Urbanite Bistro

I recently went again, and I’m bumping it up to a 5. The hostess was very friendly and even told us that we’d arrived during happy hour, when cocktails and appetizers («tastings,» on the menu) were half off if we sat at either of the 2 really nicely appointed bars. That was classy.
The bartender was also extremely friendly and attentive, and made me a delicious margarita with fresh crushed berries (I watched her crush them, no frozen fruit there).
We ordered four items from the tastings menu, and one was better than the next (petite little necks, wild mushroom empanadas, greens with sesame encrusted goat cheese, and vegetable dumplings). For dessert, we got peanut butter mousse surrounded by dark chocolate, served with peanut brittle. It was ridiculously good.
The ambiance is really nice, perfectly conductive to lingering over dinner and good conversation, in part thanks their choice of music (and volume). Nothing worse that the pounding dance beats that infiltrate even some of the best restaurants in South Beach.
This place is a gem. You should go.

Unfortunately, this will probably be the last review for Urbanite, as per its Facebook page, out of nowhere, this was its last night in business. My mom wanted to come here for Mothers Day, so we’d made reservations for an early Mothers Day dinner Saturday night.
I’d been here several times before for the beer dinners, and had enjoyed them immensely, but had refrained from rating the place until I made it back for dinner on a normal night. Well, I made it back, on its last night of operations. Farewell, Urbanite, we hardly knew ye.
It was clear when we got there that the staff was trying to give it one last good night, going about its business pretending that it was just another night. I felt bad for them. I know the reviews here have been up and down, and that Frank may have rubbed some people the wrong way, but I was a fan, and sincerely wanted to see this restaurant succeed. It was a risky, possibly even arrogant, venture, but I thought it backed up the swagger with good, interesting food.
Classy-​looking restaurant with two bars and lots of art adorning the walls. The main bar sported an absinthe fountain, the sight of which melted my heart every time I saw it. As I’ve said before, though, you can’t eat atmosphere. The atmosphere might make me feel a certain way, but ultimately it’s going to be the food that keeps me coming back.
We were worried that some menu items might not be available on the last night, but apparently everything was available, as all 5 of us ordered something different. Sadly, I’ve been afflicted with some kind of gastrointestinal bug for the last few days, so I had to watch it… my intestines screamed at me to not order wild boar, rabbit or game hen, as much as I might have wanted to. Really, all I wanted was a banana or apple, but it’s a Mothers Day dinner, you have to take one for the team. I went with the vegan tempeh meat loaf, and crossed my fingers. I was hoping a vegan dish wouldn’t send my guts a-​roiling. Unfortunately, my hope failed me. But the dish was good, consisting of a few battered carrots and a bed of garlic-​boniato mash, upon which sat a substantial piece of tempeh «meat loaf.» Tasty. Not as tasty as wild boar, or the game hen with kumquat and butternut squash my mom was greedily munching on, but I enjoyed it.
At dessert, I let my family go at the crème brûlée, as my weakened digestive tract had already taken enough of a beating. While I wish I could have parted with Urbanite over a plate of wild game, I’m glad I got this one last chance to enjoy a restaurant that I, for one, will miss.

My friend and I wanted to try their happy hour and as it was advertised, it offered half off appetizers and cocktails after 11 pm. When we arrived at 11:10, the host sadly let us know the kitchen was closed and only the bar wouldbe available for happy hour. We were totally bummed out but after a little pouting, they allowed us to try the apps after all. Score! The duck confit raviolis were similar to perogis but the filling was so rich and delicious. I’m usually into all things gator but the filling on the gator egg rolls was more greens than meat. My friend had the coconut curry soup with the rock shrimp and it had a nice flavor but was definitely shrimp-​y. The drinks were something else to rant about– the Zen Meditation was smooth and refreshing.
I’d definitely come here again.

