Armstrong Jazz House — Restaurant in Coral Gables

Armstrong Jazz House Will Fly You to the Moon!

By: Veronica Suarez

It was a dreamy summer night when I first arrived at Armstrong: Coral Gables first jazz restaurant nestled in the heart of The City Beautiful—Miracle Mile. Flourishing with culture and creativity, Armstrong offers live music seven days of the week, from 4 p.m. to midnight. If serving daily jazz on the menu wasn’t enough, they also cater to health-conscious customers who love organic and non-GMO food with no antibiotics or hormones. Having a venue with healthy food and serious jazz (arguably the most artistic and greatest art form born out of American soil) is an ambitious undertaking to watch unfold, and as a creative writer, I had to take the time to write a review of this amazing jazz house because venues like these are a novelty in this city—you’re not going to find a place as unique as Armstrong anywhere in Miami.

On a Saturday night, I arrived at Armstrong a little past seven. I didn’t have time to make reservations for three people, so I waited outside until there was space at the bar. As a small venue, Armstrong requires reservations for tables, but if you want to be spontaneous, show up before 7 and get on the waiting list. They have this system in place because they want customers to feel comfortable inside, so just be patient because they truly want to serve you.

I didn’t mind waiting the fifteen minutes outside my favorite place in all of Miami—Miracle Mile. No matter how many times I’ve observed the Mediterranean Revival architecture of this city, I still love watching the sunset settle over City Hall, the golden light falling on the glistening palm leaves near the concrete medians. In all my life, I’ve loved this city, and now with Armstrong, there is so much more to explore.

As I sat at the bar, I saw the sparkling silver chandeliers and the crimson neon lights of the jazz sign. I heard the thumping clef notes of the upright bass and noticed the palpable chemistry of the talented band. Armstrong is sophisticated: servers were wearing bow ties, and attendants were wearing suits. But even with the classy vibe, customers were dressed casually. The multicultural Miami was reflected in the array of people there.

As the band played for many hours, we ordered several fermented mixed drinks which were modestly priced at $13. I only sip one drink per night, but as fermented alcohol gives less of a hangover, I ended up savoring two mixed drinks: Ellington’s Mango Swing (a Mojito) and Monk’s Melodic Mix (a Bellini). My first drink, however, was an Argentinian red wine. There’s nothing as sexy as sipping on Malbec in a long wine glass while listening to the smooth tunes of a trumpet player.

Around 10 p.m., the band took requests for songs, and our kind and skillful bartender informed us of their open mic hour: where customers could perform with the band. I requested “My Funny Valentine,” and to my delight, there was a professional singer in the crowd who sang it with intense depth and emotion: her powerful voice resonated in the venue capturing everyone’s attention.

We ended the night with a detox tea they steep daily. It’s served in a delicate cup and tastes delicious. Earlier in the night, we also had complimentary bone broth shots, and we also tried shots of Espresso Martinis.

With a prolific Instagram page and a strong social media presence, Armstrong is here to stay in Coral Gables, but to keep such an undertaking alive requires constant support from the community it serves by preserving the culture of jazz. Miami is having a cultural renaissance, and Armstrong is a part of it. Who would want to miss out on this cultural gem?

As for me, I went to sleep listening to “My Favorite Things” by Coltrane, the reverend of jazz. The heavy stars shone brighter tonight all because Neil Armstrong flew to the moon and landed in the city of miracles. He walked by a jazz house named after him to hear the soulful croon of a saxophone echoing through the long summer...

I saw this restaurant on TikTok and it seemed very romantic and nice for Valentine’s Day so I made a reservation where I had to pay $10 to reserve. We arrived to the restaurant at 9:45 PM for our 10 PM reservation. We checked in and received a complementary shot of some kind, which was very nice. They asked us to wait a few minutes which we did. They have a very nice outdoor seating area that they don’t seem to use to have people eat there but more of like a waiting area. We waited until 10:15 and what seemed to be a manager or the owner told us a told us a table is getting wiped down for us and we will be seated in one minute. 10:25 came around and the same manager/owner person apologized saying that they gave our table to someone else and offered to bring us drinks on the house. We didn’t mind because it seemed like the manager/owner was very attentive and it was nice to sit outside while listening to the band. It then became 10:35, and we noticed that a couple who arrived after we did was seated first. I spoke to the hostess to let her know that we have been waiting and she kinda shrugged her shoulders and said that we will be seated next. It was 10:45 when the manager/owner came outside and offered us a free appetizer which we declined and offered 50% or 15% off the meal, it was loud outside, so we couldn’t hear very well. Time past again, and we received the appetizer but no drinks. During this whole time there was waiter serving us waters, which was nice. Finally around 11:05 we were seated and the owner/manager told us that he paid the band to play a little longer so we could enjoy the full experience since the band was supposed to end their set at 11. We entered and we ordered immediately. The food okay. We never received the drinks we ordered that we’re supposed to be on the house or the discount and my partner, and I were tired by that point we wanted to go home. We paid $73 overall for a bit so great experience. I know Valentine’s Day can be overwhelming for a...

If you walk by and see that Happy hour is 50% off of drinks and appetizers - double check your receipts. The food was less than great. The skirt steak was burnt and cold, the truffle Mac and cheese was as good as a boxed Mac&Cheese. It had a hint of truffle in ONE bite. The drinks were spectacular with a wonderful wine selection and a decent mocktail menu. The daytime atmosphere was wonderful with it being a cozy, dark, velvet and just old New York. Once the sun goes down that dark atmosphere adds to the cozy Roaring 20s feel. The band gets started at 6 and boy were they STUPENDOUS! Prior to the band going on stage and in between sets the background music made me fall into a trance.Our waitress, Arlene, was not very atrentive when she was given more than 2 tables. Tables were waving her down and the table next to ours complained of cold onion soup and even called another server over to get her to come back with a drink. Customer service in a place like this, is everything and she is the weak link in the group. It seems like she was here because she HAD to be here not because she enjoyed it. The gentleman server was cracking jokes with tables around us, took our picture and was really there for his tables. Our experience might have been that much better if we had been seated there. At the end of our evening, our bill came and there was no Happy Hour discount… when asked for it the discount was only 20%… I had to speak to someone else to verify that it was indeed 50% and not 20% between 4-6pm. Please have them email or text your receipts to double check because our server made an error and it left a sour taste in my mouth-much like the cold skirt steak did.

Music was amazing and will come back to sit at the BAR and have only drinks and listen...