4. Larios on the Beach

I thought it would be better...
My wife is a big follower of what celebrity owns what restaurants -- so Larios was on her hit list. Had the full meal with the entire family + 2 friends (Wife, 2 Sons, 1 Daughter and their 2 friends and I) -- I don't mind spending the money if the food and experience is worth it, but I have to say this place was pure hype. The service came with a full dish of attitude and when the food finally came -- honestly? It just wasn't anything special. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't make it an experience worth a repeat. There are better places off the SB strip that serve out of this world Cuban Cusine and are much more affordable. Even the wife said it sucked...hahaha. So, if you're just into sitting where the "in people" like to be seen...this is probably a good place. If you like bang for the buck...then its probably a good place to skip.

I love Cuban food and I love Lorios.
My hotel the South Beach Plaza Villas Hotel recommended Larios for dinner. It was only a short walk down Beach. We got there very very busy and we were up in the air on if Larios was worth the wait. Thank god we did we stayed. Larios is more then worth an hour or more wait. We were seated on the second floor. Larry and Efrin were there to welcome us. They asked us were we were from and had some some great conversation with them both. We ordered the Starters and they came in a very respectable time. They were to die for. This was only the first suprise of the night. We finished and had a little wait till the main course. I like that. There was no hurry to feed you and push you out the door. Then the best Cuban food I have ever had started to hit our table. Every single bite was total bliss of pure heaven. It was better then sex. I can not wait to go back to South Beach Miami and try everthing on the menu. I love Cuban food and have never had Cuban any better then this. The 2nd floor is more laid back and not as noisy as the lower level which had a DJ who was burning insents the were bad on my breathing. The outside patio is very very busy as well. I would ask for the 2nd floor and for Larry and Efrin to serve you. They are to bomb and very laid back and causual. I wanted to bring them home with me and keep them to myself. Things to get: Drinks: Mojito Starters: Masitas De Puerco and Fried Plantain Chips and the Potato Balls Main Course: Bistec La Milanesa and Churrasco Best Floor: 2nd Level Best Servers: Larrey and Efrin Price came up to 140.00 before tip for 3 people and we were so stuffed we needed rolled out.

Horrible is putting it mildly. We are from NY and are not used to the poor service. First, the hostess sat us outside close to the inside wall, which we didn't really care where we sat and we explained this to the hostess. Well, we had the rudest waitress imaginable. She had such an attitude and proceeded to tell us that the tables are only for people who are ordering from the full menu. I guess two rounds of drinks and appetizers weren’t enough for Ms. Attitude. How were we to know? We ordered the appetizer sample; the pork was so dry that my leather shoe would have been more succulent. The croquette was so salty that not even the drinks helped. If you really hate someone you should recommend Larios, other than that, please skip the restaurant all together.