Hadn’t heard of anyone I know eat here yet so was curious to give it a try since there were some solid vegetarian items on the menu online. Went with the bf late on a Thursday night, it was pretty slow, which was surprising since Downtown was so busy with WMC. We started with the mushroom empanadas that were delish but sooo teeny-​tiny, ate them in one bite. The beer selection was varied and had some obscure items, which was nice– we each had an Anchor Steam, smooth.
I ordered the special, which was scallops with risotto and the bf ordered some vegan meatloaf dish. The food took a little bit too long (not horrible) but plates had very nice presentation– taste though is a different story. Everything on my plate was completely drenched in way too much ginger making it really difficult to get through. I was starving so I just dealt with it, but only finished half the plate. The bf’s vegan loaf was super bland and tasted kinda like dirt– I know most vegan food is usually bland, but this was on another level– he didn’t finish his plate either. No surprise that we skipped dessert.
It wasn’t until we got the check that we realized that my scallop «special» was an overpriced $ 27, gahhhh! Overall, the ambiance and décor at Urbanite was inviting, the service wasn’t bad but the food just didn’t cut it.

There werent that many people inside when we went (on a wed night i believe) but that was okay w/​me. My group sat at the bar first to try their different types of beer (Coffee beer, anyone?). The bartender was great.
We then moved over to a table and decided just to order abunch of things on the menu and share. Since I dont eat red meat, I was kind of limited but i can say this … mushroom empanadas = great … veggie lasagna = AWESOME!
everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals too. The cook even came out to check on us, i love when they do that :)
oh, you can also buy the artwork on the walls! they are done by local artists. big PLUS !

uughh Urbanite Urbanite, after all the drama you caused, I still gave you the benefit of the doubt last night and decided to give you a try for dinner.
My first impression was a positive one, the hostess was very helpful and they were playing the best of Coltrane, so that immediately had me in an optimistic mood… til I sat at the bar to have a drink before my date arrived, and the bartender didn’t even notice me even though I sat smack in the middle, but she conveniently noticed the group of business men that were sitting at the corner of the bar. Eh… forget the drink, lets just sit.
Our water and bread arrives in a timely manner. So we start looking at the menus, and we were ready to take our wine and appetizer orders but our waiter was nowhere to be found. Finally, after staring at him threateningly as he walked out of the room, he retraced his steps and decided to come say hi. We ordered our bottle of wine and the Alligator rolls, and even though we had some questions about the menu he ran away from us so we sat and waited again for a long time.
It was really effing awkward, I’m not going to lie… awkward service, who would’ve thought.
He comes back with a different bottle, he says they ran out, whatever we’ll give it a try. Not too shabby… please start pouring ASAP.
It takes them a couple of visits to our table and a while before we make our final order. At this point in time I begin to feel sorry for our waiter, he seemed cluttered, but he meant well.
On the food: kudos on the rolls, they were superb. In retrospect, I should’ve opted for my initial choice, because the duck dish that was recommended left a lot to be desired. He said he would pay for the dish if I didn’t like it, unfortunately I was starving so I didn’t really care. The actual protein with the kumquats was pretty good. My dates dish was probably the better option. Read below.
Best part of the meal was the complimentary dessert, we asked him to surprised us and that he did. The strawberry cream shortcake/​cheesecake was delicious, we almost licked the plate.
He came back and told me I looked familiar… «uh oh» I thought to myself «they posted pictures of the Unilocalers in their office»… he continues to ask me if I’ve ever partied Uptown in New Orleans… FML.
Oh yeah and the owner walked by us a million times but since we weren’t middle aged white people he didn’t even bother to look out of the corner of his eye.
I don’t see myself returning anytime soon but I wish our server the best of luck, he is going to need it.
*UPDATE: Apparently that night they were trying new servers, having been a server before I know how stressful it can be to start in a new place and he was super nice so I’m definitely going to return and give it another try. Thank you for the note Frank.

