The Grape Ape — Restaurant in South Miami

I really wanted to love the Great Ape as I try to support local restaurants whenever I can. Unfortunately, the experience fell short and left me disappointed. While the service was friendly, both the pacing and quality of the food missed the mark.

They offer a solid wine selection, but the majority of bottles are priced at $50+ with markups that feel excessive. We ordered a bottle, but it was still chilling when all four appetizers arrived within just five minutes of ordering — leaving us without wine to pair with the food.

Croquettes & yuca bravas- Delicious and well-prepared. Tartar with plantains - Overly salty and overwhelmed by lime, which clashed with the plantains. Vaca frita bao - Flavorless, with an odd consistency — it honestly felt like biting into a veggie patty.

After the appetizers, we waited nearly 40 minutes for our single steak entrée to share. The restaurant wasn’t full (it was a rainy Saturday), so the delay was confusing. When the steak finally arrived, it was cold and cooked rare instead of the medium we ordered. We could have sent it back, but didn’t want to wait another stretch of time.

Our bill — one discounted bottle of wine, four small appetizers, and one steak — came to $160 before tip. I’ve had far better meals in Spain for a fraction of the cost. The concept seems aimed at bringing Spanish lifestyle and cuisine to South Miami, but it felt more like another Wynwood-style, Instagram-friendly spot with NFT ape art on the walls.

I appreciate the effort and the friendly staff, but the food lacked consistency, the pacing was off, and the overall experience just didn’t have much soul. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’d return — there’s still plenty of...

I’m always excited to see new places opening in my neighborhood, especially a lively wine bar. South Miami has needed something like this for a while. The place was full of energy, and with all the buzz on TikTok, I get why it’s packed.

I can imagine they’re still finding their footing, and maybe they’re overwhelmed by the hype. I’m not saying the hype is totally undeserved, but if this place were in the Grove or Gables, it wouldn’t stand a chance against some of the wine bars there.

One of the biggest letdowns was the service. You’d think at a wine bar, the servers would have at least some knowledge of wine or pairing suggestions. Instead, our server looked like she wasn’t even old enough to drink. She didn’t offer much guidance, which was frustrating because the wine selection was already pretty underwhelming. And the markups? Insane. I get that we’re in Miami, but paying 50 or 60 percent more for a bottle that costs $20 at Total Wine is just wild.

We got a few tapas, and I liked the idea of blending Spanish dishes with a Miami-Cuban twist. But they tasted stale, like they’d been sitting out for too long. Not what you’d expect for the price. And speaking of price, one bottle of wine and three tiny tapas set us back $150. We didn’t even have a full dinner. At Barcelona Wine Bar, we could have had way more for half the cost.

Then there was the vibe when we walked in. The hostess immediately told us we only had the table for an hour and a half. I get they want to keep things moving, but that was the first thing she said to us. It felt a little unwelcoming.

I wanted to like this place, but between the overpriced wine, the lackluster food, and the service, it just didn’t...

I visited The Grape Ape last Thursday for dinner with my husband and our friends. I had been hearing incredible things about this place through Tik Tok and word of mouth, so I decided to try it. I'm trying to give this place some grace since it just opened, but I was a little disappointed. First of all, I want to begin by saying that the atmosphere is amazing. The restaurant is both cozy and vibrant. I loved the fact that they have live music and the layout/decor of the restaurant was really well thought out. However, the first negative experience was the fact that we arrived with a reservation and still had to wait 30 minutes for a table. I saw several other parties which had the same issue so I'm not sure if this is due to overbooking, but I think there's room for improvement there. When we finally sat down at our table, our waiter seemed extremely overwhelmed. We asked a few questions about the menu and their wines since it was our first time visiting and this is what they're known for, and it seemed like he was a little clueless. Nonetheless, we ordered our food and once it arrived, we were all really disappointed with the quality of the food. A lot of the tapas looked cheaply made and had little to no flavor. They were also extremely small for the price you're paying. Maybe the restaurant just needs more time to get adjusted, but these were just...