Kiki On The River — Restaurant in Miami

As a professional in the hospitality industry, I was surprisingly disappointed and stunned by the service. For context, I’ve trained/helped build fine dining establishments in Chicago, Scottsdale, and Miami. For Mother’s Day, my mother requested this place. I made my reservation here (OpenTable) approximately a week in advance. Two days prior to my reservation, I received a voicemail saying there was a “glitch” in the system and that my reservation was unable to be accommodated. As someone who started as a hostess, I know systems do not allow for overbooking, so this was not the case. Needless to say, I followed up and communicated that I was aware there was no glitch and other reservations were being prioritized for accommodation instead of mine and would appreciate compensation for this faux pas… The hostess updated my 12:30 reservation for noon. Fast forward to Mother’s Day: we arrive and my reservation cannot be located. I present my confirmation and we are told to see “if” a chair can be found for my little sister because they are at “full capacity”. They say it’s no problem and we are lead to a booth that seats at least 6 people. We were surrounded by empty tables and throughout the entirety of our duration, there was never a point in which there were not at least 2-3 tables available at all times. Odd. Fast forward to service: it was unclear until the very end who our server was. Several people stopped by very intermittently and nobody officially introduced themselves as ‘our’ server. Throughout the majority of our brunch, our waters were empty. I got my mom tequila instead of vodka for an espresso martini and instead of asking, the server charged for a portion of Casamigos in lieu of the cocktail with the modification. Okay. At one point, someone who appeared to be in management approached and asked if we needed help and I asked if we had a server because it had been over 20 minutes since someone had checked in with us and our menu was gone. Okay. Fast forward to the check: when we finally receive the bill, a 22% service charge was automatically applied. I found this strange because industry standard is 18-20%. I typically tip 20% minimum for basic level service and beyond for better. This service was borderline disrespectful. It felt as is they assumed we wouldn’t be spending money (three women) and were perceived as ‘not belonging’. Had the experience and service been what I expected for what they advertise, we would’ve continued spending until the cows came home; however; this is difficult to accomplish when there is no clear server. We are of the opinion that nobody wanted to take our table. I asked the manager to allow me to adjust the tip to 18% and he took the entire thing off. My bank alerted me to potential fraud and blocked the charge the first time. It seemed as if we were implicitly accused of not being able to afford to be there.

All in all, amusing. Ambience was fantastic and we had a beautiful time in our company, but this dining and serving experience was comical and embarrassing.

Last but not least, a display of cordial glasses with drinks were next to us and I asked what they were (after we had paid). I come to find they are complimentary in celebration of the day. We were never offered any until we asked what they were, so we didn’t know. Wow.

Pictures are attached of my receipt, my adjusted tip (15% which was generous), and the aforementioned cordial glasses.

Do not intend to return. Much better experiences for this price point and a less...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting KIKI on the River. The last time I visited KIKI was about 2 years ago, I usually go with some business colleagues, and I must say, it was always an exceptional experience. As someone who has visited the restaurant several times before, I can confidently say that yesterday's visit was by far my favorite visit yet.

What made this particular visit so special was that I had the pleasure of bringing my wife for the first time. She is quite particular when it comes to dining out, but she absolutely loved it. I must say that the food was outstanding. The emphasis on freshness and quality was evident in every dish that we ordered. One dish that stood out was the Jumbo Crunchy Fried Shrimp - they were truly jumbo, just like the ones you would find in the Caribbean islands, freshly picked from the sea, and served directly on our table. It was an absolute delight to savor each bite of these succulent shrimp.

Another dish that we absolutely loved was the Branzino, also known as Mediterranean Seabass, which was cooked to perfection on a bed of salt. The taste was exceptional and reminded me of the ones served in Positano, a beautiful coastal town in Italy's Amalfi Coast, and in the stunning French Riviera's crown jewel, Monaco. The fish was incredibly fresh, and the salt cooking method really allowed the flavors to shine.

The wine selection and drinks at KIKI on the River were also impressive. There were plenty of options, and the selection was inviting. We enjoyed a red wine that perfectly complemented our meal. The drinks were also expertly crafted, and we loved the refreshing cocktails that we tried before dinner.

Overall, the food at KIKI on the River was exceptional. Every dish was cooked with precision and care, and the flavors were simply unforgettable. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for fresh, delicious seafood with a touch of Mediterranean flair. Thank you to the team at KIKI on the River for providing us with an unforgettable dining experience!

I must give a special shout-out to Ms. Vika, who provided us with impeccable service throughout the evening. She was friendly, attentive, and made sure that we were having a beautiful time. We were seated in a lovely tall area with a view of the river and a general view of this cozy place. Additionally, Adrian, our server, was also exceptional. He was kind, super well-mannered, and professional.

To top it all off, we were pleasantly surprised to run into some friends who were also dining at KIKI. It was truly the perfect evening.

Overall, I would highly recommend KIKI on the River; (A touch of mythical Greece and the north and center of the Mediterranean, all combined with the magic of Miami) to anyone looking for a fantastic dining experience. My wife and I are already planning our next visit with our kids and their special ones. Miami truly needs more places like KIKI.

Η γυναίκα μου αγαπά αυτό το δείπνο.

We cannot wait to come back...

*Latest and Looks like Final Update: Sept 10 - After locating the reservation and me following up again since late August, only resolution was to invite us to all come back with 20%. We do not live in Miami so this doesn't make sense. Wish I was given this update way sooner instead of waiting a month to be told the same thing when I initially reached out. Disappointing but oh well. There are better places to eat at and have a good time.

Update: August 23 - To make matters worse, the follow up is terrible with this company. Someone commented below to assist and offered us to come back, but that doesn't make sense in this scenario since this was a bachelorette trip and we are not local. It has been about a month and neither of GMs, reservation manager or accounting dept reached out or acknowledged our request for a refund. Sent 5 emails already.....

Went here this past Friday night with 12 girls for a bachelorette and had mixed reviews about what we thought of the place. This is definitely an instagram spot, they reel you in with the music and photo ops and look the vibes were great, but not because of the service or food. We had like 3 servers/servers assistants for our table and they were just alright, we had to ask multiple times for things and when we did they never replied they just kind of walked off and did it. 1 person at our table didn’t get their drink for 45 mins and then I had to flag a server down to get it, restaurant wasn’t busy yet. Most importantly the food here and seafood is a BIG FAT NO. It was legit frozen you can taste that, lobster pasta was chewy and so greasy and oily and it was “remade” but come to find out it was only “re-tossed pasta,” the bolognese literally looked like Taco Bell meat and made 2 of us sick to our stomachs with only 3 bites. Another girl ordered mussels and shared they tasted fishy and were the worse she’s had in her life, others tried them and confirmed they were fishy tasting and not it. When i asked the manager to take it off the bill, i explained in detail about the issues with 3 dishes and told him I’d like it taken off, only 3 bits of pasta and only 2 mussels were eaten. He just nodded and didn’t say ANYTHING back which was overall just weird and strange. It was taken off the bill but still, so weird to not express empathy or offer to make something else or appease anything. I guess there’s no need to care since place is so busy which is astounding given the quality of food. Also the bathroom smelled terrible like improper sewage smells. Overall vibes were fine but seriously when I tell you just come here for a drink, I mean it and maybe the ceasar salad which actually was quite good. Photo included of bolognese with Greek yogurt on top, also just not good, tasted like there was nutmeg in it. All around just weird...