Eating here and writing this review reminds me of being on a roller coaster of sorts, but it’s less fun. You start out at the bottom and make your way up, just when you’re super excited the roller coaster drops you back down to the ground!
I arrived after Paula had been sitting at the bar waiting to be acknowledged, we decided to just be seated and give up on the bar. We sat, and waited, they brought bread, we waited, water, we waited, finally our server showed up. He seemed flustered, but he was nice. He took our drink and appetizer order and left.
Once again, we waited, and waited, and waited. I even went as far as to ask the busboy (who was super nice) a menu question, but he didn’t know anything about the dishes. I still haven’t decided how I feel about that. Finally, our waiter made his way back to our table and stayed long enough for us to order our dinner.
Our Alligator roll arrived and it was delicious! Ginger, alligator and bamboo shoots wrapped in a light and crunchy pastry. This is where the ride starts going up.
And we’re down again, our food arrives. The proteins were cooked well. I had the short ribs, they were cooked to perfection meat falling right off the bone but they were accompanied by some sort of gnocchi on steroids? The gnocchi were really big and tough it was so weird, I cut them with a knife, who cuts gnocchi with a knife?!? I let them be, and continued with my meat accompanied by some peppers and a nicely piquant sauce on the bottom of the plate, it was good.
Paula ordered duck, I’m not a fan, but once again the protein part was cooked well and the side dish was bland, bland, bland. Poor cous cous. At this point we are less inclined to complain because the wine has made its way into our systems.
Arthur, (our waiter who finally divulged his name towards the end of the meal) comes back and seems more relaxed. He starts to crack jokes and even offers to bring us the free «date night» dessert. Date night is their Wednesday special @ Urbanite, two entrees gets you a free dessert. We happily accepted, because no self respecting food lover can say no to free dessert!
He brought out this shortcake looking thing and told us it was cream cheese cake! From the moment we dug in, we were in heaven! This light creamy cake was topped with fresh strawberries and a strawberry reduction. soooooo good!!! Thankfully the meal ended on it’s way up the roller coaster… phew!
On a side note, there seemed to be a manager checking on tables throughout the evening and he never acknowledged us, I mean he clearly saw us waiting and boy did we wait, but not a peep! I was like, do we smell or something?
That lead me the following conclusion about Urbanite Bistro, I think it’s for an older crowd who are more into protein and less into sides and who are capable of catching the managers attention. The lack of attention truly left an impression on us, and I think it’s safe to say Urbanite will be a one meal wonder for me, I won’t be going back.

So, you find yourself on a business trip, and you’re in Miami in February. Jackpot, right? But here’s the catch, you booked a hotel in Biscayne Bay. Boo. Now you’re trapped in some nexus of abandoned city planning. That’s where Urbanite comes in.
For drinky-​drinks I continued my recent splurge on Trappist-​style beers with a La Fin du Monde from Unibroue and a new one for me, the Holy Mackerel Special Holden Ale. Thumbs up for the former, not so excited about the latter. That mackerel was closer to a citrusy wheat beer, but never hurts to add another beer to the list.
App: Coconut and Green Curry Soup. Came with rock shrimp. Slow-​burn heat, not too thick. Went well with the Trappist.
Dinner: OK, copying this down exactly from the menu online… Magret Duck with broiled Cinnamon Persimmons, Israeli Couscous and wilted Baby Spinach with Duck Lardon. It’s great, and this is coming from a duck nut. Maybe a little salty, but a large portion… good thing I dig salt.
Tip: I’m honestly not sure how safe the neighborhood is to wander around at night, but as the other reviewers mention, valet is free and courteous. Use it, don’t walk around.
Bottomline, if you’re wallowing in the Biscayne Bay hotel corridor, you can choose monstrously overpriced hotel food or try something great with a nice booze list to boot. Do it. Do it.

it was almost 11 on a weeknight and we hadnt had dinner. so we decided to check out urbanite for some lite munching.
luckily we scored the very first parking spot right outside, i wouldnt have wanted to walk around at that time. and the valet was closing down.
we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. the bartender was our waiter and he was awesome and super attentive. we got 3 appetizers, corn dogs were deeelicious– but note the mustard is super hot, as in spicy.
the alligator egg rolls were good, but ive had better.
and the duck ravioli was my favorite of the night.
so far this place is a-​ok in my book. but i cant give more stars till i return on a regular night that has more ambiance and actually eat dinner.

