I usually approach fusion restaurants with a healthy amount of skepticism. Too often, they feel…read morelike culinary speed dating, two cuisines forced together in the hope that chemistry magically appears. More often than not, one side dominates, the other disappears, and everybody loses. At Amazonia, a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant in Miami, that fear evaporates somewhere around the first bite. The opening argument came in the form of Gyoza Huancaína, pan-fried dumplings stuffed with lomo saltado and served with a vivid yellow huancaína sauce. It is the kind of dish that sounds gimmicky when described aloud. Then you eat it. The dumplings delivered deep savory notes from the beef, while the creamy sauce added brightness, spice, and richness. It felt less like a fusion experiment and more like a dish that had always existed. Four dumplings arrived on the plate. Four was not enough. My entrée, the Midori Risotto, continued the conversation between Japan and Peru. A strikingly green risotto made with kale and edamame arrived topped with grilled shrimp, microgreens, and dots of black garlic aioli. The rice was cooked properly, retaining a slight bite, while the edamame added texture and sweetness. The shrimp brought balance to the richness, and the black garlic aioli quietly tied everything together. It was a dish that managed to be both comforting and elegant. To drink, I ordered the Nikkei Lemonade, a blend of yuzu, Peruvian ginger, and huacatay. Bright, citrusy, and refreshing, it reset the palate after each bite and served as a reminder that the fusion extends beyond the food. My wife chose the braised short rib, a dish for diners who may not be ready to take the full leap into the restaurant's more adventurous offerings. Braised for 72 hours and served over mashed potatoes, it collapsed under the gentlest pressure from a fork. The beef was intensely flavorful, and the braising liquid was rich enough to make you consider asking for a spoon. Dessert brought one final East-meets-West moment. The Flan Nikkei paired a silky custard with miso caramel, whipped cream, and fresh strawberry. The miso added just enough savory depth to keep the sweetness from becoming predictable. It was a thoughtful ending to a meal built on thoughtful combinations. Amazonia succeeds because it understands something many fusion restaurants do not. Combining cuisines is not about piling flavors on top of one another. It is about finding where they naturally intersect. Here, Japanese precision and Peruvian boldness meet in the middle, and both emerge better for it. Fusion rarely wins me over, but Amazonia makes a compelling case for keeping an open mind.

My niece and I decided to try this restaurant on a whim. I'm so glad we did because the service and…read morefood was phenomenal!! Our server Claudia was so nice and helpful with explaining the different dishes. You also are treated to a complimentary mocktail and sweet yam bite to start. Claudia even provided us a tablet to see the pictures of the various dishes offered which helped us decide what to try. We started off with a mocktail that had coconut, passion fruit, hibiscus tea and pineapple. That drink was delicious and I didn't miss the alcohol. For starters we had the salmon crispy rice and that was so filling and delicious. Then we had the scallops in the black truffle sauce which was perfect a seared to perfection. We also ordered the kumogani roll which is crab based and that was very tasty with or without soy sauce. We loved everything we tried and will definitely go back to try other items on the menu. I highly recommend trying them out if you're in the area.

Sweetest lady ever with very good food and the best service ever !! I'd recommend!!!!read more

I have not been for a while. They used to be a sit in place, then pick up only during and after the…read morepandemic. Now they offer inside seating again, which is why I came! Service was friendly. I tried their pink lady sushi and sweet and sour chicken. Both were pleasant.

This was my 2nd time ordering from here. Amazing orange chicken and veggie fried rice. Food was…read morevery fresh! Would definitely recommend!

Very clean, friendly services and excellent food. I'm not a fan of this type of food but today's…read moreexperience might change that a little bit. The Pan Thai Noodles with chicken was delicious. Apart from two idiots playing with their phone and laughing like they were in their living room, everything went great and I'll definitely be back when in the area...

