Ayesha Indian Fine Dining - Midtown — Restaurant in Miami

I rarely write bad reviews but unfortunately this place compels me to advise my fellow patrons to save themselves. I found this place by recommendation, my barber is directly next door at HAMMER AND NAILS, (ask for a Edwin he's great) and he'd suggested it as I'm part Indian and a recent NY transplant. With the lack of decent ethnic options I figured I had nothing to lose, turns out this would be a regrettable decision. Upon entering the restaurant on an early Friday evening I was greeted by an oddly greasy floor as though something had been spilled and left poorly cleaned up by the entrance, that should have alarmed me from the start. I was however hungry and hunger makes for poor choices. Me and my date were seated against the far wall adjacent to the large window that allows unobstructed viewing of the, 'kitchen' more on this in a second. I was greeted by a very polite waiter and commenced to ordering my appetizer and entree's. I ordered samosas (think an Indian, empanada) and some yogurt and naan (essentially bread) as an appetizer and Dum Biryani and Chicken Tikka Masala as an entree. When the appetizers arrived they were rather bland and I had to remind my waiter about the naan which hadn't come. He apologized and turned back for the kitchen. Here's where the window into the kitchen comes in. As I watched he entered the kitchen and spoke to the person cooking who I really can't call a, 'chef' this person then turned around and picked up a few pieces of previously prepared naan, placed them on a plate and then into a microwave. A MICROWAVE. After a few seconds he popped them out brushed on some butter and the waiter bought them out to me. I was not pleased, the microwave naan tasted just like you'd imagine microwaved bread taste, bad. When the Dum Biryani arrived it was literally the worst rice I've ever had. It was bland, soggy, overcooked, under spiced and lacking essential ingredients that any knowledgeable patron would expect. I immediately bought this to my servers attention and oddly he utterly agreed? His explanation was that they had a new cook in the kitchen who also happened to be the owner who was trying, 'something different but it's not good' I was dumbstruck by this response. When the Chicken Tikka Masala arrived it seemed to be served in an appetizer plate, small and adequately spiced it was the only thing I remotely enjoyed. I tried to consume what I could palate and asked for the check to try and abbreviate this dining disaster as quickly as possible. When the check arrived I dropped my card and my waiter, noticing my dissatisfaction asked if I'd please give the owner/cook my honest impression, I found this rather tragic, a waiter asking a patron to complain about an obviously poor experience, so reluctantly, I agreed. Here's the worst part. As he walked back into the kitchen I again followed his progress through the kitchen window I was seated directly beside. As he entered I clearly saw the cook who was obviously sweating which was apparent by the profuse beads of sweat across his forehead and the pattern of sweat soaking through his red polo shirt, speak with him while simultaneously taking his right-hand and wiping his sweaty forehead upwards through his hair, then, without skipping a beat I watched as he USED THE SAME HAND, UNWASHED, to pick up some more naan, place it on a plate and put it into the microwave. I left without saying a word. I have, as yet, not needed any therapy for the trauma. Good luck...

My girlfriend and i were in the neighborhood and fairly hungry. She was in the mood for something different and considering I just spent 3 months with my jaw wired shut, I was in the mood for anything at all. We decided on Indian (as it fell perfectly under my 'soft food' diet) and landed at Ayesha and let me tell you.. we're glad we did. From the moment we walked in (roughly 730pm Saturday), the staff was friendly and accommodating. After our drinks arrived, the waiter must've noticed that we were a bit overwhelmed with options (due to our raging hunger and not the menu.. the menu isn't lengthy at all) because he politely asked 'confused?'. After explaining to him my medical condition and my girlfriends hesitance towards spicy food, he made us some wonderful recommendations that satisfied both of our palettes. 9 out of 10 for Ayesha for having knowledgeable staff on hand to direct customers new to indian cuisine, a comfortable and open environment, friendly staff and superb food. The only thing keeping this location from a 10/10 was the lack of music, but 2/3rd of the way through our outing, they fixed that too!

If you're new to indian cuisine and want to ask questions free from judgement or if you're simply in the mood for great tasting food and even better service, stop by Ayesha in Midtown! We definitely will be...

I had read about Ayesha while I was planning a trip to Miami with my family. I was pretty excited. However my fizz was blown away by the ambience. Air-conditioning leaking with continuous loud drops. Items looked like misplaced the hooka trio ...linen stored in clear view. Dust on visible areas. I expect tidyness n finess when I walk in a fine dine!! Bartender/ manager Kevin was helpful. The elderly server walked around without even tucking his shirt.... Food... Panipuri water flavour less. Needs a good Flav punch to it. Chk wings...loved it. However the color in it was a disappointment....use kashmiri chilly powder n anato seeds for natural strength. Bhindi masala. Fried Okra! Flowing with oil n low on salt! Disappointment. Mushroom kulcha needs a serious look. Goat curry...request was for spicy....forget the spice ....it was giving a sweet after taste...disappointment. Took idily wada n chk biryani as takeout. Idily n wada both great...biggest bummer was d sambar.....it was neither sambar nor rassam nor a lentil stew....Coconut chutney lacked flavour n seasoning. Who gives Green chutney with idily n wada....? Well u did. Does not compliment at all. Biryani rice was good but the chicken had no flavor at all. While serving desserts at least take few minutes. Gajar halwa was microwaved n...