Let’s face it: if you like boring food done like everyone else, you won’t like this place. If you are a foodie, or otherwise enjoy creative dishes with amazing ingredients, then you will totally dig this hip, funky place. Went with my wife and son after a downtown show. The staff was extremely welcoming, and got us a table despite no reservation.
The drink menu is absolutely terrific. I had a microbrew English Stout, while my wife had a creative margarita — delish! We also had wines by the glass, with a top notch selection. For starters, we loves the littleneck clams, steamed in a light broth –my son loved them, stealing most of ‘em! The shrimp corn dogs were creative, dipped into that yummy corndog batter and cooked up nice and hot — and not oily in the least! The spicy mustard was HOT, but the mango ketchup was perfect with it.
For main courses, we had the red deer sirloin — lean and medium rare, with a sweetness to it — served with risotto (yum!); the huge Boar chop, nut encrusted and served with a purple sticky rice (essence of like coconut milk in it) — eaten right down to the bone! My son had the whole roasted red snapper, which was tender inside and served with grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes. He finished the whole dish well before us!
This is a funky, local place with great, creative dishes and great drinks. We need more places like this — we will certainly be back!

I have been wanting to go to this Restaurant for a while since is so close to the opera and we have season tickets, One of my coworkers has been there a couple of times she liked it and recommended it to me since we have similar taste.
While the restaurant is located in a not so nice neighborhood, once you arrive you are put at ease with the nicest staff. From the valet parking to the bartender/​waiter and the rest of the team.
The place is big, lots of nice art on the walls but a bit empty. We were told the restaurant gets busier from Thursday on, we went on a Tuesday night.
Martinis were flawless as well as the wine. The gentleman who take care of us was great, amazing service, warm and candid. We were not an easy crown yet they met every request and change in the menu with a smile on their faces and a yes we can attitude.
The eggplant spread was lovely, smoky and lot of taste. The bread was OK, we just kept on asking for more of the dark variety.
My bison hamburger was so good, 8 ounces cooked to perfection. I asked for French Fries and they were OK this was the only thing I was disappointed with. My friends had the lamb sliders (succulent) duck breast which was lovely and a duck pizza, lack luster.
As the night went on more patrons came in and it became livelier. Since we had an 8:00 show the check came on time and we all made it to the show in time and no running,
The Tart Ta tin on the menu was not available, instead we had the brownie and fudge to be shared by four. Not perfect but a nice end touch to our meal.
Early on the evening our waiter said we can leave our car at the parking lot for free. We only walked 2 block to the theater and save $ 20.
To recap, great bistro, lovely service, nice space and decent food at a decent price, I will be back

I went there last week just for some late night cocktail, and I had such a great time! The room was a bit empty… which i undestand… we are talking about a monday night…
Sitting at the bar was great, the bartenders were just so nice and friendly, and the drinks were very nicely prepared too. I cant wait to go back there and try their kitchen.
And I have to add that upsets me when people in their reviews to urbanite say: «bit pricy for the area», «ugly area» and things like that, since there is a pretty safe parking lote and FREE valet. I admire nice bussiness that don’t open in the super obvious areas.

I forgot to review this place until I saw a thread mentioning Urbanite on Unilocal today. I forgot to review because, well, quite honestly, there was nothing to remember.
I and two other guests were in the area for an opera at the Arsht Center back in December and found Urbanite with our handy-​dandy iPhone Unilocal app. We were actually here twice in one day. Since we arrived downtown earlier than expected, we stepped in for a few drinks before the show and then decided to come back afterwards for dinner. Our drinks were good and the bartender was friendly and efficient. Made all the easier by the sheer volume of customers — just us. We left with promises that things would pick up during dinner, especially when there were shows downtown.
After our show, we made our way back to Urbanite and ordered an array of appetizers. Sadly, I can’t remember a singe appetizer I tried. I recall a general sense that everything was good, but nothing I hadn’t tasted many times before. Our entrees were a bit better (since I remember what I had). I had the wild boar chops which turned out to be rather under flavored. I think I’ve had boar in every way imaginable but never ‘chops.’ The service was great, no complaints there. Attentive, relaxed, seemingly knowledgeable.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the food, per say. I was just expecting something I would remember the next day. Each dish we tried tasted fine, but nothing made our taste buds stand to attention. I’ll be sticking to Bengal Restaurant the next time I see a show at the Arsht Center.
Exceptionally ordinary.

