Cacio e Pepe Italian Restaurant

3.7⭐️ After my first visit, I was about to give it a 5 star (4.5 to be exact), but in the meantime, I went again, and then it dropped for me to 3.7. At first, I was pretty positively surprised by how good it was! It was my friend’s recommendation. For starters, they offer a complimentary bread and cheese spread, which is phenomenal! My friend told me that the best octopus he ate in Miami was here, so we tried that. It was nice, soft, and buttery, I must admit, but the price is a little peppery. The price of a bottle of wine, or even just a glass, is reasonable. They have nice glassware. Of course, we all ordered their special — Cacio e Peppe con Tartufo Nero. It was terrific, especially the experience that they mix the pasta in a cheese wheel in front of you on your table, which many Italian restaurants don’t do. I highly recommend ordering it. I must note that the truffles are not fresh or freshly shaved, but that is fairly reflected in the price. For the dessert, we ordered both versions of semifreddo. It was one of the best semifreddos I tried, and I ate amazing ones in Europe. I highly recommend that as well. The interiors are pretty nice, and the overall INDOOR atmosphere is lovely. Now the part why the rating went down after the 2nd visit… Whenever you go, please make an indoor reservation prior. Unfortunately, we didn’t make a reservation, so we were sat outdoor. However, for the entire 80 minutes we were there, and even when we left, half of the tables inside were empty, and we asked multiple times to switch indoors if someone doesn’t show up for reservation, but the staff did not react or cared. The outdoors are dirty (please refer to the photos of the pillows). I don’t understand how a restaurant would seat their guests there. And mosquitoes will bite you. That was very disappointing and bittersweet because I was delighted after my first visit. After all, Italian restaurants in Miami are always a gamble. Also, we ordered Calamari Fritti for the appetizer and Linguine Frutti di Mare, and the calamari was too chewy. In conclusion, I would still recommend you to go and try for yourself. Just make sure to make a reservation for indoor and order the dishes I mentioned. You will be happy and satisfied!