estiatorio Milos Miami Beach — Restaurant in Miami Beach

I want to start off by saying I would rate our food as a 4.5, but the server we had was so unfriendly and inattentive, I could not rate it higher than a 3. (I'd honestly rate him a 2 but I feel bad for the rest of the staff.) The gentlemen who came to refill our drinks and bring us our food were very kind and I've give them a 5. The bartenders while sitting at the bar were amazing as well and I'd give them a 5!

I hate to give such a gorgeous restaurant a bad review, but I'm still upset by the poor service we received while visiting Miami. We were looking for a very special place to eat on the final night of our anniversary trip. Estiatorio Milos was highly rated and the food looked delicious! Upon arriving, the decor was beautiful and the host was very sweet. We sat at the bar for a few minutes waiting on our table and the bartenders were amazing. Great drinks and superb service.

We were then seated at our table and greeted by the server who mumbled some specials we couldn't hear, then briskly walked away as we started to ask questions. We thought maybe it was loud and he didn't hear us. He didn't even ask if we wanted drinks instead of water, and eventually came back about 10 minutes later to see if we wanted anything. We decided to order the special they had as we weren't extremely hungry, and the server seemed bothered by our selection and asked if we wanted to share a $30 salad, which our meal already included appetizers and we told him we weren't very hungry. He walked away and we didn't see him for a while. He clearly did not want to be working and appeared to hate his job.

The main meal was great! I had the white fish which had an amazing flavor, but it did have small bones which the person bringing my food warned me about. We also shared the grilled octopus and calamari which was incredible! The flavor of the octopus was something I can't describe. It was very, very tasty! I ordered a fruit platter and it literally looked like something I would pack a child for their school lunch. A few slices of apple, some grapes, a piece of watermelon, all just sitting on a plate. I nibbled at it but expected much more from a beautiful restaurant.

The special they offered was $39/person for an appetizer, entree, and dessert which I find to be a phenomenal price. You can't go anywhere in Miami for that kind of price, let alone a nice establishment like this. I'm unsure if this is permanent or if it's a temporary offering. The normal menu is a lot higher in price, but the quality of food is great. Because we were not very hungry, this was a perfect option.

The server never acknowledged our anniversary which isn't a huge deal, but at a "fine dining" restaurant I would have expected at least a "congrats." The server we had honestly set the tone for the entire evening, leaving us unhappy and regretting going here upon our last night in town. Maybe he was having a bad night? I'm not sure, but we were...

#MiamiSpice2017 Review

3.5 Stars

The lofty and elegant interiors set the stage for grand expectations at this SOFI location on Miami Beach. The vibe unmistakenly classified as SOBE chic. Milos claims to serve the finest Mediterranean seafood. That might be the case, but I felt underwhelmed during my visit.

What I tried:

CHARCOAL GRILLED OCTOPUS sushi quality mediterranean octopus, grilled Holland peppers and wild mushrooms. SALMON TARTARE micro-basil, serrano chili, shallot, cilantro COLORADO (or maybe AUSTRALIAN) FRESH LAMB CHOPS charbroiled and served with steamed vegetables and fries. DORADO ROYALE mediterranean sea bream grilled and served with steamed vegetables. BAKLAVA layered phyllo with almonds Loukoumades (Not on the Miami Spice menu, but very good) Fried traditional Greek beignets, served with thyme honey From the Island of Kythira, walnuts and cinnamon “THE REAL GREEK YOGURT” spoon sweets

HIT: Listed as Colorado Lamb Chops, but presented as Australian (which is it?). These weren’t the meatiest, but delivered big on flavor. I ate every last bit. The Real Greek Yogurt could have used a significant amount of honey on the side for my taste, but I enjoyed it regardless. A true delight. The Baklava was equally well done.

MISS:

The Dorado Royale. Not necessarily bad, but just too simple and underseasoned for my taste. The waiter, while very nice, must have insisted at least four times that “even” if our party went with the Miami Spice menu, “…it was a good idea to get an a la carte appetizer for the table. ” We got it the first time, thanks. No need to keep repeating it. He even mentioned it as they served the entrees. No, just no. No corkage fee as an option. Outside bottles not allowed. I paid $140 for a $38 OK bottle of wine. Ouch.

As an avid diner, I often use Miami Spice to visit restaurants that have been on my list for a long time and I’ve somehow overlooked. The way I see it, if they can hook me during Spice, I’ll return often throughout the year (as was the case with Los Fuegos and Byblos last year). Although I liked several of the items I tried, I don’t foresee this happening with Milos. PASS. That said, perhaps Milo is for you. Know that the menu offers a nice variety and the portions do not disappoint. If all else fails, maybe they can interest you in an additional appetizer outside of the Spice...

First off, I have dined at many Milos including Montreal, Vegas, and NYC - Hudson Yards and this was the first disappointing experience I’ve had at a Milos restaurant. I would also like to preface my review by saying I’m judging this restaurant against other Milos which have been near perfect experiences, as one would expect for the price. To start when we first seated I informed our “captain” that this was my boyfriend’s first time at Milos, expecting a walkthrough of the concept. I don’t know if this waiter has just finished his shift at IHOP and was still in character, but he basically just proceeded to ask us to order with no walkthrough of the menu or recommendations or anything. We ordered a bottle of wine and oysters which were brought by the waiter’s helper, who needed being far more attentive and useful than the waiter himself. The Oysters were good but not as good as the ones we had at Smith and Wollensky the day before. We ended up ordering two entrees, halibut for my boyfriend, big eye tuna for me. They were delicious. I would have probably at this point said it was a 4/5 star experience with the service needing improvement but not being awful enough to prevent me from returning. But then I was given something to compare it to. The couple at the table next to us (also tables at this Milos are far too close together) was seated as we were dining and their waiter gave them such a beautiful walkthrough, took them up to the fish market, offered them the option of having shrimp with their oysters, they were visited by the sommelier for wine pairing. Basically all of the things one would expect from a Milos and a restaurant at this price point. It just highlighted what a lackluster service we received especially seeing as how we ordered multiple courses and a bottle of wine and paid just as much as this couple did $$$. While I have spent many thousands of dollars at Milos over the years and it remains among my favorites (the only reason this is getting two stars instead of one) I would not return to this location or recommend it, and I don’t think it’s up to par...