Essensia Restaurant at The Palms Hotel & Spa

A decent spot for brunch or lunch, but the overall experience was underwhelming. The food was moderately tasty, though nothing particularly memorable. The biggest disappointment was the coffee—the iced latte was extremely watered down and honestly worse than what I could make at home with a basic cappuccino machine. Our vegetable dish also missed the mark in presentation; while the flavor was fine, it looked carelessly plated, almost like a pile of scraps. Aside from that, we don’t have major complaints, but it’s probably not a place we’d rush back to.

Amazing Experience – Worth Every Penny! This place is simply outstanding! Whether it’s the restaurant, bar, spa, or hotel, the quality and attention to detail are top-notch. Every time I ordered tea, it came beautifully presented with honey on the side, a thoughtful touch that made the experience even more special. The food is absolutely delicious, generously portioned, and while it’s a bit pricey, the quality more than justifies the cost. You truly get what you pay for! The staff are incredibly respectful, friendly, and attentive, making sure you feel welcome and valued throughout your stay. The ambiance and atmosphere are nothing short of beautiful—perfect for relaxing, dining, or simply soaking in the luxurious surroundings. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a memorable and high-quality experience

It was a poor experience. Considering that they only had two tables to serve, it took 45 minutes to get our order and the food was overcooked. The waiter brought our drinks quickly and we haven’t seen him until he brought our order. No update on the food or if we wanted another drinks. The Senior Food Manager came to our table when we asked for the bill and offered to take over it. She was very professional and it was a nice gesture. We payed for our drinks and leaved a tip but we won’t be back.

We went for meatless Monday special menu and we loved the food. You can also order from the regular menu. The wines by the glass were excellent. The atmosphere is beautiful, old Florida classic style. Service was attentive and friendly. I would return in a minute

I visited here 2 days back to back. On the first day, our lunch was really slow. Turns out they were having technical difficulties with the kitchen receiving tickets. Leo was great. He explained and apologized with a bowl of fruit. The food was delicious. We had the kale salad and fish tacos. We also had Pure Passion. Be careful with those. They are delicious and sneak up on you. On the second day, we had a party of 22 for my sister's birthday. The max should've been 20, but they accommodated the extra 2 at the last minute. Cynthia was great helping with the planning. We lucked out and had Leo as our waiter again. He's awesome! The food was again delicious. We ordered off a specific menu that they shared with us in advance. I had the salmon and another Pure Passion. The fish was perfectly cooked. Everyone had a great time. The ambiance is beautiful and relaxing. FYI. Lunch for 2 costs ~$100 on the first day. For the second day, my meal alone cost $109 including 18% tip (which is included regardless of how many are in your party. Hey, it's Florida. 🤷🏽‍♀️), 1 drink, and 4 course meal. If you're strapped for cash, you might want to go somewhere else.

Omg I love the place. Very good quality food, simply delicious. Fingers lick it too little said. I come here for breakfast, lunch, dinner and it is always so pleasant , great and nice service. The burger is amazingly delicious, I recommend trying it. Everybody has to come here at any time to eat something . I won't regret it.

Superb! My only complaint was finding a tiny chunk of meat in my vegetarian spaghetti which normally I would be pissed about being as though I'm a vegetarian, but the energy of the environment was so serene I couldn't get upset. Customer service was always pleasantly friendly and accommodating. Please be more careful when preparing vegetarian meals, I Understand accidents happens which is why it doesn't reflect my 5 stars. - Tarica ❤

In town from Minnesota and decided to grab breakfast at a hotel down the street this morning. Overall amazing experience. The Palms is a lovely hotel, the hostess was very polite and helpful regarding the menu (she showed us both breakfast and brunch so we were able to decide if we wanted to wait for brunch or order breakfast), we were seated quickly, got a wonderful spot outside partially in the sun, partially in the shade. We ordered the fruit plate to start, so delicious. I ordered the quinoa lemon poppy seed pancakes and I promise they are just as good as the other reviews. I have celiac disease so this was a great option and I didn't get sick! The aesthetic/decor/vibe of the restaurant was great. Our server was so attentive, friendly, and kind. I wish I remembered his name! Overall, it was a great experience and we may come back again on this trip!

I came to the Essensia indoor and outside bar area a few times during my stay and it did not disappoint! The food was great - the tuna tartare was SO fresh. Shrimp Ceviche and cheese board were excellent too. The service is fast and attentive.

I'll preface this by saying we enjoyed our stay at The Palms, and this review is not a reflection of the resort. Our only experience with Essensia was during breakfast. We started with the Bakery Basket, an assortment of croissants and dessert breads. When it arrived, I was a bit surprised to see mini croissants and a half serving of the dessert breads (think of a serving of pound cake just cut in half). While it wasn't bad, it tasted like it came out of a prepacked container from Walmart. For $16, I expected a little more, and not breads cut in half. We also had the omelet with home fries. The omelet was great. The home fries were gross, and that's legitimately the best word to describe it. It was either potatoes made from the day before or made very early in the morning and allowed to sit under a heat lamp for hours. It was dried out and stale. It just feels like this place cuts corners, and for the inflated price, it's simply unacceptable.

