O’Lima Restaurant

We had dinner last night at O’Lima, an exceptional Peruvian restaurant located on Bay Harbor Islands — what a treasure! The service, food and ambience were perfect.
A most friendly greeting by our server, Camila, was just the beginning. She couldn’t have been more accommodating, and her complete knowledge of the menu was extraordinary. We wanted to eat Tapas style, so we chose a variety of «small plates», and everything we had was delicious.
Starting with the Ceviche Tour O’Lima for 2 — a plate with 5 different ceviche preparations. It was remarkable. Then Conchitas Parmesan (scallops marinated in pisco with parmesan cheese au gratin), Artichoke salad, Lomo Tequenos (fried crispy wontons stuffed with beef tenderloin), I could have eaten them all night.
Ending with one of our favorites –Pulpo A La Parrilla (marinated, grilled, very tender octopus with potatoes, grilled asparagus and a chimichurri pepper sauce. Delicious!
An excellent wine list — my favorite Rose, Miraval, was available.
If you have room, you should try the dessert, 4 Leches, delicious. I’ll leave that up to your imagination.
Everything was perfection!
The plates were artistically presented in a very attractive restaurant. This is, by its tone, quality and the presentation of its food, a high end dining experience. But make no mistake; this is Miami, so shorts and casual wear are totally appropriate.

This was a first for me — I’ve never had Peruvian before but it was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend and I got the Asada and a fish dish (it had the word chutney in it) — AMAZING! And for appetizers we had these small fried empanadas with beef. They also served bread with this delicious garlic butter that was addicting. I would definitely recommend this place — come hungry!

Amazing food. I don’t get it, Friday night and not busy. We were sent here by the concierge at the St Regis and at first I couldn’t figure out why. The food is unbelievable. Everything we ordered was fantastic. The sashimi style ceviche, the yucca cheese bread, both unique twists on Latin American standard were both delicious. The grilled octopus should not be missed. Simply amazing tastes and perfectly executed.

Very nice restaurant, great food and specially excellent service.
Try the rissoto with angus beef, was delicious. Inalso suggest their dessert with lucuma (Peruvian fruit)

