Joia Beach — Restaurant in Miami

joia beach was not such a joy… we had a reservation for dinner at the lounge, essentially the reason why we decided on joia. despite our specific reservations for the beach lounge, the woman who took us to our table would not to seat us at the lounge because there were “not enough chairs” and “dinner is not served at the lounge”. after passing by the lounge to get to our table, we could see parties of 6 sitting at the lounge, being served meals. we were instead seated at a broken rickety table that would not stay still when you even slightly move. our table was immediately served water that came from an evian bottle. we were all under the impression that all guests were served complementary filtered water. later, we find out the hard way it was not at all what we thought. our waiter was unfriendly from the get go. he came off almost irritated at our party due to some people not ordering any food or just ordering an appetizer to eat. my boyfriend inquired about the miami spice special and asked if he could share it with me. he answered firmly that it was absolutely not allowed to split the 3 course meal. he emphasized it. after we asked him this, we were watched through the entire dinner, which was uncomfortable. the complimentary bread and small teaspoon of butter was underwhelming and stale. the food itself was overpriced for the taste and portions. my $24 greek salad was in fact not a salad and was really just a pile of vegetables with a pinch of dressing. it was it was only halfway through our dinner and after being served our 3rd bottle of water that we realized that it was in fact not complimentary. it took us asking 3 different employees to get a straight answer on this water situation, our waiter informed us that the water was not free. when asking our water server, she was visibly irritated and raised her voice at me to explain that it wasn’t- she was not able to speak english. prior to asking about the water, our table was refilled once with the “regular” water. after that, we were ignored and nobody came to fill up our waters for the remainder of dinner. it was obvious they were annoyed for questioning it. after being watched like prey for an hour and finishing our meal, we were informed that each bottle of water was $11, which is in reality $5 at most. on top of an already overpriced, underwhelming dinner, it seemed we were stuck paying $33 for water! at this point, it was clear to me that this was a strategy to make more money. they seat you, and immediately send servers to hurry and pour everyone water without informing anybody of the cost or asking if they even wanted it. if i am paying for something, it should be A GIVEN to know what i’m paying for & exactly how much it is beforehand. before we got our check, i voiced my issues to our waiter. he was argumentative & only slightly helpful AFTER the phone call with his manager. he repeated over and over that he did tell us by asking “still or sparkling water?”… that is not disclosing that we would be paying for $11 water or asking if we were okay with that. he also kept repeating that “this is a business”… implying that this restaurant has to implement hidden fees to make money. he also told me to “listen lady”. he was unprofessional, inconsiderate and rude. after a long couple minutes of being essentially yelled at, he said I would be able to talk to the manager on the phone. he returned minutes later, no phone or manager for me to talk to and said that it was taken off the bill! wow! it was clear to me that his manager said he was in the wrong & to refund it. his whole demeanor shifted after the phone call & then began schooling me on what “sparkling or still” water is. this dinner was an inconvenience to my 5 friends and I am embarrassed that I brought them here thinking it would be fun. not only was it expensive, but it was uncomfortable and disappointing. this waiter should be held accountable for talking to paying customers as if they are beneath him. i would definitely skip this place, despite the enticing scenery and...

I expected so much more because of the fame of the place…but here we go… This is my own and personal experience which I only hope it may help others looking to visit or even management improve where seems fitting.

But to give credit where it’s due the service was very good .. top notch and the ambiance is nice and place is beautiful!

If you need to use the restroom (nice and clean btw) make sure to use it before entering the actual restaurant as it is situated to the right as soon as you start the long walk toward the restaurant after parking.

Girl from Miami drink was OK… Just taste like sour grapefruit drink…. better off with just a sex on the beach or Long Island which I hope they serve as well.

Appetizers are delicious yet small in size…

I got the churrasco which was to be cooked med well and came pretty raw but at least they were accommodating to fix….

