Donovan H.
Yelp
When visiting Miami, you hope the food is over the top. When going to a high tourist area such as Miami Beach, the food, ambiance, atmosphere, and experience better have that wow factor that will impress you from start to finish. After walking up and down South Beach all afternoon, my lady and I finally agreed to dine at "Call Me Cuban". Located at 1300 Ocean Drive in the heart of Miami Beach, this place is tucked right next to the Cardozo Hotel and adjacent to 13th St.
As with all businesses in this area, parking is virtually nonexistent so it is best to arrive here by foot or rideshare. Or if you're fortunate enough, there are several hotels in close proximity to this place. Even though they've only been opened since 2021, the high amount of positive Yelp reviews made this place a must-try for my lady and I. We arrived during the afternoon of Sunday 3/17/2024 at around 3:35pm in which would be a late-lunch/early-dinner. Since it was a beautiful warm 84°F day, we opted to sit outside where you can get a full view of the park and beach only a couple hundred feet away.
If you do plan on dining inside, this place has a dazzling interior including a pink neon sign that reads "Miami Made me do it!", a hot pink piano, colorful lighting, and comfy snakeskin lounge chairs. The entire representation of Cuba is apparent here as everything is presented quite beautifully. Best of all, this place has very generous hours of operation being open Monday-Friday from 9am-11pm and Saturday-Sunday from 9am-12am. This includes several rotating menus including Brunch, Happy Hour, Cocktails, and standard food menu.
Since I was starving, I decided on ordering an appetizer of their "Tostones" (crispy fried plantains). My main entrée was their "Vaca Frita" which consisted of caramelized crust angus beef topped with onions, Mojo, Moro, and Maduro. My lady went with their "Guacamole A La Cubana" as her appetizer of choice. This used fresh avocados, jalapeño pico de gallo, and crispy Malanga chips. She opted for their "Pollo Cuban Tacos" which use lemongrass chicken, coriander, and cilantro topped with roasted pineapples, pico de gallo, and guacamole cream. Finally, we opted for a bucket of iced cold Coronas; only $20 for four! Not a bad deal considering you're at the heart of South Beach.
As far as my angus beef, it was seasoned and cooked to perfection as the meat was very tender while I could taste the authentic Cuban seasonings. My plantains were also quite delicious as they gave me four very generous pieces that were caramelized to perfection. And the crispy Tostones had an excellent crispiness when dipped in the dressing. Even the Cuban rice w/black beans tasted delicious. I also had a couple bites of her taco and the chicken tasted moist and above average. Our waitress was very friendly and accommodating as she always made sure we were being taken care of.
I will say that I was somewhat quite hesitant eating a big meal at South Beach since prices tend to be significantly higher than other parts of Miami. But this place was actually reasonably priced as we were able to stay full throughout the rest of the afternoon. All in all, I am going to give "Call Me Cuban" a perfect and unanimous five-star Yelp review. Excellent food, service, ambiance, and a great overall experience!