Last time I was here, I was in the company of greatness which makes this for a very interesting experience, since we seem to share some opinions and differ in others —
First and foremost — I give my utmost respect to the owner who with true entrepreneurial spirit ventures to open a place here — that said, I would submit that it has a lot to contend with, critical mass resides within almost walking distance — the problem is… the distance is still not quite walkable.
So upon arrival, we are greeted with the very pleasant surprise of free Valet Service right next door to the restaurant —
We were about 45 minutes early for our rendezvous so we sat at the bar to enjoy some good happy hour mojitos and good chat with the bar tender. So 2 points here, good mojitos, attentive, chatty bartender– but we were the only ones there — so hard to gauge when all the attention is focused solely on us.
When our party arrived, we were promptly seated, and I had the opportunity to take a short tour of the facilities… the places is suffering from an identity crisis — they want to be urban, hip, sort of minimalistic but kind of fall short and end up bare and without a defined image and feel.
The art on the wall is original art from local artists and it is all for sale, so I guess it depends on which artist they are displaying that week —
Now for the menu, again it seems with all due respect that it is an attempt at some urban, noveau cuisine… American if I had to make a choice.
So what do I select from such an eclectic menu? a burger ! The Urbanite Burger, cooked to order medium well, with bacon and Manchego cheese — YUM ! perfection sandwiched in between two hamburger buns.
My fellow diners, however, report different experiences and since I would not dare speak for them, I can only mention what I was able to try from other dishes… the Curry and Coconut Soup was just right —
The Pad Thai… no so much :(
The service was excellent — very friendly and informative although some unfamiliarity with the menu … but the execution was flawless and the place is kind of new so all is forgiven.
A fantastic night in the company of some awesome people for a great cause !

Since I’m not very familiar to this area of town, I though that this was not a great location for a restaurant. It was a bit scary to walk there at night but thankfully fellow Unilocaler JL was with me to find this place.
Special surprise event, 11 Unilocalers were invading the main dining area and asking countless questions to the waiters.
The service was excellent to say the least. Bread and tapenade to wait for our main courses was a nice start.
I fell in love with la pizza de canard (duck pizza) an interesting combination of flavors that agreed with my palate.
Next came my Bison burger with fries, not really what I expected. It was rather dry and tasteless. I suggest a good butter with parsley and garlic sauce to give some flavor to it.
The prices seemed fairly reasonable to me.
Some people complained about the music (that I loved!) but I would rather point the not so great decoration. I found the place dull, it needs more spirit.
To finish with a positive point I have to mention the free valet even if it was no use to me since I walked there ;)

They say when you are opening a business the first three things you should look at are. location, location, location.
This place is either going to make it on its proximity to the Artsch Center… or not make it on account of its pricy menu and proximity to parts of town which some people are wary of driving/​walking through.
The waiter service is great. They had a tough situation to deal with with some of us (11 in total) arriving early and others arriving late. Everyone was starving.
When I first looked at the menu I knew straight away I was going to have to try the Coconut & Green Curry Soup With Rock Shrimp and fried Won Ton Noodles and for that I was not disappointed. It was just right for me. It was great. I could have eaten it all night long. As a matter of fact… they could have hooked me up to an IV and I could have sucked on that stuff for hours. Awesome!!! Superbly spiced. I’m a curry freak and this was just the right thing.
I was torn between a burger and trying something different for me. Burger’s you can get anywhere and anytime. so thinking outside the box I opted for the Braised Natural Saddle of Rabbit Stuffed with Mission Fig & Spinach, with Black Currant sauce, Hoppin’ Johns and sautéd Tri-​Color Carrots. The presentation was good. The carrots were buttery, the hoppin Johns were the best part of the meal. What was supposed to have been the hi-​lite of the meal for me was just not great. It lacked something. It was overpowered by the strong spinach taste. The meat was totally lost in spinach and if it was to have been the highlight of the dish. it lacked any oomph. There was no gravy to highlight and accompany the meat. The meat was scant and a lot of it was tough brown meat and while I was happy to find some white meat at the end of the dish, I was disappointed in the fact that the whole dish came across as dry and pretty much tasteless. So sorry. I love to love everything but this just didn’t do it for me Urbanite guys.
The décor is great. I love the whole moving art idea.
Free valet, nice little bar area. But, a little pricy for the area.