The problem isn’t O’Lima’s food, a very good but pricey «designer food» fusion of Latin and Mediterranean food; it’s their attitude towards the public. 3 times I ate at the restaurant’s Saturday & Sunday lunch hours. In one of the instances, where I brought a cousin with me, I made a reservation, but in the other two instances, there was plenty of room to fit me in. But, in my one attempt at eating dinner at this restaurant (Friday May 20^th), I was snubbed by the Maitre D, despite the fact that one-​third of the restaurant’s indoor tables were empty (more about that later).
First, I’ll discuss the food. Some of the items had spanish names (that I don’t recall), but I’ll give you a description of these products. Expect that an appetizer, one of the less expensive ($ 29.95) main courses, desert, two cans of Coke and a reasonable tip will cost $ 75.
One of the appetizers has small squares of beef in a fried wonton-​type wrapper with an avocado dipping sauce. The main course «Chicken o’Lima» is two chicken fillets in a sweetened sauce with green grapes and mashed potatoes. A desert item was small hot doughnuts (made from a potato dough) in hot syrup, with a maple dipping sauce and a scoop of ice cream. On one of the lunchtime visits, I wanted to bring my mother with me, but she had to stay home due to a broken wrist, so I brought her Australian Rack of lamb ($ 49.95), which she enjoyed. There’s been some comments here on O’Lima’s portion size. I’ll say this: the Chicken O’Lima portion size was adequate, the Rack of Lamb portion size more than adequate, though I will note that the appetizer & desert portions were indeed tiny.
On Friday May 20,2016, I was on my way home from Miami Beach, but due to a 30-​block traffic jam, i arrived in Surfside too late to eat at my preferred restaurant, Flanigans. All tables were filled, and there was a long waiting list, so i thought that I’d try to eat at «O’Lima». As it is on any day when I’m traveling by taxi, bus or on foot, and the outdoor temperature is 86 degrees, I was dressed for the heat, in cargo shorts and a t-​shirt. Nobody at O’Lima objected when I dressed that way when I ate lunch there 3 times. I had a sports equipment carrying case on wheels with me.
The Maitre D, refused to give me a seat inside the restaurant though one-​third of the restaurant’s indoor tables were empty. He claimed that all of those empty tables were reserved. He lied. The tables were still empty 90 minutes later. It was a hot and cloudy night where rain appeared likely, and so this Maitre D, eager to snub me, set up conditions that he knew that I would reject: eating outdoors to likely sweat and possibly get rained on. I said «What if It Rains?», and he shrugged his shoulders. That’s right folks: even if it started to rain while I was eating outdoors, this Maitre D would not permit me to complete my meal inside the restaurant. Even if I had called the Maitre D’s bluff, and taken that outdoor table, does he think that a customer who spends big money for pricey designer food, then gets soaked by a rainstorm for this Maitre D’s selfishness, is likely to ever come back to O’Lima to eat again? I exited and said «I won’t twist your arm for $ 75″.
Interestingly, on another hot & cloudy night (Dec. 26,2014) „Asia Bay“ (another Bay Harbor Islands restaurant) tried the same sleazy tactic, despite the fact that the server recognized me from seven years as a regular 20 to 25 time per year customer. I rejected the offer to eat outdoors with the high likelihood of rain. I have boycotted Asia Bay ever since then.
Restaurants such as O’Lima, Asia Bay and (the now defunct) Le Pine all operate on a similar assumption: that their customers (at least at night) are all tourists who will eat at the restaurant only once, and will never return, so it doesn’t matter if they treat these people badly. There will be no consequences, right? WRONG: I’m nearing 60 and have lived in the town since age 6. I’ve been a 54 year Bay Harbor Islands resident, and I have zero tolerance for being mistreated by restaurant workers. Don’t dare mistreat the residents of this town, or you’ll end up like Le Pine: Out of Business.
Learn these lessons,“O’Lima»: a table with one customer brings in more money than an empty table. We’re not all tourists. And you can’t judge a person’s ability to afford the product based on their appearance or how they dress. If O’Lima has a stricter dress code at night, let me know. I had slacks and a long-​sleeve shirt in my carrying case. Take your designer food and bad attitude and shove it!

Amazing food, and my wife is a chef and she agrees. They make a modern version of Peruvian food, and it’s really, really good. Definitely get the ceviche and get a pisco sour, too. We sat at the bar and had appetizers and a couple of drinks. The bar tender was friendly and took good care of us. We’re already planning another visit !

Never really experienced Peruvian cuisine and was extremely impressed by the elegant flavors and sauces that the chef made. The service was excellent, ambiance pleasing and food INCREDIBLE. I live in PB county but will travel again to try new dishes. A diamond in Bal Harbor.

Totally delicious! Cannot wait to go back! I had the quinotto which is a risotto style dish except with quinoa. The seasoning they used was totally amazing and the shrimps were cooked to perfection!
We also shared these stuffed yuca balls with cheese! Cannot wait to go back and have some more. I will definitely visit this place when in Miami next time

Just walked in 10 minutes before they close according to the schedule they have on there door. Asked if i could order something to take home. They told me they are closed and there where still 3 tables inside. Thanks alot, good luck in the future.

To be honest, I’d rather go to the hood to get real Peruvian. I’ll admit the ceviche was great and the pisco sour was one if the best I’ve had BUT my main course sucked. When I asked them to switch it for something else they simply told me «we rang it up as a Tuna, and the chef is already making it again so you’re gonna have to have the tuna». Dude, if it sucked once, it’s bound to suck again. Plus, i was opting for a cheaper plate. How dare them tell me that the tuna was my only route. I ate like a few bites and then my plate was picked out from al the people at my table because I wanted them to actually taste what I was talking about. Yes, it’s pretty. Taste wise, it lacks big time. I will come back here for the pisco sour because it really was divine but the food is stupid and there’s no need to spend my time and effort eating somewhere that I know is not up to par. They should’ve given me my lomo. Whatever, you lost a customer. I live three blocks from here. Now I’ll just have a drink and eat down the street.