A small group of us (2 couples) recently went to celebrate a birthday for our first time at Blind…read moreTiger. Even finding the restaurant was a unique experience. It's hidden inside Reunion Kitchen (another restaurant). First you check in with the hostess at Reunion. Then she takes you to the back, in an area you didn't know exists, where there's a dark narrow hallway and a locked door shrouded in the dark on the other end. Your hostess guides you through the dark hallway and then clandestinely punches in the code at the locked door and, voila, the door opens into a cozy serene restaurant (Blind Tiger) with a sushi counter and a few tables that can serve not more than maybe 20 people at a time. It feels small, private, tranquil, special. We were the first to arrive when it opened and we had the restaurant to ourselves for about the first half of our meal which felt amazing, like they'd opened up just for us. Our server Julian was very knowledgeable and helpful, taking good care of us throughout the entire evening. He also gave us the best recommendations on how to most enjoy the Blind Tiger experience, which we all did. The food is excellent. Everything we ate was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. Some of us had the Omakase tastings and all of us tried several à la carte dishes. The Trio Crispy Rice is a must eat. The Black Cod Miso was absolutely lovely too--and it's fantastic that you can order either a half or full portion of it. The lychee martinis were crisp, clean and sweet. Definitely recommend this unique spot for a special experience!

Went for Miami Spice! Their omakase elevated tasting on their regular menu ended up being a better…read moreprice & you got way more than what their Miami Spice menu offered so that's what I ended up getting. All of their food was amazing! I'd go back for the rainbow tartare - that was some of the best I've ever had. It's a small place and with the omakase experience, we ended up being there for longer than anticipated having to wait in between dishes. But great service and great value for all that you get with it!

Ok, admittedly, it was a crazy night. Miami Miami'd the night we were there. People were acting out…read moreand wild, and it was a random Wednesday! But truly, it's that kind of excitement and life that allows a place like KYU to thrive. People want to be where the action is, and in terms of food - this is there the action is. We had the Chef's Special, and every single serving that was brought to us was a 5/5 experience! Our waitress was attentive and personal, without any sense of lingering or hovering at all. The staff did a good job of dealing with some of the rowdier patrons, and it was clear that this was not the norm, but some people looking for trouble with a bit too much of something in their system. I was impressed overall, and would absolutely go back next time I visit Miami. Probably a top 10 dinner experience!

Atmosphere was nice. Industrial speak easy kind of vibes…read more Went for the Miami Spice menu to give them a shot. Even with reservations they were a little slow in seating for a fairly empty restaurant (noon). Ordered drinks (tea $6 and coffee $5) then brunch. Seems like service coordination is very off. My spouse got the appetizer a good 15 minutes before mine. I had the biscuit, that was very tasty. The fruit, granola yogurt was good too. The main of crab Benedict was served, next although already cooled and the sauce a congealed. My main, after a good 30 minutes still had not arrived. Apparently a steak and eggs can be miscooked and they had redone it, never bothering to tell us. I did not try it there. Refills on the coffee were never offered. We took the steak and our cinnamon buns to go since we had been there long enough. The final kicker is they have an automatic 20% service charge in order to ensure the staff is paid enough. Seems like a business problem to me. Service was not up to that high of a standard. If you go during Miami Spice I hope they have figured out how to sequence the courses and get them to the table correctly while still hot.

I want to start by saying this is the cutest speakeasy type of bar/restaurant. At the beginning, I…read moregot confused because the outside said it was a laundromat, but it's actually the restaurant, they did mention that many people confuse it for an actual laundromat. When you step inside you're greeted by a soft, ambient lighting, and great decor. For food and drinks we ordered off the happy hour menu and sat at the bar. The bartender was very nice and offered to help us choose the best drink based on our preferences. The drinks were refreshing. We ordered the short rib croquetas which were delicious. The chicken nuggets and caviar were a fun order, but I think you could skip on this because they seem like regular frozen chicken nuggets, it was still OK. I would definitely order the Korean barbecue skewers, which were my favorite. The tiramisu was huge but a little too sweet. I think this is a great spot for happy hour and would have to come back to try the main conditions.

I came to Amelia's before its facelift and now again after. The vibe is immaculate. It's got the…read morequaint speakeasy vibe. I literally went to the wrong door because my husband thought I was about to walk into an actual laundromat. The restaurant is dimly lit and has an adorable 1920s vibe. The staff is extremely friendly! Everyone from the host the servers to the bartenders. The drinks were great and they were served beautifully. For food, we ordered the short rib croquetas which were really delicious! My husband got the airline chicken. It was good, but he felt it lacked more flavor. The oxtail, on the other hand, had a great flavor! I ordered the short rib ravioli. I don't know if it's normally like this or if there was a little slip in the kitchen but it was EXTREMELY salty. I'm usually one to add plenty of salt to dishes but this tasted like the cap of the salt shaker fell out while seasoning. Overall, I like this spot for a cute date night. The drinks are really fabulous as well as the vibe and the food is really good.