Please do not order the tres leches because you will get a small piece of dry and tasteless cake. Traditionally it is supposed to be extra moist even a bit soggy dare I say and sweet to perfection. Don’t worry guys I’ll hook you up with recipe below 👌😩

McD gives you a run for your money on those fries js might wanna look into that…

That’s all xx

TRES LECHES DESSERT 🧁

(For the love of sweets and in a city full of Cuban and Mexican mamas that can make it for you…. Your welcome 😆)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 7 large eggs separated 1 cup sugar ¾ cup whole milk 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 1 can 14-ounce sweetened condensed milk 1 can 12-ounce evaporated milk 1 cup heavy cream ¼ cup rum optional Topping 2 cups whipping cream 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13-inch (22x23cm) rectangular baking pan* by brushing with butter/oil or spraying with cooking spray. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt Separate the eggs and place into two different mixing bowls. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer for 2 minutes until pale yellow. 7 large eggs, 1 cup sugar Stir together the milk and vanilla extract. Then add to the egg yolk mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. ¾ cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter. Fill the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until done. The top should be set and spring back when gently pressed. A skewer or toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. While the cake is baking combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream, and optional rum in a large bowl or blender. 1 can 14-ounce sweetened condensed milk, 1 can 12-ounce evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ¼ cup rum Pour the three milks mixture over the top of the hot cake as it comes out from the oven. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes into the cake to help the liquid soak in. Make sure to use all of the milk. It should all be absorbed. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Then whip the cream until doubled and stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and then optionally decorate with sliced strawberries. 2 cups whipping cream, 2 cups fresh strawberries Slice the cake and serve. Store the cake refrigerated and covered for...

Was so stoked to come experience this spot that my dear friend recommended while visiting here for her wedding. Sadly, Joia Beach was the worst experience I’ve had in a while. I hate to do this but here it goes… My bf and I are from LA. We dine out pretty often and respectfully know what to expect when dining at certain places with certain regulations. — We paid for a reserved table. (Which indicates that we can expect some level of something I thought! lol) — We arrived on time and the host took us to our table. The table was the furthest back corner table in the entire facility. Not all the tables were full. So it was as if our res was for nothing and they plopped us where we couldn’t see/experience much of what was there to enjoy. We proceeded to sit at our table and wait 30 whole minutes… to be acknowledged at least, but not one staff member checked on us. We saw the tables directly next to us have 3 different team members check on them and complete services. Yet we were still waiting to be greeted, offered water, or simply for someone to make eye contact with me to let me know they’d be right there. Nope! My bf had to go back up to the front ask for the hostess to let us know who our server even was. Nothing. He came back defeated after asking for service, and so I took a turn.

I then walked up to the front and asked for the manager. I let him know my frustration. I’m now walking the manger to our table to show him where we are. And on our walk to my table he lets me know that the hostess had said we walked ourselves to our table. THE EFF?! This was wild to me. — He said that their hostesses hand a ticket to their servers after seating tables so that each server knows who is in their section. Which is cool, but it’s not my business to know how your establishment operates haha. So what he really said there… was that his hostess employee didn’t want to own up to her mistake of not giving their server a ticket to communicate our seating. So she made up a story saying we walked ourselves to our table?! We definitely wouldn’t walk into a restaurant to bypass a hostess and seat ourselves. I’m so so so so mad. He then agreed to give us complimentary appetizers to mitigate the mixup. We agreed. We ordered 4 drinks and truffle fries. We then talked to our server to confirm the managers offer of a couple comped apps… she agreed and serves us. The comped items we picked was a burger and Greek salad. We get to bill time and this is the whammy… they charge us for the 4 drinks and burger instead of 4 drinks and truffle fries! So not only did they still disrespect us by not honoring their offer but charge us the most they still could? Gratuity included was also sooooo much fun.

I’m literally so disappointed at this entire experience. We were disrespected completely and received terrible service. I hate it here. And I wish this...