Although the décor doesn’t make or break a place for me, I definitely prefer nice, classy décor to accompany any meal, especially one that is going to be considered ‘gourmet’. Urbanite has a simple, modern inside that definitely fits the bill. The plus is that they have original artwork on the walls and they rotate it and sell the art. So, if you don’t like what you see this week? No problem, you might just walk away with something off the walls next week.
Service, totally stellar! Everyone from the hostess to the bartender to our super attentive and sweet server. We had a table of twelve, not an easy feat and he handled it all with a huge smile and great attitude.
So, you are wondering about the food right? I got a Curry and Coconut soup that was out of this world delicious, and HOT. Not caliente hot, but picante hot. Spicy hot. It was super spicy. Deliciously so. Loved it.
I also ordered the Pad Thai, it was not great, I wouldn’t order it again but the soup impressed me. My hubby had the burger which was also ok, I regretted not ordering the burger. Then again, I don’t pay these prices for a burger. I found the quantity and price for the Pad Thai lacking. We went for dinner, I guess the lunch patrons might find it adequate.

I’d give this place 3.5 but I can’t, so I’m going to have to go with 3 stars.
A couple of people had told my S/​O about Urbanite so we decided to check it out for lunch this week. We ended up arriving a bit before 12 and were the only ones there.
I had a hard time deciding what to eat because absolutely nothing on the menu sounded appealing. We ended up ordering the mushroom empanadas for appetizer, a chicken sandwich and the pad thai.
The mushroom empanadas were DEEEEEEEEEEEEELICOUS!!! At 3 tiny empanadas for 10 dollars, I calculated $ 1.66 per bite and they were worth every penny. The meal, however, was just blah. The chicken sandwich was boring and the pad thai was pretty bland.
Fortunately, the dessert was good. We went with the crème brûlée which is served with raspberries, blackberries and strawberries and some yummy whipped cream on the side. The crème brûlée may have been a tiny bit undercooked though, but regardless, still good.
Overall, the décor and ambiance is nice. The service was stellar. By the time we left, maybe 4 or 5 other tables had filled, but the place was definitely pretty empty.
As for the area– the neighborhood it’s in is not the best– but the free valet helps.
Will I return? Probably not.

I wanted some gourmet «junkfood» to take along to a UM Hurricane tailgate party since I can’t really stomach stadiumfare so I decided to give this place a try via take out. We started with the mushroom empanadas which were covered with a sinful Bechamel sauce and were absolutely delicious. Next, we had the shrimp corn dogs, which were just OK. Then came the burgers. We were impressed that this place serves bison, which is a delicious and healthier alternative to beef. We ordered 2 bison burgers that were both good with the sauce that accompanied them. Kudos for the buns which were perfect in taste and proportion. I will definitely return soon!
Psyched about downtown restaurants! They continue to proliferate and prosper!

We went to Urbanite for lunch. For awhile we were the first ones there, but it began to fill during our meal. The décor is quite nice; tastefully done in black mattes and subdued tones. The menu is interesting with quite a few choices. I had the Shrimp Club and my lunch partner had the Grouper Sandwich. The Club was pretty good! It had a spicy mayo, and instead of bacon there was crispy pancetta. Overall the dish worked. The Grouper sandwich was just a tad underdone, but the flavor was quite nice. All sandwiches come with fries, which are good.
The service was friendly and attentive.
We will be going back!
Urbanite has now been open for 2 weeks, so while I gave them 3 stars, then may change as they «mature» as most new restaurants do.