El Machetico Miami

El Machetico had been recommended by a few people as THE place to enjoy an authentic and delicious Colombian breakfast. I thought to myself “If the breakfast is so good, I’m sure the lunch will be too.” My first obstacle was the parking. Despite being a spacious parking lot, it was very crowded and challenging to find a spot. Once inside, the restaurant is nicely decorated and the staff are very friendly. We were seated immediately and I was happy to see so many food options and a few lunch specials. After that, my experience went down hill. To start off, the empanadas weren’t visually appealing and tasted very bland. This was followed by a semi-burnt piece of chicken and rice that tasted old. The people I was with, said the soup was “okay” and that the tostones were extremely over fried and too crunchy. Despite the friendly service and clean restaurant appearance, the food wasn’t the best. Not sure if breakfast is significantly better but I will most likely not be returning for lunch. I’m willing to return to try the breakfast options and finally decide if this is a restaurant worth recommending.

Dropped by for a Sunday lunch with the family, service was exceptional, we were seated right away and greeted by our waiter, Wilder! who quickly brought water and menus for the table. The place is cozy yet very comfortable. We ordered the Bandeja Paisa, a Sancocho, a Churrasco and an order of Empanadas and everything was excellent, Colombian food doesn’t get much better than this, prices are very good too when you take into account how large the portions are, all the plates were easily enough for 2 people. And can’t forget about the live music performance on Sunday! Overall, great little spot hiding in North Doral, will absolutely come again and I encourage everyone that even mildly likes Colombian food to come by!

The food at the restaurant was exquisite, but the service left much to be desired. Despite there being only four occupied tables, the manager—who took our order—failed to bring us the water we requested or any utensils. We eventually had to ask other waitstaff, as the food arrived before the cutlery and water did. This points to a clear lack of organization. Additionally, it took an unreasonably long time to receive the bill and the dessert I had asked to be packed for takeaway, which the manager had instructed an employee to prepare. As for the dish I wanted, I almost wanted to eat it because I saw a price of $140 and I didn't know the differences that the manager couldn't explain to me(bandeja paisa)