Excelente comida y ambiente, buen servicio además, recomendable!!!

Everything was amazing. Beautifully decorated both the place and the plates. Great servers.
Todo increíble. La decoración bellísima! Excelente servicio.

I am a very picky Peruvian food eater, and this place reminds me of my mothers and fathers home cooked meals. This place has it all, delicious food, very classy and friendly staff. If I could suggest anything, it would be to change the music. It would be nice if they played traditional Peruvian music. Other than that, next time I am in Miami, I will surely stop by again.

Food was great. We especially enjoyed the sauces and great flavors the chef built in differently with each dish. Atmosphere and servers were perfect.

Loved the ambience, the service, the fact that we could hear eachother talk, and of course the food. We ordered 2 different ceviche to share. One was the original, and you can never go wrong with an original. We shared a pasta and an amazing duck. Wine list super affordable. Will definitely go back.

Food was excellent. We ordered a Fish Ceviche with a cooked sauce that have it a very nice smoked taste. For main course I ordered the Octopus, one of the best I have had, very tender and with extraordinary flavor. Finally the Desert: it was an Corn Ice Cream with a kind of spicy coulis. It sounded weird, but it tasted amazing… out of the ordinary and with great results. It was a bit expensive to me, but I would come back anytime, the food is worth it.

Nice different Peruvian food. Both dishes we had were not traditional: tiradito de salmon with maracuya sauce — which was very flavory and the grilled ceviche — which was also unexpected.
The ambiance is nice, the staff very attentive and even the chef came to salute us and get our impression.
The menu is vast so I am looking forward to returning for more surprises.

Nice atmosphere but that’s as far as it goes… tiny portions, and food was expensive for what you get…18 bucks for caulsa… basically 4 balls of mashed potatoes with a tiny amount of tuna in middle… been eating Peruvian for 25 years… Classico ceviche was mostly onions… service is good

Having never tried Peruvian food, my husband and I ventured to O’Lima. We ordered off the Ceviche bar, not quite knowing what we were ordering. I ordered the clasico and he the Amarillo. We soon found out what we ordered. It was different, but it was good.
We also ordered dessert. I don’t remember the names of the desserts, but one of them was donuts with sweet potatoes in it, and the other was a creamy, four milk super rich dessert. Both were excellent.
If you want to try something different, this is worth checking out.

Everything good, all recommendations just do well. They do seafood perfect, soft but do have a tasty flavor. The interior decoration is simple but elegant.

This is our first try at Peruvian so we were a little shy. We decided to scope out the place by having a glass of wine at the bar. Our bartender, Facundo, turned out to be quite charming and gently guided us into trying some appetizers. I’m so glad we followed his advice. We had the grilled ceviche which in itself is an oxymoron but a delicious one at that! Being adventurous eaters we followed that up with Anticuchos, which translates to marinated grilled heart. Do not be afraid, they were delicious and you will be hard pressed to believe that you’re not eating a fine cut of filet. To round out the experience Facundo make us some traditional Pisco drinks. Very tasty!
As an entrée we split the Asado Peruvano. It was delicious. I’d equate it to a home style Pot Roast with extra flavor. It was tender and tasty with extra smooth potatoes! Comfort food from another culture!
Overall a delightful experience. If it’s just 2 of you, sit at the bar, you will not be disappointed with the service!

Just had one of the BEST dinner experiences ever in Miami. We were a large party of a 14 and the service was flawless as was the food; not an easy task. Between all of us we had a good selection from the menu and they were all great… from ceviche to salads, pastas and desserts… even the water was good.
I almost don’t want to write a review just to keep this place to myself.
Go, try it, try as much as you can… enjoy.