This is a nice brunch place in a beautiful hotel. Very tropical and serene. Staff was very friendly and our food was good, some dishes better than others.

We had a nice visit to Essensia to try their Miami Spice menu. We decided to sit on the patio, where the ambiance was comfortable and inviting. I started with the local red snapper crudo followed by my main the kimchi turmeric fried rice, while my friend went for the Za'atar chicken kebab. For dessert I had the passion fruit mousse which ended up being my favorite part of the meal while my friend had the chocolate dome. The drinks were good too.

We had a great visit to Essensia! We sat on the patio, which had a great ambiance. It started raining and the closed the curtain liners so it didn't detract from the experience at all. The bar drinks were very tasty. The calamari was nicely done; not chewy and only the rings. I had the gnocchi and short ribs and it did not disappoint. My husband tried a bite and thought it was too salty, so maybe avoid if you're sensitive to that. I thought it was delicious. He had the striped bass. He was not overly impressed as it wasn't flavorful or moist. It was a very small portion as well. The dessert menu was not tempting us so we had a cappuccino, which was great! An overall very nice experience, great service and good food.

This was a great meal after my appointment at the Spa! I sat on the patio and there were fans to keep us cool in the hot, Miami weather. There is a lunch menu that offers affordable options. I got the Palms burger and truffle fries. It was sooo good! The service was also amazing. I was given chilled water the second I sat down. This is a great restaurant for your next trip!

We were staying at the hotel so figured we'd try it out of convenience. Service was good and setting was nice, but the breakfast food was very average but priced like an expensive hotel's. Waffle ($16) was cold and small and the pancakes ($19) were a substantial stack but burnt on the bottom. Glad we didn't pay the $39/person for the buffet. This is Miami Beach so there are plenty of cheaper and better breakfast options within a few block radius.

After a few days of drinking more than our usual share and eating a lot of fancy meals, I decided to dial it back a bit on Sunday morning as we were on our way back home. OK, just a bit, because I did enjoy a Rum and Stormy to start (well made and delicious) :) For my entree, I really did dial it back, though, and selected the Salmon and Mango Bowl. This was a very substantial salad, with a very generous cut of salmon and a huge sliced avocado half as the centerpieces. The salmon was perfectly cooked and moist, and the mango chunks were moderately sweet and tender. Although I'm generally not a raw tomato fan, the heirloom cherry tomatoes added nice visual interest and flavor. Greens were fresh and had a nice crunch, and the Key lime vinaigrette was good enough to drink straight. Our service was excellent, and the setting was very nice, outdoor and airy, with a well done beach motif throughout. This was a very relaxing "getaway day" meal.

I spent a Sunday evening enjoying the Miami Spice dinner menu. The food was really good portions for Miami Spice. I really loved the service from the moment you walk into The Palms Hotel & Spa you feel so relaxed. Clarissa was an amazing host & Vanessa was probably the best server I have had in a while. Vanessa was so kind & really chill plus she really made sure I enjoyed the food & sparkling rose - you can tell she really cared & wanted me to have a wonderful meal. In addition, the rest of her team worked so well together they really made my meal very memorable. The restaurant is huge & they walk back & forth & back & forth all day in the heat but still were in good moods plus very prompt with everything! The food was good but I will definitely be back for the service, I really felt the upscale peaceful vibes. I had 3 desserts because why not, live a little! My total tab was over $100 just for myself so this place is pricey outside of the Miami Spice items, FYI.

The staff was great (we have a 4yo and they were adorable to her), the food was very good (delicious burger and cheesecake), the prices very decent for the area - and the space is lovely. We'll be back!

It is always a pleasure to have dinner in this place. Both the owner and the staff have always been very welcoming and do a great job creating an ambiance for their clientele. Every single time I have dinner here I must order their fried calamari. Hands down the best appetizer on their menu. As for their entrees, I would recommend their filet minion, medium rare.... thank me later :) The Palms is a great place for a first date, or simply to hang out with friends. Their wine menu list is pretty large. You will find the wine you like for sure.

I got married here in May and this venue and this food is all indicative of the staff they have here. Everything was so top notch it's easy to see this would be a recommended venue from both a wedding perspective and a location to stay during travels. The one thing I heard from multiple guests was just how great the food was, and this is seldom heard as wedding food is often large batch and either cold or minimal. I love every single thing I ate as pictured below and would definitely go back to try their brunch. Vanessa to day of coordinator and palms wedding and event liaison was so great to deal with and ultimately her great hospitality was the reason my wife and I chose this location over the others we saw where staff was not as receptive. If you're in the area make sure to stop by as the resort grounds and restaurant are amazing in sight and taste.

Really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Food was consistent. Service and the overall organization with staff was not good and it seems like they weren't the most coordinated as far as seating, ordering, food timing, etc but the overall ambiance was nice enough and they were polite.

