"What a strange place. This Mexican restaurant in Coral Gables is a three-story fortress with an unusually high number of security guards, giant doors as big as the building itself, and multiple dining rooms with distinct menus. It sounds fun on paper—a huge Mexican restaurant with a room for every mood—but the reality is confusing and the food is forgettable. Navigating the space is equally as daunting as maneuvering Maíz Y Agave’s many menus and reservation options. Every floor has a slightly different concept. They call the first floor El Patio, a casual dining room that serves lunch and dinner, offering more common dishes like quesadillas, ceviche, and birria tacos. Up a brass elevator on the second floor, you’ll find an expanded menu and a fancier dining room that’s only open for dinner. Then there's a rooftop bar overlooking Miracle Mile. And, circling back down to the ground floor, there's yet another dark bar in a completely different room. photo credit: Maíz Y Agave photo credit: Maíz Y Agave photo credit: Maíz Y Agave Unfortunately, none of the overwhelming options here are very good. The flavors are bland and the beautiful plates are more interesting than what’s on them. They spared no expense when it comes to design. You eat on handmade plates flown in from Mexico, cut meat with engraved silverware, and are surrounded by Mexican sculptures in glass museum cases—like two pink and yellow monkeys in a staring contest. We just wish that same energy was put into the food. Food Rundown Tableside Salsa Dinner on the second floor includes complimentary salsa that’s prepared tableside and to your taste according to heat tolerance. It’s a nice start to the meal, mostly because it’s free. Mole Negro If Maíz Y Agave bottled its mole, we’d buy it in bulk. But that’s the only thing saving the otherwise dry baked beef rib. It comes with an equally disappointing mound of Mexican rice that tastes like it’s been sitting out for a few hours. Guacamole Campestre With ants, worms, and grasshoppers—this dish is a real bug’s life (or death—sorry). Insects haven’t made their way onto many Miami menus yet, so we were excited to see it, but inevitably disappointed. The insects lacked the crunch, nuttiness, or smokiness usually associated with these little fellows. Tacos De Filete Res Prime The meat on these tacos is dry, underseasoned, and doesn’t come with anything other than two dollops of guacamole and spring onion." - Virginia Otazo
