ORO Miami — Restaurant in Miami Beach

VERY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE RUN OUT OF MULTIPLE FOOD AND DRINK ITEMS MORE THAN 2 HOURS TO RECEIVE DINNER

We needed a place to celebrate my daughter’s 15th birthday. She chose Oro because of the upbeat ambiance and, most importantly, their Dubai Chocolate Tart—her and her friends were excited about it all day.

We were seated quickly with friendly service. I ordered the Ruby (signature soda), only to be told they were out (Strike 1). I asked for my backup, the Citrine—also out. In fact, they were out of all their signature sodas (Strike 2).

Drinks took 25 minutes. The $16 Virgin Piña Coladas were not frozen, overloaded with ice, and had barely 2–3 ounces of liquid. My daughters finished them in a few sips and were still thirsty. I reordered, asking for less ice. Another 25 minutes later, the next batch came just as icy (Strike 3).

We also asked for plain butter pasta for my younger daughter (a picky eater)—a basic request every other restaurant has accommodated. The chef refused (Strike 4). It felt needlessly rigid for a supposedly “Elevated Fine Dining” restaurant.

Appetizers (Chorizo Korokke, Birria Gyoza, Charred Avocado, Peach Caprese) were excellent—but they took over an hour to arrive. The kids were starving. The manager did apologize but didn’t offer anything to tide us over.

Dinner came after another hour. That’s two full hours to get food. The manager did proactively comp us 3 desserts, which was appreciated.

The Niman Ranch Short Rib was excellent. The Bolognese was hit or miss—some in our group liked it, others barely ate half. The White Truffle Pomme Frites were disappointing—like McDonald’s fries with truffle oil. They tasted stale and felt cheap.

Finally, dessert time arrived—2.5 hours after we were seated. The one item my daughter and her friends had looked forward to, the Dubai Chocolate Tart, was unavailable (Strike 5). The complimentary desserts they had pre-selected didn’t include it. My daughter and her friends were crushed. The manager apologized and gave me his card, offering to make it up next time—but none of us want to return.

Even then, we weren’t done with menu item shortages. One of the girls ordered the "Expressions of the Season" with her preferred gelato flavor—only to be told they were out of that flavor too (Strike 6).

When I got the check, I expected it to be pricey—but the $21 (3%) credit card fee was the final straw. That’s incredibly tacky for a place charging $16 for a 3 oz Virgin Piña Colada. We were spending nearly $600 before tax and tip—that should easily cover credit card processing. It felt like being nickeled-and-dimed. Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t charge me a restroom or elevator usage fee too. For a restaurant positioning itself as luxury, they should price their items accordingly—not sneak in junk fees that cheapen the experience.

Now, I want to be fair: not everything was bad. The ambiance is great—live DJ, great lighting, upscale decor, and the live singer was the highlight of the night. The restaurant was spotless. Our server was excellent, very knowledgeable, and managers stopped by without needing to be flagged down. Dirty plates were cleared promptly. These positives are the only reason this isn’t a 1-star review.

But overall, the bar and kitchen directors failed spectacularly. Long drink waits (twice), refusal to accommodate a child’s pasta request, running out of multiple food and drink items, and a 3+ hour dining ordeal all point to a team that’s just not ready for prime time. Oro has been open 9 months—this isn’t opening week. For a restaurant that claims “Elevated Fine Dining,” this was...

Had the worst night here. Unfortunately it was my birthday and as soon as my party and I approached the door the unpleasant door man looked us up and down and asked it he could help us as if I wasn’t dressed entirely in all gold in a long beautiful gown. He assumed we didn’t have a reservation or could even afford to be speaking to him in that moment. He then proceeded to pick apart the outfits of my Entourage saying that the men must be dressed in button ups and tux suits. My friend had on a designer shirt with designer dress pants. To make matters worst a couple then approached this man, and the gentleman was also wearing the same designer shirt and sweat pants. He then proceeded to tell the man the same thing, he looked at us and then the man pulled out a hundred dollar bill he then pointed at us and it seemed as if he denied the man as well. He then came over to our party and told us that he wasn’t going to give us a hard time my friend just needed to go get a button up he wasn’t going to make him change completely. It is 10 pm at this time this man knew there were very limited options for us to find a button up and keep our reservation. I think he was trying to make us leave entirely. My friend insisted that we eat without him and we continued our dinner. Walking to our table to our surprise the couple was comfortably seated and enjoyed drinks in their same outfit. My friend found a button up by the grace of god and as he was pulling in got pulled over and stopped and harassed by a cop who didn’t even ask for a drivers license or registration or insurance or anything. By the time he arrived back he also spotted the couple who has seemed to be turned away. After our dinner which was terrible, we were given the bill. During our dinner the server not only dropped off extra drinks to my underage sister he also charged and kept them on the bill. Being because the night was already ruined initially because of the doorman and his hypocritical behavior, also feeling that we were being racially profiled we were in a rush to leave and actually have a good night. We ended up paying our $1200 bill all while being charged for 4 extra drinks that we sent back because my sister was underage. No one that night deserved that treatment, we work very hard for our money we work very hard in general, everyone at that table has a masters degree in their field, to be treated that way and profiled on my birthday was disheartening especially with how new the restaurant is, I expected them to do much better. Also on the way out the doorman was speaking about us in French of course he assumed we probably could barely speak english like him, we politely wished him a good night & told him thank you in French. Do not eat here I recommend coming here to take pictures than leaving !! Wish I...

Oro in Miami Beach offers a stunning ambiance, but unfortunately, the food doesn’t quite live up to the beautiful space. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed by the sleek, sexy design, setting high expectations for the dining experience to come. However, the service and the food left much to be desired.

We decided to try a variety of items from the menu, and when we asked to start with the caviar while we looked over the rest of the options, the server insisted we order everything all at once. They assured us the dishes would be paced properly and that the caviar was already being prepared. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The caviar arrived, but almost immediately, every cold dish we ordered was dropped at our table—creating a chaotic spread on our already small table. Despite asking for the dishes to be spaced out and served in a more thoughtful manner, we ended up having to use a nearby table to accommodate all the food. As for the food itself, we had high hopes but were ultimately disappointed. The Bananas and Caviar ($250) was served with a metal spoon, which felt completely out of place for such a luxurious dish. The Tom Kha Crudo was underwhelming, and the Peach Caprese was a letdown, made with canned peaches instead of fresh ones. Other dishes like the Passion Fruit Caesar, Salmon Tiradito, Lobster and Citrus, and the twice fried Brussel sprouts seemed to fall short of the high price tags. The Uni Carbonara was the only dish that stood out in a positive way, though it didn’t make up for the overall lackluster meal.

The white truffle pomme frites tasted like frozen French fries from the supermarket, the blistered shishito peppers were forgettable, and the Galician octopus was overcooked and bland. To end on a sweeter note, the Yuzu Cheesecake and Milk Chocolate Tart were fine but didn’t deliver the wow factor expected from a high-end establishment.

Finally, there was an unexpected service charge: a 20% tip automatically added to the bill, which is fine when disclosed upfront, but the lack of transparency felt rude. On top of that, they add a 3% service charge when paying with a credit card—something that, frankly, is a bit annoying.

All in all, while Oro's ambiance certainly stands out, the food is overpriced for what it is, and the added fees feel unnecessarily hidden. It’s a beautiful place to visit, but if you're hoping for an exceptional dining experience to match the setting, you may leave feeling a bit...