Walrus Rodeo — Restaurant in Miami

This restaurant is a very nice looking TRAP, let me explain the reasons in the most objective way possible:

-AESTHETICS: The name itself Walrus Rodeo is very cool. Like the wallpaper, the ceiling and the furniture. Yet it is only the beginning of how the owners feed you with a creative concept which will fail to delivery in consistency.

COCKTAILS: I found it very inspiring to make cocktails based on the fact that they don't have a license for spirits, using only wines and vermouths. The cocktails were good, yet missing the buzz factor so you feel the need to order more, which I didn’t.

-MENU: Usually we order pretty fast, but somehow the very well graphically designed menu and the intricate dish names made me wonder what to pick. We ordered after 20 mins of dwelling over the dish descriptions. Even more shocking when we saw the pizza section going till $199.

-SERVICE: The waiter was very kind, although the more she continued to describe the plates, the more we became confused. Since we didn’t know what to get we asked to order 2 dishes and then to add something later based on how we felt. She declined the possibility saying "You HAVE to order all at once." Not a comforting feeling I’d say.

-We chose these 3 dishes:

-TURNIP SALAD: very nice dressing but very overwhelming. Fresh at the beginning, but I would have preferred to have it next to the other dishes, again not possible since it arrived first by itself.

-LAMB LASAGNA: pleasant and since we were hungry we devoured it, but it was incredibly salty and super tiny. It only had 2 thin layers and the spinach pesto on top, although nice was overtaking the flavor of the lamb. The Parmesan cheese on top (only one side, weird) was more salt on top of an already salty dish.

-RODEO ZA PIZZA: weirdest selection of flavors EVER. Between the Chicken Sausage (cheaper alternative for pork sausage), and the anchovies with breadcrumbs and uber expensive caviar (from $85 to $199), we chose the Rodeo Za.
 The first bite was interesting, between salty and sweet coming from the maple glazed crust, but after second slice I was done.

-DESSERT: We skipped dessert since we felt the american pie made of churros and liquid chocolate would have been another strange experience like the pizza.

BILL: the cherry on top -Vero Water..a fancy tap water name: $1 -Healthcare Service charges: 2%..with the addendum at the bottom basically making you feel bad for refusing to paying for it.

*Beware, you can ask your waiter to remove it and tell them straight to their face that you don’t want to contribute to their health coverage. I mean what type of person does that to their employees?

Get a grip Owners.

Don’t contribute to turning Miami into a gimmicky take on hipster Brooklyn without the actual food...

This spot is in the northern part of Miami, which has a bit of a hipster vibe and reminds me of New York. When we arrived, we drove past some rundown areas, easily found a parking spot (which is rare in Miami), and were half-expecting something to go wrong. But as soon as we stepped inside, we knew we were in the right place. The team was fantastic — stylish staff working seamlessly and efficiently, on par with the best spots in Williamsburg or Brooklyn. That might not be a compliment for them, but for us, it felt genuine, not pretentious — an authentic place in Miami.

We decided to try half the menu, sampling different appetizers and main courses. For dessert, we went with the server’s recommendation: a chocolate s’mores ice cream with waffle, served with a small bear-shaped cookie, which we loved.

As for the appetizers, they were on the smaller side — if you’re sharing with four people, you’ll each get a bite or two, except for the pizza. Although we were told the pizza was personal-sized, it actually came with six slices, which was perfect for the three of us (since the fourth person was gluten-free). The duck and pear pizza was good, but we preferred the meat one. The duck had a strong aroma while cooking, which wasn’t quite to our taste — not because it was bad, but we’re just not huge duck fans. Among the appetizers, we especially enjoyed the oysters, peppers, and raw fish dish.

The wine selection was fantastic as well. Our sommelier made a recommendation of orange wine, and we left very happy. I’ll definitely be recommending this place to...

Phenomenal restaurant. But Walrus Rodeo isn’t just a restaurant- it’s a 5 star dining experience. The food is out of this world, the service is impeccable, and the vintage decor enveloping the restaurant really made for a one of a kind experience.

The host was exceptional, which is hard to come by but really positively impacted the whole experience. My fiancé and I came on a Friday night without reservations (oops) and she didn’t give us an inflated wait time (the old, “oh, it’s going to be like 2 hours”) and instead said, absolutely, let me see what we can do. Sat us comfortably outside and brought us a drink menu and served all of us who were waiting drinks throughout our wait time, periodically checking on us. Amazing. Although we did wait about 45 minutes, everything was so well managed that we were all in good spirits and talked amongst each other, making some new acquaintances. Once we were sat, at the bar, the bartender was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. He went above and beyond to help us choose our menu items based on some dietary restrictions, and when the food came- wow. SO good. Not much else can be said other than everything was so, so delicious and well presented. The flavors were unique but blended together incredibly. Hats off to the kitchen for not missing a beat. Do yourself a favor and ask about the lamb ragu- and don’t skip the carrot tartar just because carrots. We had an amazing time and will definitely be coming back and...