Today's lunch felt like a vacation. I always have felt that while eating on the patio outside. My friend had the shrimp cocktail - 5 gorgeous jumbo shrimps with cocktail sauce - and the smoked salmon flatbread. She enjoyed it; I'm not drawn to flatbread. It's been a while since I've had tacos so I went with the fish tacos. Three very tasty small tacos with a nice side salad. The only issue was that if you eat slowly, by the time you reach the third, the corn tortilla is quite soggy. Perhaps the tortillas should be doubled. I splurged on the Chocolate Decadence dessert - really chocolatey bite. Beware, if you use the valet, the restaurant was quite slow at finding a manager to validate our ticket. We finally went to the hotel check-in desk to get it. The wait for our car was also much too long. Both put a crimp on an otherwise quite enjoyable lunch.

We were at the Palms for a relaxing post-Christmas weekend and decided to try out the restaurant. We split the $99 surf and turf, and then had the lava cake for dessert. The shrimp was very tasty, the asparagus was well prepared. The steak was fine, but soaked in the Bernaise sauce. The lobster tail was dry and tough and very over cooked, and the lava cake was not good at all. The waiter was very attentive at first but left us hanging at the end. It was an okay restaurant, but we agreed not worth the price paid for the quality of food received. If you're inside the hotel and don't want to leave, it'll do, but know you're paying for that convenience rather than the food quality.

Sat down outside with a party of 4. Took 15 minutes to be seen by a waiter. We placed our drinks, app, and lunch all together because it took so long. Mules we're okay, iced coffee was horrible. Our app came out with our meals. Only 3 /4 meals came out and waited an additional 20 minutes for last meal to come out when rest of partys meal were finished. When I expressed I was unhappy and wish to speak to the manager... the waiter simply ignored my request and gave us 3 free shots. With Eagerness to get back to beach we paid and left. DO NOT DINE HERE

After staying the weekend... more mixed reviews. The restaurant breakfast and service was good. Staff is nice. The pool bar waitress was great. Roxanne. But the bar itself was slooooooow. 3 bartenders and no service ? Might not had stung so much had we not been in an expensive suite. Paid for a luxury weekend and found ourselves in a non luxury resort.

The restaurant has nice outdoor seating by the pool area. The ambience is very nice. The waitress was nice, the service was a bit slow even though it wasn't packed but we were not in a rush so it was ok. This place seems a little unorganized and the waiters and cleaning staff seem overwhelmed. One man was limping and two other staff members had very disinterested and unhappy expressions on their face. We didn't receive water for the table which is usually the first thing. We ordered coffee and they brought it with no cream or sweetener options besides brown sugar cubes. It took a while to get the waitresses attention for the creamer. We both ordered the chicken and waffles and the menu states that it comes with French fries, fruit or mixed greens. When I ordered the fries the waitress told me if doesn't come with it. I said but it says it right here on the menu and she said it's a mistake but she'll give it me anyway. Ok fine. The food took about 15-20 minutes to come out and the waffles were horrible! Very dense and dry, more like biscuit instead of waffle. I couldn't eat it. The chicken was okay, not seasoned, very bland but cooked well. I asked for something else and they were very nice about it. I ordered the 3 egg omelet with feta, tomatos and bacon. The omelet was ok, no season, no taste. The bacon was dry and almost like jerky. When we got the bill the omelet came out to $23 and $5 extra for the bacon. The menu had it listed for $19 and $3 for the bacon. I asked the waitress and she said it was a misprint and I'm thinking why does this upscale establishment not have accurate menus? She brought the manager and I showed her the menu and she changed the omelette price not the bacon. I just paid and left because I was annoyed at this point. Overall the food here is not tasty so if tasty is what you want I would go somewhere else. I think this is more of a convenience for patrons of the hotel like room service food rather than a high end dining experience.

I love the palms and the restaurant was just as amazing as everything else! The manager was so kind to my little girls, one of which was celebrating her 6th birthday. She even brought her (and her sister) a surprise bowl of ice cream to celebrate. They were really amazing and my girls will remember this night :)

We came to eat at about 4pm and the tabled area was closed. We just arrived after a long flight so we opted to eat near the bar. We looked at their outdoor seating and all of them were dirty. We told one of the workers that's the tables were dirty. He said theirs room at the bar. The stools in the bar area are awkwardly small. So we sat on the sofas. Our guava mojitos were great . The burgers were good. As someone else mentioned, the bar service is slow.

The food for breakfast is equivalent to something you would see for free at a holiday inn or best johnsons. Service is great but quality doesnt match the hotel character or how they promote themselves. Eggs arent real.

Slow service and the food is not worth the price. I ordered a $18 chicken sandwich and the meat was cold and tasted like it was defrosted hours prior. Never going back...

Great place for breakfast/brunch. Beautiful setting and very pleasant staff. Ate here several times during a stay and enjoyed both the buffet and a la carte menu.