Dante's HiFi — Restaurant in Miami

Watch out for the girl at the door handling reservations. We visited Dante’s Friday, July 19. We were a party of 6 (4M/2F) we didn’t have an advance reservation but we were familiar with the place enough to know advance reservations online ask for $25/pp and you use that amount towards your tab, which is fine. At the door the hostess tells us that since we didn’t have an advance reservations it’s $100/pp at the door, it’s absurd because she seemed to just throw that number in our face, tbh the guys in our group were to consume more than $100/pp but we didn’t want to be taken advantage of, so we asked her to match the $25 online if the table is just empty and nobody reserved it, she replied back saying ok she can let us have a table for $50/pp.. we happily agreed again we know we were going to consume more than that.. she asks us to wait on the side and about 20 minutes later she comes back saying our table is ready and we can only pay cash or Zelle, I was about to pay then i paused and asked how is the $300 I’m about to pay her directly going to apply to our tab .. she answered it won’t.. this is just our cover charge to get the table .. we was so utterly mad because not only she was about to scam us but she wasted our time and wasn’t honest since the beginning… we work in the business and I would never recommend this place to anyone.. such a shame, but scamming your locals/customers won’t help you stay in business on the long run. Not sure if it’s the girls fault or the establishment is enforcing such scam at the door, but be careful, I read other reviews that booked the advance reservations online and weren’t properly credited when the tab came out.. now let’s rewind to the first time I’ve visited this place and had a shady experience as well… First time I was there with a girlfriend to check it briefly we had 2 drinks, when we asked for the bill the bartender handed us this tablet and left quickly, the tablet screen said 0 tip added, and had the 3 suggested tip starting at 18 or 20% , I was about to click 20% and close out but my friend immediately realized the amount is way too high for two drinks even they cost 25 bucks each and we didn’t order top shelf stuff, we tried so hard to get the bartenders attention and ask for the paper receipt or just a glimpse of the receipt breakdown on his tablet but he avoided us, then finally when he realized we re not signing and leaving ,he came and we asked if gratuity is already included then he said yes, I asked why does the tablet says NO GRATUITY Included and why didn’t he didn’t inform us in advance, he gave us such awful attitude and said he s too busy for this.. we left that night but we blamed it on the bartender.. now with the second visit, we re definitely never...

Dante's HiFi - The self proclaimed listening lounge tucked away in a rustic building in the heart of Wynwood. 50 seats, a killer sound system, and a cocktail menu that's heavy on the whisky. Dante's generally delivers on its lofty ambitions, but not without a few record skips. Read on to find out more...

Atmosphere - A group of friends and I came here on a Friday night at opening. First up: the sound system. It's absolutely killer. I instantly recognized the Klipsch Cornwalls just by their sound alone. They've got Klipsch Spatial fills and subwoofers as well. The sound has the warm timbre you'd expect to match the space. It sounds fantastic and I could have sat there for hours listening to the tunes the DJ was putting out. It was a quiet spot when we got there at 7PM opening. The music flowed effortlessly from jazz to alt rock and soul, later transforming into disco and house music later in the night. The space itself is dark, intimate, and genuinely encourages you to focus on the music. The venue did get packed and became much more "Miami" later on in the night -- it was difficult to hear conversations and focus on the music as the night went on.

Drinks - You come here for whisky based drinks and nothing else. The whisky-based cocktails were all fantastic and fairly priced. The highballs are the highlight of the menu -- perfectly carbonated Topo Chico with the classic Suntory pour. The mish-mash of high ball glasses that looked like they were plucked off of a shelf at Home Goods detracted from the more serious aesthetic.

Service - Service was great while we were enjoying our drinks. Our waitress was extremely attentive, personable, and had great insight into each of the drinks we asked about. The main issue was when it came time to pay the bill. She failed to notify us that there was 20% gratuity already included. You'll get prompted to tip even after already tipping 20%. That seemed a bit shady. While I'm not a fan of included-tips, it's becoming a standard so we let it go. However, when our waitress noticed that we didn't tip on top of the already included 20%, her mood became visibly sour and she paid no more attention to us. That was a really negative interaction that blemished an otherwise amazing night at Dante's Hi-Fi.

All in all, Dante's carefully crafted ambience offers some welcome respite in face of Miami's pounding club music, bottle service, and form over function bar scene. Come here for the drinks, stay...

Dante's Hi-Fi has an undeniably lively atmosphere and can offer a fun night out, but there’s a feeling that the experience could be elevated with some refinement. While the ambiance and location seem to factor into the pricing, the drinks don’t always feel like they match their cost in terms of quality.

Some cocktails show flashes of brilliance and could stand alongside offerings at the world’s best bars, while others come across as overly complicated or unbalanced. It sometimes feels like the bar prioritizes creative experimentation over cohesion. A more focused approach, leaning into simpler, well-developed recipes, might better highlight the bartenders' skills. Classic cocktails—when executed with confidence—can say more about a bar's quality than an overcomplicated menu. Also for their price point, I feel they should be using higher quality ice in their drinks.

Menus in high-end bars can sometimes feel like they hinder personalized experiences. There’s a sense that the service could benefit from more interaction between the bartenders and patrons, tailoring each drink to individual preferences. This connection could help elevate the experience beyond just ordering off a list.

From a technical standpoint, more attention to detail in the craft of making drinks—whether it’s precise measurements, clean stations, or well-executed techniques—could add polish and consistency. Small adjustments like this could help transform an enjoyable bar into a truly world-class destination.

This bar along with tons of "good" bars in Florida can gain a lot from SLOWING DOWN and being more detail oriented. Customers can wait 4 minutes for a drink. Making in 3 while sacrificing precision, is not worth it in my opinion.

This bar doesn't make it into my top 10 bars in Florida unfortunately, but it can with some refinement. The bar (pun intended) for good cocktails in Florida is set quite low, and I don't think most people realize it. It's green fields and Dante's can take the title for best bar if...