Japón at The Setai — Restaurant in Miami Beach

Beautiful restaurant, but didn't get the sense anyone cared about service.

Service After we finished our appetizers, an assistant server brought out our desserts. After we explained we hadn't gotten the main courses he left flustered. We saw conversations about it between multiple employees, but no one ever came and even acknowledged. After waiting another 30+ minutes, we found the manager and tried to tell her what happened but she brushed it off that the issue was with the desserts not that clearly the entree order wasn't sent into the kitchen until way later. Again no apology, no acknowledgement, and in the end no attempt to even recover the situation by comping a drink (or anything). We watched a table who was seated and received their appetizers after us, get their main course and finish their desserts before we finally got our entrees. It took over 45 minutes from finishing our appetizers to when we got our meal. This seems par for the course - we saw another couple who after being seated for 35 minutes ask our server if they could order (he found them their server). Despite having a server, a couple assistant servers, a sommelier and a manager visible through most of the meal, we often had to get up and go to them when we needed something.

Food Appetizers - Wagyu Sliders, Hamachi Tataki, and the Salmon Sashimi. The fish plates had very similar ponzu sauces and were 5 slices. Entrees - Winners were the Mushroom Kimchee Noodles and the Miso Black Cod. The cod comes with no sides so just be aware you are getting a piece of fish only. We ordered the Chicken Karaage as an additional entree. It was a disappointment, didn't seem like the oil was fresh or the chicken juicy. Also the sauce was uninspired. The other dish was the Steak Yakitori Don. It was okay, the sushi rice is a strange choice. The meat itself was fine but nothing note worthy.

Drinks Bottles of liquor and sake we know the retail cost were marked up significantly (aka $60 bottle of sake being sold for almost $300). The cocktails were well-made and presented, but low volume for...

Our recent evening at Sitai Miami was a mixed bag—set against a stunning atmosphere that promised much, but the experience, particularly in service and some of the dishes, left room for improvement.

We began with a few small appetizer plates to share. The Tuna Tartare, while fresh, lacked the punch of flavor we were hoping for. The Wagyu Setai Roll didn’t quite live up to its name—overpowered by the taste of asparagus, it felt more one-dimensional than indulgent. On the brighter side, the Edamame was spot on—steamed perfectly and generously salted—and the Asparagus was an excellent surprise: vibrant, flavorful, and well-prepared. Unfortunately, the Fries didn’t hit the mark, being too heavy on the potato and not crisp enough.

Additionally, we enjoyed a trio of cocktails: the Samurai in Jalisco, Prickly Margarita, and Royale Margarita. All were beautifully crafted, balanced, and a delightful way to open the evening. For the entrées, we paired our meal with a 2022 Fisher Cabernet Sauvignon from California and a Prelude Bordeaux, both of which elevated the dining experience and paired well with our food.

The low point of our visit was the service. Our server, Arendale, while polite, lacked warmth and attentiveness. We weren’t checked on consistently throughout the meal, which left us feeling slightly overlooked despite the setting.

Overall, Sitai Miami has the makings of an exceptional dining destination—the ambiance, drink program, and a few standout dishes are there. With improvements in the consistency of the food and a more engaging, attentive service experience, it could easily rise above average. For now, it lands at a solid 3 out of 5 stars considering...

This was one of 3 restaurants we were deciding between for the evening. The visuals of atrium made this place seem like the right choice. We won't be back. The experience started off well enough, parking attendants, hostesses, and bussers were good. The waitress and the food, not so much. While waiting for the rest of my party I was asked if I'd like to order the main course, I hadn't been there more than 10-15 minutes and had already ordered a drink and an app. I advised my party would arrive shortly, at which point the waitress removed the additional menus from the table. No big deal, until my party arrived and she refused to bring them back, and the group shared a menu. Another employee walked by and was courteous enough to bring us the original full drink menu. The steak tasted like the inside of the horse from the Revenant, I've had better at Denny's. The sides were good, the truffle dumpling with scallops was awful. When we asked for the sommelier our waitress miraculously became more courteous and attentive. Despite her subpar service she still had the unmitigated gall to ask for an additional tip on top of the mandatory 20%. As a former food service worker myself I always tip and additional 10-20% in these settings because the service is normally phenomenal and the staff takes pride in what they do. It was clear that our server understood that she was already in the black the moment we sat down, and would make her $$$ with minimal effort towards contributing to an enjoyable dining experience. There's more, but I've been on the soapbox for...