Lario's on the Beach

Despite bad reviews, my husband and I went here last night. We should have listened. Service was prompt, band was great (too loud to speak over though) but the food? Completely awful, one of the worst 10 meals ever. Such a shame. I had the fried balls with ground beef in the center, they were still frozen, which told me they microwaved them. I politley asked if they were supposed to be cold, the waiter took them back. The next set came out, same problem, cold in the center. I gave up. I got breaded steak for entree, awful and uninspired - a slab of extra thin beef deep friend on a barren white plate. It was hard to look at. Beans and plantains on seperate plate, completely cold. Gloria Estefan should definately get out of this biz, it was just sooo awful... Pros: good music, prompt service Cons: cold food, uninspired food more

Just left Larios: the staff, especially the hostess, seemed too self-absorbed to give caring service, food was mediocre. The pork culets were tough, and the cuban sandwich was like from an inexpensive deli. The waitress never asked what we thought of the food. It took a long time to get iced tea refills. When I couldn't get the waitress' attn, I finally got the hostess' attention; she might as well have been a statue: her reaction to being asked for more iced tea indicated that her role was solely to be the grande damme of hostessing... she couldn't be bothered with such trivia... !!! I was also irritated by the guaranteed tip. I would definitely not recommend Larios/Bongos and if I were Gloria Estefan, I would stick to singing music and forget about running restaurants. Pros: Location Cons: Service, Food, Tips more

If it is your first time in Miami, trust me and do not go here. This place lures lots of tourists in because it is owned by gloria estefan, but big deal. Don't waste money. This place is pricey and the food is does not justify the price. Meals seemed pre-made as if I went to a McDonalds and ordered something. The presentation was ordinary and nothing special. Typical prices for 1 person range from $15-35. One thing I did not like was they added a 17% gratuity on the bill automatically as a ""convenience"". If you are looking for a memorable evening out in Miami and want a good meal go someplace else. If you like to waste money just because this place is owned by gloria estefan than go here. Recommended restaurants would be; rendevous on the beach, tutis cafe, and pizza rustica. Pros: Nothing Cons: Expensive,, food not good, her pics r everywhere more

We had a reservation and we still waited 45 minutes. Were seated at 915 pm and never got our food until after 11pm! Waiter did not care and obviously forgot our order... wrote us off... Food was cold unimaginable and presentation was awful. Truly our worst dining experience on South Beach. Cons: , Service, cost more

My first meal, I was starving, wanted to try some cuban food, not sure if this is typical cuban food, but it was BAD. I ordered a shrimp platter, it was breaded, so breaded that I couldn't taste the shrimp, the tartar sauce was nothign special, just out of a bottle. I tried my friend's dishes, some pork, steak, breaded fish, all were NASTY. We all disliked the food. an avg entree was $15, but definitely not worth it for bad food. i rather have Mickey Ds. Pros: location Cons: , too salty more

I have to disagree with some of the users here. I've been to many a cuban restaurants, not only in Florida, but also in New York (where I live) and other states as well. The food here was great and the service was great. We waited 15 minutes for our table, which is not bad. And dinner for two came out to $48. Now, who can beat that? Pros: Big Selection of Food, Fast Service, In expensive more

If there is one thing that Miami has no shortage of (aside from selfish drivers) its Cuban Restaurants. Sadly, many of our tourists and visitors only experience Lario's on the beach to make their assesment of what Cuban food is. This restaurant, inspired by the original ( best ) Lario's in West Dade tries to mix fine homey cuban food with a snazzy, pretencious South Beach scene. It doenst work. Dishes seem rushed and formulaic. Lacking are the subtle flavors of Cuban food, replaced here by an overindulgence of garlic. Dishes in our party were mediocre at best. It seems that more attention is placed on location and hip factor than on food. Service is hit or miss. Ive been treated well there, but have also experienced serious attitude from the ""too good for you"" wannabe staff. Can do A LOT better if good Cuban food is what you want. Pros: hip locale, tasty drinks, decor Cons: food is average, parking, staff attitude! more

If you're in south beach this is a great option for tasty cuban food. the pollo is excellent as are the many side dishes, including platanos, yuca, and black beans and rice. location is right on ocean drive and service is good. prices are reasonable for the locale. more

Pleace, Pleace, Pleace. Por favor KEEP the band Norberto y Maricela all the WAY..... more

The food was awesome and inexpensive. The ambiance was great for either friends or romance. The service was incredibly fast as well. I had the chuletas y arroz negro and I found it to be the real deal. The pork chops were juicy and the beans/rice were incredible. I would recommend this place to anyone. Best regards, Ed Garcia Pros: authentic, high quality food, excellent service more

Good food, great location and value for the $$$. Food only slightly ""anglicized"", but still good. I grew up eating Cuban food, you can find better on Calle Ocho or Hialeah, but the Ocean Drive location is super at this price!!! more

best mojitos around, amazing energy and dancing, do not miss out on Larios Pros: mojitos, muchachas, musica Cons: music stops too early more

Miami Beach was beautiful, but withoug this restaurant the place would not have been complete. This is a very exquisite and delightful restaurant. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone I know, including tourist like myself who plan to visit Florida. Pros: great food, great service, good looking people Cons: bad parking more

Nothing to write home about but the food was decent and aside from the one hour wait, the service was OK. Its not too pricey (dinner for 2 was under $100) and they have a live band that gets some of the patrons doancing in the aisles. Pros: band, bar, value Cons: crowded, loud more

This is probably the worse cuban resturant in all of Miami. The service sucks. The waiters are worse. And to top it all of they charge you $20 to park your car with valet. Never again will I go there. And this isn't a complaint from a tourist. I live on the beach. Cons: The whole experience, Valet, Service more

I've been to this place, Lario's, several times, and each time the snob servers, which are unemployed models, don't know the menu, are far from pleasant, and do the minimum because they are garanteed their tip. The food is overpriced for its sub average taste. The only great thing about this place is the location. I am shocked to see this in the ""best cuban cuisine"" section, but since the owners have some influence in town, then I shouldn't be so startled about the reviews. For a lot less money than Lario's, any person can have a great dinning experience & some of the best cuban food outside of havana at the following: Las Delicias (hialeah), Latin America (hialeah 122 st), Versaille (sw 8 st), and any hole in the wall cafe in Miami will most likely provide better service & food than Lario's. Pros: good music, nice view, great drink mojito Cons: bad service, sub average food, long wait more