Palma — Restaurant in Miami

I wanted a special experience for my boyfriend & I's 5th anniversary dinner & Palma fit the bill. Parking may be an issue but we were lucky enough to find a spot right out front. As soon as we walked in, I was greeted by name by our waitress/hostess for the rest of the evening, Sara. It felt like you were being welcomed into an intimate & uber exclusive secret club. The interior of the restaurant is dimly lit & sparse. Concrete walls & floors & a concrete bar yet still warm with wooden tables & chairs all lit by candlelight. As soon as we sat, Sara explained how the tasting menu worked. Previously, I had received a text asking about dietary preferences and so our substitutions (no pork) were discussed. Perfect! Sara then offered us a choice of their natural beers or wines. Unfortunately, neither I or my boyfriend are natural wine fans so this is the only reason why I'm not rating Palma 5-stars. The 2 white wines we chose were both so acidic & sour, I could barely drink them. Not a fan. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to some inventive cocktails. I can only imagine how amazing the chef's cocktail menu would be if only they had any. Anyways, back to the good stuff, the food! Course 1: Bouquet (french farms gems + herbs, bagna càuda) Presentation was gorgeous! A literal teeny bouquet of greens, vegetables, edible flowers & herbs served atop a delicious dip that you scooped up with the leaves and ate in 2 bites. Fresh, tasty & just plain fun to eat, not to mention gorgeous & so inventive! Course 2: Oyster (koginut pumpkin, laver, pepper) Again, presentation was chef's kiss. Oyster was fresh & briny & the sweet & totally unexpected pumpkin somehow worked wonderfully! Delicious Course 3: Crudo (kumquat, blue basil, buckwheat) I believe the fish was hamachi but whatever it was, it was amazing! Course 4: Shrimp (collards, boniato, rosemary) OH. MY. HEAD. That shrimp wrapped in the steamed collard greens was mind blowing. I could have eaten 20. But you only get 1 :( Course 5: Fish (squid ink sauce, papa criolla, burnt chili) Although my boyfriend thought this was delicious, I literally could not distinguish any flavours or textures in this dish. It was all the same mushiness unfortunately. Bread + Butter: (sweet plantain brioche w coconut caramel/ dried plantain leaf butter) Beautiful to look at but I just didn't get the flavours promised in the description. The bread was good (albeit not as hot, soft & pillowy as I had hoped) & the butter was great but I was looking for more. Course 6: Substitute for Pork - Fish Mousse + Cabbage Lasagna(?) Sounds grotesque but this was one of the most amazing & unexpected dishes I have EVER tried! Delicate & beautifully flavoured fish mousse layered with delicious steamed cabbage, this was such a refined & beautiful dish! So many times when you ask for a substitute, you end up with a hastily thrown together, with noticeably zero effort dish but this was not that. This was exceptional. I absolutely loved it! Course 7: Orange (granita, cantalope, kinome) Part dessert, part palate cleanser, this refreshing, delightful course was perfect after the richness of the previous dish. The cantaloupe made an already revitalizing dish even more so & the minty, slightly spicy kinome leaf added some extra zing. Course 8: Porcini (caramelized white chocolate, kale) Stay with me here... Yes this is a dessert. Yes it's main ingredient is mushrooms & yes there is kale in it but SWEET BABY JESUS this is truly one of the best desserts I have ever had in my entire life (& yes... i have eaten a lot of desserts). Not too sweet but deep, creamy decadent flavours that were just so unexpected! Such a perfect way to end a stunning meal! Sara was an absolute dream throughout as was Chef Juan Camilo who also brought out some of the dishes & explained them to us and also let us know that the menu is ever changing. I can't wait to stop by again soon to see what new magic the Chef...

✨Must-Try Hidden Gem✨

Overall we loved the passion, creativity and hospitality! If we were Miami locals, we would be sure to visit this place monthly just to see what chef was cooking up next.

We had a lovely time visiting (in Jun 2025) and celebrating our anniversary. The team was kind, welcoming and attentive! The counter seating gave us front row seats to the culinary show (see pics) and a glimpse into the mind of chef. He shared inspiration for the dishes, fun facts and good laughs!

Their rotating menu features seasonal ingredients from small producers. Our standout favorites: ⭐️ grilled fish - beautiful crust, grouper that melts in your mouth. And the sauce? I licked that bowl clean… ⭐️ plantain bread - the perfect bread does exist. ⭐️ peach - like a palate cleanser, the cream was incredible, subtle, simple and effective with a nutty hint from the candied peanut

As someone who tried many tasting menus, we realize that every chef has their own vision. Our personal taste is more simple with intentional, highlighted ingredients. We felt some of the dishes were explosions of flavor with many creative additions, but we found it hard to find some of the flavors that were mentioned or that the extra ingredients detracted from the overall dish e.g. the coffee and celeriac in the fish broth were tough to notice, and the coconut water sake jus in the ice cream cake.

Highly recommend trying this imaginative tasting experience. You’re sure to be (pleasantly) surprised with the creativity shown...

Don’t prefer to leave so-so reviews and because I hope to see the restaurant stay and see this chef do great here are some things that could use attention.

From the moment you walk in there is a cleaner/bathroom like smell. When I smelled it I was inclined to leave and try somewhere else. I stayed because there is no way to call the restaurant and an advance reservation is required thru Resy with a hold deposit. No easy way to change my mind or resolve from the moment I walk in is not helpful, and stayed given that while hoping the food was good.

The food was fine, if you’re a cook you know the ingredients and how fresh things should be. Most raw seafood items tasted fishy with too strong a smell that lingered. This was the case with the raw scallop at the beginning of the meal.

For the price point please don’t use the cheapest fish that is monkfish. Monkfish has a meaty consistency, and if going for lobster then use lobster or something with much better quality.

The plantain bread and ribeye were excellent. The service was great. If going to charge $25 for a glass of wine please pour according to standard, which is more than a tasting glass size, which was what I was served. Given that I didn’t order another glass.

Portions are small as meant to be a for a tasting experience. The reasoning for the low review is because of the barely there ambiance, missing freshness of food and flavors that...