Madeline P.
Yelp
Bay 13 is an Aussie brewpub and one of the many working breweries to spring up in Miami over the last few years. We had a late lunch here today (Saturday) @ 2:30pm. They weren't too busy but there was one large party. It's a super cute space with plenty of outdoor seating away from traffic, although since it was sweltering we sat inside. The vibe is totally casual and not the typical Coral Gables pretentiousness.
The beer selection is phenomenal! My wife had a flight which included Uno Mas (Mexican lager), Oceana (Australian sparkling ale), Alhambra Honey (Bamberg Marzen Rauchbier), and Goofy Foot (Neipa Ale). She reported the Uno Mas was refreshing and highly recommends the Goofy Foot (hazy IPA), which she said lingers on the palate in a totally pleasing way. The other two were okay, but the sparkling ale lacked vivacity and the Alhambra Honey was anticlimatic. This was a pre-chosen flight, but you can also construct your own from their varied selection.
I had the Irish mule, which is made with Slane Irish whiskey and it was perfect! A spicy kick, yet totally refreshing. If I was rating them just on the drinks, they would definitely have earned 5 stars.
We started with the Smoked Corvina Dip. It was definitely fresh, but unfortunaely bland. We tried livening it up with some lime and salt, but it remained tediously uninteresting, lacking any of the smoky flavor one tends to associate with smoked fish dip. Corvina tends to be sweet and mild, so it may be just a poor choice for a fish dip.
I had the Aussie chicken parmesan, which is prepared with a fried egg, bacon, BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and cheese. Overall, I found it too be too much, in that there were too many strong competing flavors and an overabundance of ingredients. The caramelized onions were delicious, but clashed with the vinegary taste of the barbecue sauce, which was slathered on. I couldn't tell what type of cheese it was because the other flavors suppressed it. It looked like mozzarella. The breading was heavy handed and bland as was the chicken when I tasted it without the additions. The fries were crispy and bursting with potato flavor.
My wife had the Chickpea & Olive salad with grilled salmon, which is a spring mix with red onion, garlic, honey & sun-dried tomatoes. All the ingredients were incredibly fresh and the honey infused dressing was spectacular. There were a few too many olives, but that was easily remedied. The salmon was grilled perfectly, a little char on the outside but still moist.
Finally, the service...was incredibly friendly, but vanishing. We had to get up and go to the bar to ask for lime and salt, since our server disappeared after dropping off our appetizer. I also had to track her down for a second drink. Towards the end of our lunch the shift changed and the second group was much more attentive and efficient.
Overall, definitely worth it for the beer. Plus they have a full bar, which is not always the case with a brewery and works when your group includes non-beer drinkers. They also have an extensive list of Australian wines, which I'll be back to try. We had a couple of misses on the food, but I'm willing to give them another shot with other items on their menu because they're clearly using high quality ingredients.