Asado Life — Restaurant in Florida

Sadly we have to side with some of the disappointing reviews regarding the owner.

We prepaid for dinner with reservation, which was annoying, but understandable given the lengthy cooking process. Unfortunately, when you do this, you are given a timer that counts down from 10 minutes to "hold" your reservation. This was difficult to do with another couple and in our haste we seem to have only ordered 3 entrees for 4 people. Given the amount of food you are served, this would have been MORE than enough, but apparently this was not acceptable to the management (who I think was the owner) who stated "yeah, we don't do plate sharing" when we arrived in person.

We arrived at the restaurant at 5pm and after our arrival, we were called from management and told that we had only ordered 3 entrees for 4 people. We said that was fine, we would be able to share and make do, but the owner himself stated "it doesn't work like that because the 4th person wouldn't get the appetizer, sides, or dessert". What? If this was an issue, why were we only told an hour before the original reservation? I find it hard to believe after ordering a $160 tomahawk, it would be financial ruin to throw in a few extra grilled potatoes and slice of bread due to an oversight!

After admitting our mistake, we agreed to buy a 4th entrée, and were the told (SURPRISE), since it's pre-ordered, there is no option to add an entrée the night of our reservation. So I am to believe if you have 20 diners, you have only 20 entrees and not a single to spare (lord help the diner whose meal gets accidentally dropped on the floor, guess they won't be eating). If we hadn't been with another couple, I would have demanded a refund and left right then and there, mostly due to the rudeness of the management team.

They eventually conceded to "throwing together a Trio of meats", maybe (with much annoyance), and with it the sides and so on. During our 3 hour dinner, they never brought the Trio or mentioned it again.

As the other reviews mention, there is no option for preferred meat temperature. You get what you get, which is kind of obscene when you are paying this much for dinner. We did order the Tomahawk, which was served rare. While I normally order rare, a cut this large and this thick tends to end up largely flavorless, which is what happened. The most enjoyable bites were the "overdone" ends.

Outside of the huge steak, the food was good, creative and nicely done. The waitstaff was friendly and accommodating, but due to the attitude of management, we likely won't return.

Not to worry though, he wasn't just rude to us, he was rude to quite a few others. There were several walkups that happened to be in the area who came in for a quick bite and were informed "Yeah, we don't do that. All our food is pre-ordered and cooked". This seems like an insane business model.

Lastly, we did arrive at 5pm for drinks at the bar and were told that the bar didn't open until 5:30pm, but we were welcome to wait outside. (Again, what business model is this?). We weren't the only ones who didn't know the opening time as about 15 other people showed up for bar service at the same time we did.

Once again, I feel most sad for the walk up diners who had no idea what they were getting into. Imagine being out all day, and stopping by a restaurant to be told rudely that "yeah, we don't have any food like that."

It was, indeed, the strangest dining experience I ever had, and management needs to learn the basics of customer service. Will not...

Beautiful setting, disappointing experience. I won’t be back.

I’ve been visiting St. Augustine for the past eight years—my now-husband grew up here, and it’s been a joy to watch this historic town grow with exciting, elevated dining options. Unfortunately, Asado Life is not one of them.

Tucked away from the bustle of downtown, the restaurant has a gorgeous, modern vibe with serene views of the San Sebastián River. The ambiance is easily 5 stars—open, stylish, peaceful. Sadly, everything else fell flat.

The real issue? The kitchen doesn’t prepare anything fresh during service.

When I mentioned my lactose intolerance (something I’ve dealt with my whole life), I was shocked by the lack of flexibility. I’ve dined at restaurants around the world, and even upscale ones with tasting menus have found ways to adjust. Not here. I was told the dishes are all assembled between 2–4pm, and nothing could be modified—not even the vegetable side (green beans, carrots, & potatoes). No swaps, no olive oil finish, not even a “crema on the side” for ceviche. The rigidity was baffling and felt lazy rather than intentional.

Appetizers we tried: • Beef Tips – Cooked in miso butter. Group enjoyed the flavor, but they were served in an overwhelming puddle of butter emulsion that everyone ended up pushing aside/leaving • Ceviche – Easily one of the worst my husband has had. Not fresh, not cold, and drowned in crema with no option to modify. • House Salad – The only real highlight. Generous portion, fresh, and the Dijon vinaigrette is light and lovely. Honestly, one of the best things we had all night—and just $10.

Mains: Because they couldn’t modify any entrée except the steaks, I was basically forced into ordering a plain filet with another house salad as the only “dairy-free” meal option. No veggies, no starch, nothing else. For $60. • Filet (mine) – Cooked medium as requested, nice char. Chimichurri was solid, but the steak needed it—which speaks volumes about the quality. • 16 oz NY Strip (husband) – Opted for the Duck Fat Garlic Confit “steak enhancement” sauce, didn’t like it, and scraped it off. He found the steak underwhelming overall. • Filet (father-in-law) – He was satisfied with his, & his finance did enjoy the garlic confit • Branzino Special – Served with polenta and well-executed; this was the only main that felt close to being worth the price

Service was subpar. Dirty dishes from our appetizers stayed on the table well into our mains, even after servers returned. Our prosecco toasts sat empty while we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday/Father’s Day belatedly. No urgency, no attentiveness. I did appreciate the server kindly taking our photos on the river front after dinner, after all it wasn’t busy as she remarked…

Worst of all? Clearly the kitchen still used dairy in my steak, chimichurri sauce, or salad as I had GI side effects all evening.

Bottom line: I’d consider returning only for a glass of wine and that house salad—but frankly, I’d rather spend my money supporting a business that values both food quality and customer experience. For a place with such promise, Asado Life sadly misses the...

I will preface that this review is specifically about the "Asador Club" experience.

DIS.A.POINT.ED. BIRTH.DAY. Each syllable represents $100. Yep. $600 prepaid for what we were told was the LAST time they would be doing this, and from what we experienced, we are NOT surprised. They could've went out with a bang, but this was barely a fizzle. They made sure this would be the last one.

We've been here for other meals and had great food and great service. Based on those previous visits, we had high expectations for the Asador Club. Unfortunately, it left us flat. We felt like an afterthought throughout the evening. Our server Summer was just okay. She wasn't horrible, but she wasn't great. Since it was already prepaid including tip, her effort reflected that. She had nothing to gain and she certainly had nothing to lose. She never asked if we wanted more drinks. I don't know if she was too busy with other tables or just indifferent overall.

While it is a pre-fixed menu, the description also stated guests are welcome to enjoy more of their favorite items while they last. That was not made an option at all. It's misleading because they provide you with one serving of everything and there is no "while they last." At least not tonight. And I suspect being their last time, that is why. We started with a ceviche sample, then a focaccia sample (which was great btw), then a family style salad - also very good. Each person was then provided maybe 3 oz of snapper, 1 small chicken thigh, and maybe 5 oz of picanha.

The picanha effort was the worst of what we were served. My jaw is still sore from all the chewing. The plate with the proteins also had some potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. As it was a cooler evening, everything arrived cold. This could easily be remedied by serving on a cast iron (think fajitas). The meal finished with a slice of key lime pie.

We all agreed that it was a total rip off. What we also agreed on was that if we did come back, we would rather order off the menu. Those prior experiences were great but if all the Asador Club experiences were like this one, they're smart for stopping them. Great marketing....