Guayacan Miami Restaurant — Restaurant in Miami

This was the fifth date I had with my new Turkish girlfriend "Senay" (pronounced Shaw Nai) Her favorite food in the world happens to be Peruvian and more specifically ceviche which is a coincidence since I love Turkish culture yet my favorite food is Peruvian and fav dish of all time is ceviche as well. So that we agree on and I planned to bring her to Pekaditos Ceviche Bar which was located at: 11980 SW 8th St. So we drove to 11th Ave and SW 8th St yet did not find Pekaditos. Finally turned on navigation and realized that it was a part of SW 18th St which was 14 miles away and since we had already driven from the Ft. Lauderdale area we decided to stay in the area and so I found this humble little Nicaraguan restaurant which has Mediterranean Pillars out front, a casual dinner side for fritanga style dining and a rustic yet comfortable and classy wooden interior dining area complete with full wine menu. We arrived at 11pm which was closing time and only one family was dining there. The family left and we had the whole place to ourselves. I asked the waiter if they were closing and he exclaimed no and that it was not a problem. They immediately served us spiced bread and ice water goblets right as we sat down. The first thing I ordered was a Toña Nicaraguan Golden Lager (4.6% alcohol) and it had a light crisp flavor. I liked it more than any American beer. ALOT more!! And then Senay ordered ceviche and even though they don't have mixto on the menu the waiter asked if she preferred it estilo mixto (as if he knew what she wanted) and she said yes. I ordered the same and some Nicaraguan tacos. The ceviche was served on a bed of purple cabbage and with red onions. It was very tasty, very fresh, a little on the salty side but we both enjoyed it. The tacos were good also but nothing like Mexican tacos. Nico Tacos are sort of like flautas which are deep fried and then served with a sweet cole slaw on time. They are not that spicy yet they serve pico de gallo style spices and chimichurri sauce etc on the side for dipping. When we started to finish at 11:40pm (40 minutes past their closing time) the waiter came by and offered me another beer!! I declined but was VERY impressed with the service and food. The ambiance is very humble that impressed me also. Not fancy at all but warm and romantic. This is not the place to take a Boca Babe but certainly the place to take the peace corp girl or cultural gal that you're really trying...

UPDATE NOV 2023: STILL AMAZING!! I come here First Thing when I get into Miami. I’m here for 10 days and I’ve been three times lol. Amazing people, great service, the best food I’ve ever had. I dream of the Carne Asada!!

Best Nicaraguan food in Miami!!! The location is amazing (super hip part of town and so close to all the downtown nightlife) and the family who runs the Guayacan has been doing this for literally DECADES, and it shows! Everything is delicious.

I literally dreamt about the Carne Asada after eating it. Tender but with a bite, delightfully seasoned with citrus, it will make your mouth water. It's also huge! It was big enough for two meals for me. Amazing bang for your buck here.

The pescado/fish in the house cream sauce was absolutely delightfully as well!!! Mmmm I could rave about it for days. Tender and fall apart, with a delicious char from the grill, and a creamy yet light sauce. Seriously in love!

The sides were also amazing. Rice and beans were moist and had a light seasoning that let the beans shine. If you love plantains, make sure to try the maduros for something sweet to round off a delicious meal :)

Seriously, the Guayacan is the best Nicaraguan food in Miami...loved the welcoming family atmosphere and the...

Overpriced Nicaraguan food that is lacking taste. We came to this restaurant about 3 years ago before the area was "gentrified." Back then a plate ran you 12 dollars. Now that the area has totally changed, rent must have gone up, and so did the prices in the menu. The cheapest dish is 15 dollars and it goes up from there. Problem is that for the price, the taste is simply not there. Also, some of the portions aren't so big and the tres leches was served in an aluminum foil container. As nicas say, so jincho! There are far cheaper Nicaraguan restaurants in Miami, with better taste, although the interior of the restaurant is good. However, the loud music playing gives it the atmosphere of a cantina. That's something they can certainly lower, the volume of the music blasting as your trying to peacefully enjoy the somewhat tasteless meal. If you're a tourist strolling through the new Calle ocho who has never had Nicaraguan food, avoid this place. There must be tastier places...