Tinta Y Cafe - Coral Gables — Restaurant in Coral Gables

Dear Management,

I am writing this message after one of the most unpleasant and baffling experiences I’ve ever had at any restaurant, and that’s saying a lot considering I’ve been a loyal customer of Tinta y Café for quite some time.

On the morning of 10/11/25, a group of five friends and I arrived at your place. Because of parking, our arrivals were staggered. I was the first one to enter, and I spoke to one of your employees, a tall white male with blonde hair who carries himself like he’s auditioning for a TikTok boy band. Initially, he seemed polite, and I explained that we were a group of six, but we didn’t need to be seated together, given the fact that he said they only had 1 table that could fit us. I clarified that I could sit with three others while the remaining two could get their own table once they arrived.

What happened next was astonishing. Despite there being no legitimate reason to refuse, he flat-out denied that arrangement, not once but multiple times, even after I calmly restated what I meant. I wasn’t asking for special treatment. I was simply asking for two separate tables for two separate groups of people who happened to know each other. When I pressed him to explain how that could possibly be against policy, he had no answer beyond “I can’t do that.”

When my friends arrived shortly after, we tried again, thinking perhaps there was a misunderstanding. Instead, he accused us of trying to get around his rule, refused to seat us, and even called the manager, who was shockingly more dismissive and rude than his employee. This manager refused to hear us out, cut us off mid-sentence, and essentially told us to leave.

No one in our group raised their voice, disrespected staff, or caused any disruption. Yet we were treated like a problem the moment we walked in. The only conclusion we could draw is that your staff were profiling or discriminating based on appearance or assumption, which, if true, is disgraceful for an establishment that serves a diverse community in Miami.

I’ve been to Tinta y Café many times before and genuinely enjoyed the food. But no quality of coffee or pastelito can justify this level of arrogance and lack of hospitality. This was not a misunderstanding. It was a clear display of disrespect and incompetence.

And frankly, the experience was so absurd that I didn’t even bother writing this myself. I had ChatGPT write it for me, because after the lack of respect your staff showed my friends and me, I refuse to waste another ounce of my own time or brain energy crafting this...

I recently CHOSE to patronize the Tinta Y Cafe - Miami Shores and found the staff to be very kind and welcoming. I realized there is an additional Tinta Y Cafe in Coral Gables and went there as it's closer to order the exact same coffee drink I'd ordered in Miami Shores. This was yesterday afternoon - Saturday, July 12th.

The young lady wearing the pink and black InterMiami soccer jersey and her hair pulled back in a bun was very kind while taking our order and our hard earned money to tender the order. Once we received the coffee drinks and tasted them, they tasted awful. The drink consisted of two milk types weren't blended at all. The coffee itself tasted, strong, cheap and overbrewed lacking any distinguishable notes.

I very nicely asked the young lady that took our order could she please add some more condensed milk to the top of the drink. Another woman, with short black hair (she's pictured in another, recent negative review) that was now also in the small ventanita space very harshly and angrily calls out as if speaking to a child: "It's at the bottom, did you stir it?!"

1. First off, it you don't like BLK money, just say so and I'll take my patronage elsewhere during a sinking economy.

2. Second of all, it's YOUR JOB as the barista to serve a drink that doesn't have the key ingredient stuck to the bottom of the plastic drink cup. It's a poorly made drink with sediment / sludge at the bottom of the drink. You can be rude AND lack common sense. Don't get into the gourmet coffee game, charging exorbitant prices for an unpalatable drink.

3. The condensed milk that she didn't want to give my family and I more of like we were some type of vagabonds begging for free food , rather than the paying customers were was literally cheap labeled condensed milk sitting out in the open in the metal can it's sat on the grocery store shelf for likely month in with the top removed.

4. There were no customer available utensils nor napkins to "stir it" with. Only brown recycled straws.

All in all, it was an awful, belittling experience for an amateur made coffee drink and despite the fact the Miami Shores location was nothing at all like the Coral Gables location, I shall never patronize this brand with my hard earned money again. The moment the woman spoke to us in a nasty, very indignant way, I should have demanded my money back.

STRONGLY DO...

Sadly but true I am writing a update for Tinta because enough is enough. So my fellow yelpers as you can see I have about 18 to 20 check ins here at tinta. Also I believe I am even the duchess since I come here all the time I come here every single day , except sundays and that is because they are closed .

When I first came here as you can read in my first review , I loved almost everything about this place except that I felt it needed more tables . But the food was awesome the lattes omg!! The lattes are the most fantastic most delicious thing you will ever taste of course that is if it's the right person making them. (Yaima)is the best at making lattes and is super sweet love her !!!!! She is a little gem that tinta has .

So yelpers you might say okay the food is great the lattes are extraordinary the place is small and cute .... so what is my issue ... my issue !! Is the service .

I have been coming here for about a month non stop and there service just kept getting worst and worst until it got to a point that it was just ridiculous . I guess I was a bit of a masochist because I continued to come here ; even after the ignoring, the forgetting, the not even acknowledging my presence.

Yes I went through all that just for the perfect latte.

Although I believe the service here is horrible, i will continue saying it the food and the lattes ( lattes that are done by yaima) are the best !! I think that every one that works here should learn manners and be more professional, especially if you are related to the owner of the business; not make chaos when he sees a person that wrote a bad review for the restaurant you work in. Yes this is what happened to me when I went again "me the masochist " the owners nephew I believe literally started telling me why was I back if I gave it a bad review, I answered I was giving you guys another chance . But thank you nephew of the owner of this business not only did you dig your own grave but now you must lay in it.

So yelpers if you are in the mood for great food and awesome lattes with a side of bad manners and rude servers this is the place to come ;) Sadly I must give it 2 things just got...