Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market
Reviews
Name: Tilza Rizzo-Caceres
Occupation: Eyebrow Artist at Nordstrom Merrick Park
Lives In: Aventura
Restaurant Pick: Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market
Reviewed: Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market on 11/6/12 at 8pm
Their menu is simple yet beyond fresh and we always love to order the grilled yellowtail as the spices they rub it with is out of this world flavors such as garlic, cumin, and paprika tantalize your Caribbean palate. The spice on the yellow tail is so finger licking god that we even suck al the flavoring from the small little spines. Then you have the option of different sides we usually get the tostones which are cooked to perfection and all areas of the tostones from center to end is crispy, they serve a small cilantro sauce for them too. Then the other side we love is the rice with fish which taste like its has been cooking all day on the stove. Even when you first sit down they give you a little small serving of the fish dip and crackers which is beyond amazing. Their desert is simple yet so rich we always have the cheese flan which can only be eaten little at a time as the richness is and flavor is delightfully pungent. And of course one must have a cuban coffee and let them sweeten to perfection!
Garcia's is like stepping off the boat from a days fishing trip and taking your freshest catch to your Cuban grandmothers kitchen so she could spice it up with her secret ingredients and pairing it with Cuban comfort!
Name: Jecic Molina
Occupation: Controller/Transportation Industry
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: La Crêperie
Reviewed: Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market on 11/11/12 at 5:30 pm
Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market is a quality family restaurant. The fish is fresh, their sides are tasty, and their fried fish roe is one of the better one’s I have had. The Fish Market is a bonus if you are interested in purchasing fresh seafood to go. The portions were good and the sunset view of the Miami River was indeed lovely. I only wish our server would have been more informative about the specials. While the price is adequate for the regular menu items, the daily specials, while extremely tasty, were a bit overpriced and out of step with the rest of the menu.
Name: Michael Justiz
Occupation: Producer
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: Green Papaya
Reviewed: Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market on 11/14/12 at 7 pm
Location was really impressive because driving to it past the Miami River always brings up fond childhood memories of living in Miami. Once we arrived we parked directly across the street but we didn’t know that there was free valet parking. Had we not had the convenient parking it’s nice to have someone else take care of the parking being that it is limited in this area. We walked in and loved the ambience of the counter and seafood store on the first floor. We went upstairs to the restaurant and entered into the main dining room with the bar. It was not a crowded night being the middle of the week and the nautical décor matched the location perfectly. We decided to eat outside being the weather was delightful and found a table right by the edge. Within a minute the waiter was there with a joke and a smile bringing us our waters and menus. The menu is limited in scope but there was a few things that caught our eye. My wife ordered the Fried Yellowtail with yellow rice and sweet plantains. I ordered the grilled shrimp with parsley potatoes and sweet plantains as well but I also ordered a salad. As we were waiting for the meal an odor arose that I thought was a clogged grease trap. It turns out we were down wind of the sewage pumping station next door which if the wind was blowing from west northwest would never have been noticed. Our food came and with no separation of time for the salad to be enjoyed first but that’s just as well because it was for the most part all wilted lettuce and not appealing to any palette but that of a manatee. My wife’s fish was delicious and with a perfect Fisharron… kind of a fish chicharron crunchy salty exterior mixed with the delicate and amazingly freshness of the fish made for a joyful experience. My shrimp came at a count of only five shrimp … though delicious the meal would’ve been better served by one or two more. My parsley potatoes had a sofrito mix in there which added to the tastiness of the side dish. Now being an expert on sweet plantains I have to tell you these were absolutely delightful crunchy and caramely on the fringe and sweet and soft in the center. Then came the dessert a key lime pie that though tasty it lacked the tartness within the filling that would’ve taken it a perfect level. All in all a nice evening aside from the fact that it took us an hour to purge the stench in our olfactory senses from treatment plant after we left… next time we’ll eat inside.
Restaurant Information
Location: 398 N.W North River Drive, Miami, FL 33128
Parking: Yes – free valet
Phone: (305) 375-0765
Website: www.garciasmiami.com
Restaurant Owners: Esteban Garcia Jr., Luis Garcia, and Maria Luisa Garcia
Executive Chef: N/A
Pastry Chef: N/A
Type of Cuisine: Seafood
Signature Dishes: Grilled whole yellowtail
Vegetarian Options: Salads or Pasta
Alcohol Served: Full bar
Corkage Fee: None
Bottle Limit: None
Restaurant Hours:
Monday – 11:00am – 10:00pm
Tuesday – 11:00am – 10:00pm
Wednesday – 11:00am – 10:00pm
Thursday – 11:00am – 10:00pm
Friday – 11:00am – 11:00pm
Saturday – 11:00am – 11:00pm
Sunday – 11:00am – 11:00pm
Meals Served: lunch and dinner
Prix Fix Menu: No
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: No
Average Dinner Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 15% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $25-$30
Average Lunch Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 15% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $15-$18
Payment Options: do you accept credit cards and if so, which ones? all
Accept reservations: yes
Need Reservations: preferably for party of 6 or more
How far in advance do you require reservations be made: 3 days
Accommodations for children: Yes
Dining Style: Casual and relax
Disabled Access: Yes
Restaurant Size: 200
Accommodate Groups: Yes
Private Dining Room: Yes
Tables with Scenic Views: Yes. If you like, I can consider the river scenic
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Entertainment: Occasionally