Major Foodie P.
Google
Novecento: A Chain That Forgot Its Accent
Novecento in Aventura, part of a once-beloved South Florida group inspired by Argentine cooking, now feels like a restaurant trading on distant memories. I hadn’t been back in more than five years; time has not been kind.
The evening began poorly. The hostess shuffled us between small, unready tables with irritation, and when the manager stepped in mid-shuffle, he was equally short about helping us settle. We were eventually seated, and our server was genuinely kind—a small but notable contrast. The warm bread arrived only after our starter, nullifying its role as a welcome. It came with an eggplant-based spread of egg, oil, garlic, and onion—not Argentine, but genuinely good.
We opened with grilled provoleta, an Argentine classic meant to seduce. Instead, it arrived undersized and excessively oily, missing the promised oregano and topped with a single cold, stubborn slice of tomato. Oily, it turned out, was a recurring theme throughout the meal.
The Novecento parrillada included chicken, sausages, sweetbreads, entraña, and bife de chorizo. None stood out. The meats were chewy and subpar, especially when measured against other strong Argentine restaurants in South Florida. Having just returned from Argentina, the gap felt especially pronounced. Sides were forgettable, and the use of small ceramic plates subtly underscored the restaurant’s reduced caliber.
Once distinctive, Novecento now feels overly commercial and disconnected from its roots. I wouldn’t return to this location.