Casa Vigil Miami
Argentinian restaurant · Miami ·
Wine-focused Argentine eatery with tasting menus and steaks
Wine-focused Argentine eatery with tasting menus and steaks
"Alejandro Vigil, celebrated as the “Messi of Wines,” has opened Casa Vigil in Upper Buena Vista, bringing his Michelin-starred Argentine restaurant to the U.S. The two-story establishment, designed for wine enthusiasts, offers a menu by chef Cesar Gonzalez Aznar that includes a five-course tasting with wine pairings and à la carte dishes. Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, Casa Vigil features distinct areas like La Cava with over 700 wine labels, El Patio, and the newly debuted rooftop terrace, El Cielo. The venue also focuses on wine education led by sommelier Miguel Martinez and will soon introduce a market selling wines." - Juliana Accioly
"Casa Vigil Miami marks the second outpost of its restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina, which blends Mediterranean and Basque cuisine with Argentine influences. For lunch, guests can choose from starters like “El Tomate” with clarified tomato water, anchovy, and basil, as well as main dishes such as the costilla with mashed potatoes and demi-glace. For dinner, Casa Vigil offers two menu options at $45 or $60. The latter provides a discounted version of the restaurant’s popular five-course tasting menu with offerings like wagyu carpaccio with foie micuit and Parmigiano-Reggiano; rack of lamb with carrots milhojas; and black rice with calamari, parsley, and garlic aioli. Casa Vigil’s wine list is curated by chef-owner Mikel Goikolea, whom the Michelin guide calls “the Messi of Wines.”" - Juliana Accioly
"Alejandro Vigil, celebrated as the “Messi of Wines,” has opened Casa Vigil in Upper Buena Vista, bringing his Michelin-starred Argentine restaurant to the U.S. The two-story establishment, designed for wine enthusiasts, offers a menu by chef Cesar Gonzalez Aznar that includes a five-course tasting with wine pairings and à la carte dishes. Inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” Casa Vigil features distinct areas like La Cava with over 700 wine labels, El Patio, and the rooftop terrace El Cielo. The venue also focuses on wine education led by sommelier Miguel Martinez and will soon introduce a market selling wines." - Olee Fowler
"Casa Vigil is a restaurant originally from Argentina. Its Miami location is inside the Upper Buena Vista complex, and while it has an impressive and extensive wine list, it doesn’t have many other attractive qualities to go along with that wine. The food here is under seasoned and ineffective. A single (and forgettable) empanada will cost you around $10. You won’t be able to find a single grain of salt on the tomato salad. And the confusingly bad ribeye milanesa is just a regular ribeye with a fried exterior shell that slides off when you slice into it, revealing a sad, grey steak. Plus, the housemade potato chips that come with it are so floppy they wave like a flag in the breeze. Add to that a painfully generic pop soundtrack, bad cocktails, and you’ve got a restaurant you can comfortably ignore for now." - Ryan Pfeffer
"Dubbed the “Messi of Wines” by the Michelin Guide, Alejandro Vigil has launched the U.S. debut of his popular Argentine restaurant in Upper Buena Vista; I note the two-floor, rustic upscale space is clearly built with wine lovers in mind and offers a menu meant to complement a large selection of unique wines. Vigil is best known for wines that have earned top ratings on prestigious lists like Robert Parker’s 100-Point Wines, and the original Casa Vigil, which opened in Mendoza in 2015, was recently awarded one Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star for its selection of affordable and rare wines from Mendoza and other wine-producing regions. Created by chef Cesar Gonzalez Aznar, the Miami menu features a five-course tasting accompanied by three tiers of wine pairings designed to augment flavors and introduce diners to wine regions, vintages, and styles; à la carte items include empanadas, tablas, rib eye Milanesa, 40-day dry-aged braised Angus costilla, burrata, Chilean sea bass, and the popular Basque cheesecake. The restaurant emphasizes wine education with tastings led by sommelier Miguel Martinez for both connoisseurs and novices, offering rare selections such as Chateau Petrus 2004 and Giancomo Conterno “Monfortino Riserva” 2006. Inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” the 150-seat venue is divided into La Cava—the main dining room with a wine cellar of over 700 labels—El Patio, an outdoor terrace, and El Cielo, a rooftop terrace scheduled to open in January 2024; it also features two 12-seat bars serving cocktails, plans to launch an on-site market selling wines, and is open Sunday–Wednesday noon–10 p.m. and Thursday–Saturday noon–11 p.m., with weekend brunch coming soon." - Olee Fowler