everything was fresh and enjoyable. Niece loved the Tres Leches at the end. read more

Food was delicious with great service even though they were understaffed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We had a great family dinner[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] !

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Excellent food great ambience recommended highly for any special occasion or just to have a good meal.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I eat there often and enjoy the various selections they have. read more

I was hoping the bad reviews on here wouldn't be true during my experience, but they definitely were. It's my first time coming to El Novillo. I've gone to Los Ranchos or El Madroño for sit down Nicaraguan food but never here. The decor was amusing, it set the scene as if you were in Nicaragua. It was quite busy, a 20 minute wait. We're walked to our table, they realize it's not clean yet. So they clean it in front of us for a few minutes. We're sat down and no one comes by for like 8 minutes. They serve our water and we throw in a bean appetizer. It's beans, with tortilla and queso frito (fried cheese). We then order the grilled fish ($22) and tell them it's to share. They charge an additional $5 if you're sharing a meal, as they bring you an additional salad and your own sides, gallo pinto (rice and beans) and plantain chips. We get our appetizer. The tortillas are stale and cold, the fried cheese is barely warm, and the beans were actually pretty good. But, it just didn't come together as an appetizer as things were cold, stale and hard and one thing was warm. It takes a looong time to get our food. Our server barely checked on us. We followed up with him and he said the food was coming shortly. After a little while we get the food. We were served the gallo pinto and plantain chips with the fish. The gallo pinto is not the best. Barely any beans, and so much rice. Some of the plantains were good and cooked well, others were undercooked. We decided to add a fried cheese order and it's 4 tiny pieces for $8. The cheese was okay, not the best. The fish was also lacking. It had a lot of dark meat for being a "white" fish and was lacking a bit in flavor. The plantain chips were stale and not fresh. We ordered the tres leches for dessert. The flavor was good but it was a bit on the dry side. I went to the bathroom and wow that was a whole other chaos. Only 2 of the 4 stalls had a working toilet and they were so dirty. This place has or had potential and hopefully some changes can be made. The service and food need a lot of improvement. Can't say I'll be back as it felt very overpriced for what I got. It might be better to head to a local Fritanga and get better, fresher, and more quality food. read more

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I was left a bit disappointed this time around at El Novillo. Oscar was a great server, joked around a lot with the table, and made the experience fun. However, the food itself left a lot to be desired. I love their concept where they come around with a huge bowl full of gallo pinto, tajadas and white rice but when they serve you, it's already cold because they walk around with it serving others. On the other hand the portions are huge so I can't complain. I'll speak on my plate which was the whole fish a la tipitapa which is the red sauce you see pictured. Think of it as a sofrito of tomato and onions and possible peppers. The fish was not seasoned whatsoever. The only thing saving the dish is the sauce but even then all the pieces of tomato and onion were huge chunks and unpleasant to bite into. It was overall a very sad $26 dish. I could've gone to a fritanga, spent less money, and had a better experience. Sad to say. read more

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Very good food and service and staff very accommodating will continue to visit them we hadn't been in years and we have been back twice since the beginning of the year read more

This past Friday my wife and I had a break from the kiddos and were hungry for a good steak. Since we live close to El Novillo we decided to give it a try. Located on Bird Road and 67 Avenue, this restaurant feels like you walked into the Mexico pavilion in Epcot just on a smaller scale. We were seated right away and our waiter welcomed us a basket of toasted garlic bread. The breads were very tasty and complimentary of the restaurant. We decided to ordered the Nicaraguan fried cheese and two Churrasco steaks. The fried cheese was good but I found the portion a little smaller compared to other Nicaraguan restaurants. Then came the Churrasco steaks which came with sweet plantains, plantain chips, and a house salad. The salad was fresh and but very oily while sides were on point. The Churrasco were well cooked but not as juicy and a little bland than I would like. I needed to drenched my steak in chumicurri sauce to get more taste. For dessert we ordered the Tres leche which was good but I wished it had more of the milk sauce. El Novillo was still a nice night out while the price and portions are still a good deal. read more