We had such a great evening here! The ambiance is very nice, with dimmed light and a polished feel, but we still felt comfortable having our six year old and our friends four year old there. The kids menu is disappointing though — chicken and fish fingers, gnocchi or spaghetti. So kid «staples» and nothing representative of the restaurant. I was hoping to get my daughter a small bowl of the seafood soup and our server was nice enough to ask if that could be accommodated. Unfortunately he was told no. And since I wasn’t willing to spend $ 23 on an adult portion for her, she had the spaghetti. It was good, but not Peruvian. And it’s why I am giving them four stars instead of five.
But it was a great experience for the adults! I started with the passion fruit pisco sour. I will be getting this every time. Frothy and light and passion fruit goodness.
We started with yuquitas olima which had a great spicy dipping sauce. Then at our servers recommendation I had the pulpit a la patrols (grilled octopus), my husband had the asado peruano and our friend had the vegetarian saltados peruano. My husbands beef brisket was phenomenal– very moist and tender. My octopus had a great char with it and was served with a fantastic chimichuura panka pepper sauce.
Service was impeccable.

I came here tonight with my wife, daughter, a friend and her daughter. The ambiance is very nice, a little stuffy, but not too bad. I prefer more casual places (just a personal preference).
The service was excellent. Our server Julian was very helpful with making suggestions and he had a great personality.
The menu has something to please everyone (except for a weak kids menu). I came in wanting Ceviche, but was tempted away by the Asado Peruano. This dish was flavor central and the beef was extremely tender, no knife needed.
The prices are high (about 20−25% than other Peruvian joints). I would go back though.

This place is conveniently located off Bal Harbour. There is not so much parking in the front, we could not see valet. We ended up parking at the rear of the restaurant next to MIke’s Cigar and walked through a passage that is open. Our reservation was on the spot and we were seated immediately. We did bring wine as they have a $ 25 corkage fee which I personally like.
Service, this was way above average and for most Miami restaurants, I was impressed! High five for service.
The Chef did come out and greet us, that was also on the positive side. He suggested a grilled ceviche which was spectacular! Also the Tuna tiradito was very tasty! So for the starters, they were very good. For main courses, I would say and the rest of the table agreed that they could improve. The Lomo Saltado missed some power, also some balance and spice. The same was true for the lamb! They served 4 pieces of rack of lamb that were to say the least, below average, the Chef told us the preparation was with green peppercorn, and I could not taste them… So this plate I would go back to the drawing board… Maybe change the lamb as a whole… Not put a rack of lamb! Maybe lamb shank… But that’s me. The Sea Bass was the best of the three entrees and that one as well was a notch above average. As for desserts, We tried 4 and next time I would not order any of them. Sorry!
All in all, atmosphere was very nice, the place is very clean, crisp, wine glasses could have been somewhat better and service as said before, impeccable!!!
Price wise, the lamb was the only «off» dish and over priced!
Enjoy!

Phenomenal! Can’t wait to go back! O’Lima has elevated my impression of Peruvian food! Wow! The Ceviche a la Brasa, the Ceviche de Tuna Nikkei, the Lomo Gorgonzola and the gnocchi were all spectacular! Excellent service and wine list! Charming, intimate setting. 5 Star all the way!

Excelente, super creativo el menu, diferente, sencillamente exquisito.
Buen servicio, la ubicacion insuperable.
Lo recomiendo para los amantes de la comida peruana.

The food is amazing, the service A+, I am addicted to the ceviche and the tequeños with lomo saltado. I can’t wait to go back!!!

This restaurant is AMAZING! They have a variety of seafood and an excellent costumer service. The chef even came to our table to ask if everything was ok.
The ceviche is one of the best I have tried so far and if you like to eat duck, you have to try it in there!

Best ceviche place I’ve ever been to. Ceviche La BRASA is a MUST try! ‚-It is a slightly grilled on the wood — burned coal and has a delicious smoky taste to it. It is invented by o’Lima’s own chef as a ceviche «for beginners», and it is absolutely genius! They also have an octopus (PULPO …) as a main course, it is also grilled on the wood– burned coal, with the smoky taste, — brilliant !