Bodega Taqueria y Tequila — Restaurant in Miami Beach

I wish I could negative stars for this "institution." I have been coming to Bodega for years - virtually every year I go to Miami. I expect dancing, good music, and quality service. My visit this weekend was the exact opposite. To begin, they did not tell us how much a well-style cocktail cost. In Miami, this should not be more than $10-$12 dollars. When we started our bar tab, they took my friend's license and credit card. We decided we wanted to leaved and wanted to close our tab; however, the bartenders would not let us and told us we "had" to spend a $200.00 minimum. This is insane and ridiculous, there was no notice of this requirement. What type of respectable place tells customers that they are bound to pay a certain amount? No where besides a ponzi scheme, corrupt institution.

I requested to speak to the manager, who likewise was unhelpful, unprofessional, and ill-fit to be in the service industry. He informed me that because I entered with four people, that we were required to pay $200, and basically told me to screw off. For the record, he was looking at his ANDROID phone with the number of occupants in his bar. What?

We finally were able too close out our tab by hitting the "mandatory minimum" because we needed our ID in order to travel. Upon review of the bill, they had miscellaneous and fraudulent charges. When we tried to leave, a scantily clad bartender chased after us to sign the bill, meanwhile gave herself a 20% TIP PLUS TAX on drinks that could have been made with gasoline.

This "bar" is taking advantage of their customers and simply breaking the law to run their corrupt establishment to make a few dollars. Do better Bodega - you know you are breaking the law and abusing your customers. Sad and pathetic, and illegal.

P.S.: Please see attached for the end of our receipt. As you will see, we were charged for “MEET THE MINIMUM.” This is truly abnormal.

P.S.S: This bar enabled creepy men to offer my friends and I drinks throughout the night. I was nervous after a man 3x my age was incessantly offering shots and drinks (I already had to pay my illegal bar tab so I was busy). I informed the bathroom attendant of what was going on and I felt uncomfortable, and she could care less. Not only was I robbed and stolen from, but I was almost taken advantage of due to the careless and reckless...

Update March 2021:

Ooooh, I really vibe with the lounge area. Great service too especially early evening! It gets crowded pretty quickly so definitely try to go a bit earlier to beat the crowds with the limited seating. If you happen to get here between 6-8 pm in the lounge you can snag some great Happy Hour drinks and eats with the vibes.

I got a whole slew of cocktails and snacks. I started out with the La Diablita. Really delish, refreshing, and pretty. Sweet without being super sugary and a blackberry accent.

Next, the Pico Picante! This was so good!! I'm all about spicy cocktails at the moment so I was living for this! Great spice and would order again!! Make that three in a row pls!

Last drink I ordered was the Mezcal Old Fashioned. I'm pretty sure this put hair on my chest. So bold and strong. Really smooth though and great for sipping on.

For foods, I got their Chips and Guac. Such good guac!! Really enjoyed it. I also got their tacos including Al Pastor, Short Rib, and Carne Asada. Not mind blowing, but really good still. A wee bit on the dry side sometimes, but tasty nonetheless.

I really enjoy this establishment and will be back! More Pico Picante!!

--

Bodega SoBe has that Miami laid-back swagger vibe because the front of the restaurant is like a food truck, but if you make your way to the inside you'll encounter it's swanky industrial chic atmosphere.

Between their tacos or burritos, the tacos are my pick. They are prepared a lot more better in my opinion because the ratio of tortilla, meat, and filling was more satisfying than the burrito. The burrito had a lot more beans and rice than I would have liked that made the amount of meat seem unbalanced, but still tasty. I ended up getting the Taco Al Pastor since it is on the sweeter side with the addition of pineapples. This aspect along with the heat from the jalapeños and savoriness of the pork was delish!

Definitely hit this place up during Happy Hour that they have daily from 6-8 pm with $2 Clasico Tacos, $4 Chips & Guac, or $3 Chips & Salsa with $4 draft beers or $5 tequila shots to start your night...

The owners have absolutely killed off any level of customer service and enjoyment from this Bodega - on both sides. The people that make this place run work very hard and work very late nights, and they have now been eliminated from the entire experience. The food has always been slightly subpar, overpriced, and bland (despite a menu that seems promising) BUT this place continued to be a viable option here in south beach due to its late hours and a fun experience - until now. It has now been turned in to a crappy taco-version of a McDonald’s aka a souless franchise which we all occasionally eat at due to convenience but nobody actually finds any pleasure in experiencing (again for both the guest and staff side of things). Instead of friendly faces and an open kitchen you will now find steel barriers, longer lines, and optionless digital screens. The result? More time taken to order - really - more mistakes made in ordering, and more unhappy but complacent customers due only to the fact that there is nobody to complain to… . Point being, we will still come and we will still eat here.… But it will suck for everybody. Whoever has made these decisions you have clearly forgotten the beauty and blessing of feeding people, and the mission of running a restaurant to begin with. Kudos to you that you’ll continue to make money - but I’m sure you would never go spend that same money you make on another “restaurant” offering the level of experience that you now think we should all be used to. If you think good business, good food, and good profits cannot coexist, i professionally and full...