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Went with family (party of 6) for Mothers Day, they don't take reservations for super busy holidays, but they were a well oiled pit stop crew. They looked like ants running in all directions, and they got people in and out in a reasonable amount of time, without sacrificing service nor food quality. My go to Nica restaurant when I want a great churrasco, at decent price (12oz $30), including their delicious gallo pinto and sweet and fried plantains. They also have a great lunch menu and it's a beautiful restaurant inside. read more

Came here for Mother's Day lunch and had great service and great food. The servers were all very attentive. Our meal started with free garlicky buttery bread that was addictive! The whole table (even the kids) absolutely devoured the two baskets they gave us. We were then given small side salads as well. We ordered the fried cheese appetizer - each order came with 4 pieces. They were perfectly crisp and warm and absolutely delicious. Our table ordered a kids churrasco, three baby churrascos, and the chicken churrasco. The kids meal comes with fries and a soda. The adult entrees came with a choice of white rice or rice and beans, as well as sweet plantains and plantain chips. The tres leches dessert was also fantastic. All of the food was cooked perfectly and, despite being very busy for the holiday, came out relatively quickly. There was live music playing which was a nice added touch (not sure if they always do this or if it was just for the holiday). Highly recommend! read more

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$9 for a two bite dessert. Ridiculous. Portions keep getting smaller and smaller while price increases read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Tres Leches Plus - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

Food was delicious but parking was tight unless you are lucky to get the few roomy spots in the front near the restaurant. Back to the food, the little taquitos and fried cheese sampler option is the best and u will need 1 sample per every 3-4 people. The main course your best choice is the steaks but the chicken was juicy and not too dry. The servers come by after you main plate arrives with all the rice, mariquitas (plantain chips) and maduros (plantains) you can have. You can even ask for a little more to go with any leftovers. The size of the dish was nice and I definitely had chicken to take home. I will say the bathroom was definitely created for when folks were shorter. read more

Ordered takeout... food was given to someone else. Rather than making their mistake better, we were offered our money back after waiting 45 minutes. Good food but horrible customer service. I'll take my $100 elsewhere. read more

Husband and I were in town for a week from Maryland. We are both originally from Nicaragua, so when we found out this was a formal sit down Nicaraguan restaurant as opposed to the typical fritanga buffet style Nica places you typically find in Florida, we had to try it out. I really thought it was going to be some over priced version of traditional Nicaraguan dishes, and I wasn't wrong about the food being traditional, however it was not over priced at all and the service was impeccable. From the moment you sit down you are greeted with sauces, bread, and multiple rounds of salad. . I equate it to the Olive Garden for Nicaraguan food lol. You definitely do not leave hungry. I would definitely wat there again and again, and would recommend to anyone as a nice date night spot. Food is delicious and perfectly seasoned. read more

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Great spot for authentic Nicaraguan food. The portions are large and the food feels like you're at home. Prices are a bit high for the type of food, but was worth it seeing the quality of the meat. I had the executive "baby" churrasco and it was very tasty. 8 oz cut of meat cooked perfectly. It comes with maduros, platanitos and Gallo pinto (rice and beans). We shared the medium Nicasampler between the 8 of us which was the perfect size. Everything was delicious, specially the fried cheese and the taquitos topped with the cabbage salad and crema. read more

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Came here for a special event, and wow! I was so surprised by the service and quality of food. This food is authentically Nicaraguan, packed with flavor, and spice if wanted. The Churrasco was cooked to the perfect temperature and was tender and juicy read more

El Novillo Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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He's been here that I haven't been to this restaurant they still have the same at them take food the service is just great I had the Carneia Asada gallo pinto and rajadas The food was on point on everything and I had a sangria and I had the tres leches just excellent read more

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We have been going to El Novillo for the past 30 years and the food quality, presentation and taste has always been excellent. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The he ambience is really a family environment with all types of occasions being celebrated.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The management always goes out of their way to provide exceptional customer service. I highly recommend this restaurant for a family friendly great time. read more