La Ventana Miami Beach — Restaurant in Miami Beach

2/3/25–So, after a brutal HIIT workout at Sweat 440—and considering that the day before I barely ate between flying and being absolutely exhausted—food was finally on my mind. By the time noon hit, I was famished. After meeting up with my husband at the hotel and changing clothes, I did what any smart, hungry person would do: Googled “Colombian restaurant near me.”

Boom. I found a spot with something like 12,000 reviews—and you know when a restaurant has numbers like that, it’s either amazing or a complete tourist trap. I decided to take my chances. We ordered an Uber, and our driver just so happened to be a fellow gym-goer. Somehow, we got into a deep discussion about Muscle Beach (which I still need to see, by the way). But I digress.

The Dilemma: Cuban or Colombian? When we arrived, I immediately saw Colombian colors everywhere—but then, I noticed something out of this world. You have to see it to believe it. There was a whole row of Hispanic restaurants, one after the other. Cuban, Colombian, Mexican—it just kept going! I felt like I had entered a Latino food paradise but also like I was about to make the hardest decision of my life.

Do I go Cuban? Do I go Colombian? I didn't know what to do. So, I did what any overthinking ESL student would do—I studied both menus meticulously, like the Pink Panther detective, magnifying glass and all.

I wasn’t up for a heavy meal, and neither was my husband. But I knew one thing: I wanted fried fish and tostones.

The Cuban menu? Too heavy. The Colombian menu? Perfect. They had Sancocho de Res, which my husband was craving, so Colombia won this round. Soup mission accomplished.

The Meal: A Coastal Colombian Delight I ordered fried fish with coconut rice and three tostones. Let me tell you—that coconut rice? Out. Of. This. World. I took one bite, and suddenly, I was on a beach in Cartagena with the breeze in my hair (but still sweating from that HIIT workout). The fried fish? Superb. My husband was impressed (and trust me, that says a lot). I ate everything—except for the bones.

To wash it all down, I had pineapple juice, which was chef’s kiss, and a small cup of coffee—the perfect size. (Colombian coffee never disappoints!)

The Atmosphere: Loud but Cozy Our server, Yesenia, was excellent. The restaurant inside? Small but super cute, with a little bar in the corner. I don’t know why, but I always feel at home in Colombian restaurants. Maybe it’s the vibe, maybe it’s the food, or maybe it’s the loud music. Speaking of which—depending on where you sit, the speakers might blast your eardrums. But we sat right underneath them for some odd reason . hunger ! But hey, we survived.

Final Verdict For some reason, this Monday felt like a Sunday—and no, not because I’m on “vacay.” It just had that lazy, relaxed Sunday feel. Would I recommend this place? Absolutely. Would I go back? 100%.

Just one word of advice: If you don’t want your meal to turn into a surprise concert, choose your...

I have been to a lot of Colombian restaurants in Miami and the truth is some are not that good and very few actually cook good food. This one is one of those very few where the food actually has flavor and I didn't even know it was there all along. The place is not that big maybe 5 tables and countertop but it's very cozy. I had seen a lot of photos of the food but my favorite two Colombian dishes are the Bandeja Paisa and the Sancocho, today I went for the Bandeja Paisa. Now my complaint for a lot of Colombian joints is that maybe the meat is good but the red beans are not or they don't add all the ingredients I expect from a good Bandeja Paisa. I expect a steak, fried egg, pork crackling, avocado, sausage, sweet plantains, red beans and a arepa. If I don't see one of these on the plate, then I'm not a happy camper. The other complaint is that most of the times the red beans have no flavor at all, not here. I was pleasantly surprised to know that they actually cook the beans with seasoning and not just boil them or throw them in a pressure cooker with nothing. The steak was very tasty and the beans were very flavorful, why can't the other places do the same thing, I mean how hard can it be. Now the sausage was not included and I had to pay an extra $2 for it but it wasn't that bad considering everything was delicious. For dessert I ordered a flan that came with a nice presentation, with strawberry chunks and drizzled with chocolate. The flan was ok, not the best one I've had and definitely not worth $6 but between that or a tres leches, I preferred it because I needed something sweet. The service was excellent and both waiters were very attentive. The only reason I'm not giving them five stars is because this is overpriced Colombian food. My check was $34 for the Bandeja Paisa, a soda, a charge for the sausage, the flan and an 18% included gratuity. The tip I don't mind because lalways tip 20% but the $30 for the meal was a little much compared to tons of other Colombian joints. I guess location has a lot to do with it because of the tourists and all but still not reasonable. Other than that, you will get really tasty food and...

Help help!!! I left my camera at your restaurant with all of my most sentimental memories! I need my camera. If you can reach out to me I can come get it before I leave Miami. Please please please 10/13/22 around noon. No one is answering the phone that is me with 5000 missed calls.

Stopped here for lunch while waiting for cruise departure. Fun Columbian restaurant. They play great music to set the mood. They offer both inside dining with seating (small & quaint) they also have lighted umbrella seating outside. Nice vibe.

Yasenia our waitress was good. She was very attentive and service was quick. We came for breakfast for the Steak and Eggs. Good flavor like a skirt steak with a pico chimicurri sauce with fries and eggs. We also ordered chicaronnes. They don't have sausage but the bacon was delicious. Fun place for breakfast or quick eats. They do automatically add in a 20% gratuity so that is taken care of if you are trying to figure out how to tip. Enjoy!

Dropping my rating all the way down to a zero if I could for the dishonesty. First they hound you to rate before you leave and now I see why.

I knew the name of the restaurant next door and had them go ask if my camera was there. This was AFTER I turned in my rental car. So needless to say a $60 cab ride to their restaurant and back to cruise terminal only yielded the reason why they didn't answer the phone and were hesitant to turn my camera over....they went snap happy and our cute little waitress and her boyfriend had a fun time snapping pics on my camera. Let me know if you guys want all the cute pics. Perhaps we can trade for the $60 cab ride. The dishonesty however gives you a complete thumbs down!! You had plenty of time to tell me my camera was there. Your hand pic on my camera picking it up was before you bust the table...and we were standing right there. Shame shame! So tourists and cruisers beware! Make sure you have your stuff and call the restaurant next door for help if these folks don't answer the phone with the...