Chimba — Restaurant in Miami

I just placed an order, and when I say the level of frustration we felt upon receiving it—I mean wow. What an absolute rip-off. This place is misleading, overpriced, and serves badly executed food. It’s the worst trifecta imaginable. From the moment we opened the bags, it was just a steady decline from bad to worse.

What We Ordered: Birria Arepa Ribeye Salteña (Empanada) Lomo Saltado

Birria Arepa – Missing the Birria? This dish literally did not come with birria. For $11, you’d think you’d at least get what’s advertised, but nope—just a small, dry, salty arepa missing its main component. We couldn’t even eat it.

Empanada – One Small Bite for $6 The online ordering photo showed two small-to-medium empanadas with tomato sauce. What did we get? One. Just one tiny empanada. It tasted decent—not the best, not the worst—but for the portion, $6 is just absurd.

Lomo Saltado – A $35 Disappointment This dish is supposed to be made with ribeye, but what we received was barely a portion. The order came with about a cup of rice, a few pieces of steak, and exactly 4.5 fries (yes, we counted). But the real letdown? The steak was overcooked to the point of being chewy and hard. It genuinely tasted like yesterday’s leftovers drowned in sauce and passed off as fresh.

Final Verdict: A Complete Letdown

We dine out and order delivery often, and we don’t mind paying for quality food, we get that prices have gone up. But this? This was just laziness and poor execution, wrapped in an overpriced package.

Miami has so many great places serving lomo saltado, empanadas, and birria. If you’re going to charge premium prices, the food should at least meet basic expectations. Instead, we got subpar food with a side of disappointment.

If only one dish had been bad, I probably wouldn’t even write this review. Everyone deserves to have a bad day and not get dinged. But this was one issue after another. The only thing consistent? The lack of quality and an overinflated sense of worth for their food.

Judging by their social media, a lot of their “good reviews” seem to come from paid influencers and user-generated content. Because based on the food? There’s no way this place is living up to the hype.

Save your money and eat literally...

Was really excited to try this 4.9 star spot out and thankfully they weren’t busy on a Sunday evening so we didn’t need a reservation.

The space and ambience immediately sticks out to you because it’s well thought out and beautiful! The music is the right vibe and volume for the space and I love the interior decor.

For drinks we had a Moscow mule, dragonfruit mojito, and passionfruit mocktail. The mojito and mule were quite good but the mocktail tasted a bit watered down to me.

For starters we had the birria arepa, the elote, and a chicken empanada. I’d heard online and from the host that the birria arepa was spicy but it wasn’t spicy for me at all. It was generally bland and the consume on the side was what made it manageable/gave it some flavor. With the way it’s stacked you get all the meat first and then the plantain+cheese at the bottom.

The elote which was really good. They were heavy handed with the elote seasoning which might not be for everyone. The chicken empanada (Venezolana) was good as well. The filling was well seasoned.

For mains the steak (Asado de Tira) was recommended so we tried that and then also had the spinach gnocchi. Had the steak medium well and it was decent although I expected more given the way the manager hyped it up. The chimichurri paired really well with it and gave it a different layer of flavor. The gnocchi was good as well.

For desert had the pavlova mango passion chantilly cream which was really good. Hadn’t had a pavlova before and didn’t know what to expect but it was pure sugary goodness.

The manager was attentive (a bit too attentive when we first got seated but I’ll take it as eagerness to get us to experience what they had to offer) and ensured we had everything we needed. So know you can expect good service here.

The only down side to my experience here, and this is also partially my fault for not paying attention, is that an 18% service charge is already included in the bill but when paying the tip screen is still presented and I ended up double tipping them...

My experience at Chimba was absolutely extraordinary from start to finish! From the moment I arrived, the staff greeted me with warm smiles and unmatched attentiveness, making me feel welcome and valued as a guest. The service truly stood out—every member of the team went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect. It’s rare to find such a level of care and professionalism in a dining experience.

As for the food, I can confidently say it was one of the best brunches I’ve ever had. Each dish was not only beautifully presented but also bursting with flavor and prepared to perfection. The menu offers a variety of choices, but the real highlight for me was the pan de bono. I’ve had pan de bono at countless places, but Chimba’s was on an entirely different level—freshly baked, soft, and with just the right amount of cheesiness. It was so good, I honestly considered ordering more to take home!

Beyond the food and service, the atmosphere at Chimba is another reason I’ll be coming back. The colorful and lively decor, combined with great music, created such a vibrant and enjoyable environment. It’s the perfect place to gather with friends, have a relaxing meal, or even celebrate a special occasion.

If you’re looking for a restaurant that delivers on all fronts—amazing service, delicious food, and a fantastic ambiance—Chimba is the place to go. I can’t recommend it highly enough and am already looking forward to my next visit! Five stars...