Finka is truly my home away from home. The staff is incredible, warm, friendly, and genuinely…read morewelcoming. Every time I walk through the doors, it feels like visiting family. The food and drinks are consistently amazing. I've been coming here since they first opened (I believe back in 2014), and I'll keep coming back. Their menu is packed with bold, flavorful dishes, an impressive cocktail selection, and honestly, they were one of the places that got me through COVID! From the pizzas to the entrées, everything is outstanding. I celebrated my birthday here just last week, and as always, it was excellent. The churrasco is consistently tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. The mushroom risotto is rich, creamy, and bursting with earthy mushroom goodness. For dessert, we shared the warm banana bread with salted caramel ice cream, and wow... I still can't stop thinking about it. Whether it's happy hour, lunch, dinner, or a special occasion, Finka never ever ever disappoints. After all these years, it's still one of my favorite spots in Miami, and I recommend it to everyone looking for a memorable lunch, dinner or happy hour, do it right and come to Finka.

I've been coming to Finka for years, and I've always loved the service, happy hour, and food. We…read moreusually sit at the bar because the bartenders have always been so nice and friendly. Unfortunately, today was a very different experience. It took about five minutes for anyone to acknowledge us, even though the bar wasn't busy. I ordered an Old Cuban Old Fashioned, one of my favorites, and was surprised to see the bartender use his hands instead of tongs to put the ice into the glass. I ended up sending the drink back because the glass was dirty. The second drink was made by another bartender, and again, I noticed him using his hands instead of tongs to handle the ice. The food was still great, but after today's experience, I'll definitely be paying much closer attention to how my drinks are prepared. I've always had a great experience at Finka, which is why today was especially disappointing. I hope this was just an off day and not a change in their usual standards.

similar vibe to tao in nyc/vegas…read more we ordered the chinese prix fixe: - dumplings 7/10 can definitely tell theyre handmade but so small haha - black pepper beef 7/10 flavor was really light for black pepper beef (usually the black pepper is almost overwhelming but in a good way) also veggies in the dish were like store bought frozen veggies :/ tasted like pf changs tbh - ube flan 7/10 way too sweet but good we also got the szechuan ny strip 7.7/10 if the sauce was on the side instead of on top and they had green beans instead of the potatoes it would be a 9, it was cooked really well !! service was kinda weird, it wasn't busy but our waitress rarely checked on us and it kinda felt like she didnt wanna be there/passive aggressive

Mediocre Food, Insultingly Small Portions and Poor Service…read more Unfortunately, Komodo was a major disappointment. The food was mediocre--especially for a Miami Spice menu--and nowhere near the upscale experience we expected. After spending almost $400 for my husband and I, I would have expected more. The portions were insultingly tiny, with the exception of the chicken salad. The salmon tacos contained what tasted like salmon "paste," and each taco shell was barely two inches long. They were so ridiculously small that even our waiter chuckled. The "half Maine lobster" was about the size of a jumbo shrimp, with no claw. The main course came with no sides so for $65 jumbo shrimp that was it. If you actually want a meal expect to pay extra for "fried" rice that was super bland and churrasco 10 oz extra at $12. So my steak meal was $87 and for that I could have had a real upscale experience at Daniel's in the Gables with upscale service and food. The experience started poorly when the four of us were seated at an awkward, cramped table with no legroom. We were positioned facing outward instead of toward one another, making normal conversation nearly impossible. It was a very strange setup for a party of four. Also, it was very warm in the restaurant and I would have asked to adjust but at the look at the servers face and everyone else I was afraid to say anything that something would happen to my food. The hostess also forgot to give us the Miami Spice menu. As soon as we requested it, the waiter's attitude noticeably changed, and the service went downhill from there. By the end of the night, the restaurant was overcrowded, with a very young crowd pouring into the bar area, and everything felt disorganized and poorly managed. Miami Spice used to be a wonderful way to experience Miami's better restaurants. Unfortunately, this felt more like a complete rip-off than a special dining experience. Komodo did not deliver the quality, portions, service or atmosphere its prices and reputation suggest. They should not be participating in Miami Spice as they have no upscale food to offer. My only regret is I didn't take pictures for potential customers to see how terrible this experience was and food looked. This was highly disappointing,,,save your money.