Babe's Meat & Counter — Restaurant in Palmetto Bay

Live in the area and drive by this street daily. Have meant to give it a try for sometime now. Had a recent opportunity to meet a friend for lunch that was heading south and thought this might be a good location as it was on the way my friend was heading. It's a small butcher shop tucked on the side street, in a small strip shopping plaza just behind a Ford Dealership. There's ample parking out front, so that's a plus. Two small metal tables outside with two chairs per table. It was a little warm outside, so it wasn't an ideal day to eat outdoors. Looks like they have a tall counter on the side with no chairs for indoor dining. If there are chairs/stools for that counter, I missed it.

We ordered a Reuben Sandwich at $15.99, a burger at $10.99, fries at $6.99 with bacon for an extra $2.50 and some soft drinks for another $5.00. So the meal came to $41.16 before tip. I find that expensive for simple lunch. Both sandwiches were tasty, but we both felt they could have come with more meat. The burger is a thin patty, very similar to Shake Shack burger. It's thin with an excellent crust and cooked to well done. Yes the meat was good, but I felt it should have been a thicker patty for $11. The Reuben was thin cold-cut style corn beef. It was smokey and also tasty but again I feel for $16, there should have been more meat in the sandwich. I also would have preferred thicker slices. Not sure if this thinly sliced cold cuts, heated up on a griddle for the sandwich, but didn't feel premium. Being from the Northeast, for $16 you get a pretty great Philly Cheese Steak in Philly, and yes a Reuben at Katz deli in NYC will run you more money (around $26), but it comes with considerably more corn beef and it's an experience you'll be talking about for a long time. Not to mention, you'll likely only be able to eat half the sandwich and share or save the other half. The fries were pretty ordinary and for $7 a poor value. The added bacon at $2.50 was crumbled and without a binder like a melted cheese or in our case ketchup, just fell to the bottom of the plate. So $9.50 for that order for fries with bacon was definitely too much money (imho).

I really, really wanted to like this place as I'd prefer to support a local business than a national chain. It felt like a 'find' as it's tucked away on a quiet side street off noisy and hectic US1. The butcher shop meats consisted of some good looking prime cuts of beef I don't see in other places. So I will likely return to try a few steaks. The prices aren't 'cheap' or 'bargains'. But to be fair, prime cuts are expensive everywhere. The person at the counter was friendly. So to summarize, the sandwiches were tasty, but not a good value and an average experience at best. Not a place I'd rush back to or tell friends about as a must-try. I find too many places kind of do 'just-enough' and no more. A Reuben is one of my favorite sandwiches, and as I type that my mouth waters thinking of the ones I had at the Carnegie Deli and Katz that I clearly still remember. I was hoping I had found 'that' spot for a good Reuben in Miami. But for me, the search...

They're so friendly and the customer service is great. I asked for mustard not realizing it would be spicy and they replaced the bread for me, sans mustard, at no extra cost. It was really kind.

I've been here twice now for lunch with a friend. They have 2 small bistro tables outside their shop if you choose to "dine in." I wish their location had more space for seating! At a different location, I bet they could have a really cute lil patio area with tables. But that isn't feasible at this location. Luckily, at lunchtime on a Friday, they have not been so busy that I can't find a spot. ANYway, the Reuben sandwich is delicious. Their ingredients are fresh and high quality. I also tried their pork banh mi - super fresh, high-quality ingredients and lots of flavor! I did not feel it tasted much like banh mi I have had at multiple Vietnamese restaurants; it was more of its own thing. But still great and very tasty. (To get closer to a Vietnamese restaurant banh mi, I think one first step would be to try using a less dense French bread.)

They have a wide variety of fresh raw meat options, including beef and lamb. I'd say some of the prices are fairly competitive but I'm not an expert on meat prices.

The menu prices for the sandwiches feel a lil pricey to me, BUT I come from a city less expensive than Miami, AND the ingredients here really seem quality so with that in mind the prices are probably just right!

For the Reuben it was ~$19 after tip and tax.

The indoor area is very small, standing room only. It feels clean; it has good atmosphere, attractive and clear menu signage, and a small area with odds and ends for sale, like recipe books and potato chips. (They have Zapp's chips, in case that interests anyone!)

They accept Apple Pay. I paid with my phone. They also have a rewards program you can sign up for using your phone number. You get "Babe's Bucks" with each purchase.

The location is directly off of HWY 1 with ample free parking in the parking lot. You can hear the highway but it's generally peaceful.

Thanks for a lovely lunch! I...

This is the hidden gem of Palmetto Bay that I never mind driving to from Palmetto Bay because it's really that good! Babe's Meat & Counter's owners hail from Canada and offer a variety of meats/cheeses/other quality products in their shop. They have things like espresso rubbed bacon and rosemary sage sausage that is all made in house aka any cook's dream.

I took my boyfriend here since he had not been yet for an early lunch. We started off with two of their sausage rolls (pastelito) which I know are from the famed Pastelito Papi. These are a MUST when you come--both the sweet and spicy were mind blowingly delicious. I immediately regretted not taking home some for a snack later. We then ordered our meals, my boyfriend ordered the Sweet Breakfast Sandwich: maple rosemary sausage, egg, and cheddar on your choice of a cuban roll or bagel. Thank god he went with the cuban roll because it added to the entirety of the whole sandwich, the bread was amazingly fresh and the sandwich (though it sounds simple) is one of the best breakfast sandwiches we've ever tasted all due to her in house made sausage and superior ingredients!

I went with a lunch item, Duck Bahn Mi: bacon, cucumber, pickled carrot, daikon radish, cilantro, and sriracha mayo all on a baguette. Bahn Mi is a feat to find in Miami and I would easily eat this one every time the craving strikes! I also ordered the special item of the day which was kielbasa lentil soup. The kielbasa in the soup thoroughly flavored it making it also one of the best lentils I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

Everything here is artisanal quality and well worth your visit. I highly recommend it to everyone I know that live...