Neya Restaurant — Restaurant in Surfside

TL;DR: wow, this place is definitely worth visiting!

Neya had been on my list for a while, and I finally had a reason to celebrate with my family, so we checked it out! Definitely a place for a special occasion (it's pricey), but definitely worth visiting. The shop is intimate, and the service is wonderful (the head chef even stopped by to say hi and chat)! Everything dish is beautifully plated and colorful, each looks like a work of art in it's own right!

Lychee Martini- too sweet for me personally

Hamachi sashimi (East Jerusalem style)- one of my favorite dishes of the night. Loved the flavors, and wanted to drink up the olive oil it was in, the olive oil was so fresh and flavorful!

Eggplant- tasty, but not wow! Would have loved fresh pita to go with it (rather than oily pita chips- which were delicious, but the dish was already oily)

Roasted baby gem salad in homemade strawberry marmalade- the dressing was so colorful, and it was a sweet and unique way to eat your veggies!

Corvina with ricotta gnocchi with roasted asparagus in a white wine sauce- the fish was delicious and so was the sauce, but between the fatty sauce and the carbs from the pasta, it was very filling and heavy!

Black truffle wild mushroom polenta- very tasty, but the texture was off (too soggy).

The real showstoppers however were the desserts! Here's what we ordered:

Fig parfait- was more like ice cream in consistency, but still delicious. Served with pistachio crumble and pomegranate molasses. Unique combo of flavors that paired nicely together (the sweetness and acidity of the pomegranate molasses, paired with the nutty crunch of the pistachio crumble and the sweet creamy fig "ice cream" was a hit)!

My favorite dessert was the labaneh cheesecake with passion fruit preserve, mint, zaatar and caramelized olive, which sounds weird, but upon tasting was a perfect pairing! It was easily the tastiest and most innovative cheesecake I've ever ordered. I often time find savory inspired desserts disappointing and weird, and this clearly didn't happen with this cheesecake, I'm so glad our waiter pushed...

I travel for food. I go out of my way to eat at the best restaurants in every city I visit, from Bangkok, Paris, and Rome to Barcelona, Oaxaca, New York, and LA, and I cannot recall any experience to compare to this. Every bite was delicate, powerful, sophisticated, yet completely unexpected. The flavors were unlike anything I have ever tasted, perfectly balanced but so inventive it blew my mind.

The music was incredible, everyone was dancing, the energy was infectious. We came yesterday and loved it so much we drove over four hours in total to come back again today. One of our party even had surgery this morning, and all she wanted afterward was to return here, so we did, sunglasses and all😂.

The chef is a genius and an artist. This was not just great food, it was in a category of its own, the kind of culinary experience you dream about but never expect to actually find. At the very least, it is Michelin worthy, but with a soul and warmth that make it unforgettable. Chef came over to our table with a round of shots, same charm in person that he puts into every dish.

Last but not least, Mikel our server was a true professional; skilled, kind, and genuinely caring. It is clear that the chef’s vision and character influence the entire team and Mikel is a perfect reflection of that standard. His timing, knowledge, and warmth elevated an already remarkable experience into something beyond words. What an awesome gentleman.

This was the best meal of my life, and I truly believe I will never experience anything...

I recently dined at Neya, and regrettably, the experience did not live up to my expectations. Right off the bat, my evening began with a rocky start. I arrived 5 minutes early at the restaurant with a reservation for 6 PM. However, when I arrived at the restaurant, I was only allowed inside at 6:05 PM, even though the staff was visibly present inside and definitely knew I was waiting since I had knocked multiple times.

The restaurant's ambiance was less than ideal. The lighting was excessively dim, and the music was so loud that we had to request it to be lowered. The seating arrangement was also uncomfortable - the booth was cramped, contributing to a somewhat claustrophobic feeling.

Regarding the food, we ordered six dishes, but most were underwhelming. The highlights were the pita and flatbread, but even these had their drawbacks. The hummus served with the pita seemed akin to a store-bought quality, and the flatbread was overly laden with olives, making it bitter and sour. The excessive arugula also unbalanced the flavors.

The salad was another letdown, featuring overly large, unchopped leaves and a peanut dressing that tasted peculiarly like a mix of Skippy peanut butter and vinaigrette.

Service was another area where Neya fell short. Our waitress lacked the enthusiasm or knowledge to recommend popular or signature dishes.

Based on this experience, I am hesitant to return to Neya. Both the ambiance and the culinary offerings were sadly...