DeVito South Beach

My boyfriend and I went for Valentine’s day and NEVER AGAIN. We should have known it was a bad sign when the place wasn’t even nearly full at 8:30.
First off, our server was absolutely pretentious and treated us like we were children. I’m in my late twenties. I know food, I know wine, and I also know that I cook much more decadent, gourmet meals in my kitchen on the average week night.
I had to send my first meal back, which came just a few minutes after our appetizer. Kill me.
Apparently I hear that this restaurant is now closed, which doesn’t surprise me at all. Let’s just hope it doesn’t pop up ever again.

I have come here several times and it has never been a disappointing experience. Very nice décor, the food is great (the meatball — giant meatball– that is seasoned to perfection). They are always part of Miami Spice so it may be a good time to try this place out. I have gone during MIami Spice month and the menu was pretty good.

I was told that this is the 2^nd best restaurant in all of Miami and my friend recommended it as well…
Not going to say I agree. The food was just average. If people are reviewing the scene… well it’s just the same. Maybe it’s a place to be seen but I wasn’t impressed.
We wet our palates with a few drinks that at first were impressive and the waiter came out with some warm fresh garlic bread and herb brioche type muffin with a dipping pesto sauce claiming it was compliments of the chef. I don’t appreciate that comment when all they are trying to do is make you feel special when it’s really for everyone!
we ordered the butternut squash gnocci in a balsamic butter sauce that was rich and creamy… probably the only reason for the second star! The chillean seabass was
came with «jumbo shrimp» which I have to say were anything but. thought it would be better seeing that it’s considered a 4 – 5 star place.
We had no room for dessert and were not impressed enough to try anything.

Horrific Attitude, arrogant ineffective service. You dont need this place.
Not a stranger to expensive meals, wines and restaurants, this place tops my list of worst over-​hyped in South Beach. Many other places in the neighborhood to eat at, and if you want Italian, still more choices there and near the Ritz.
Stuck us upstairs when there were plenty of places down… I guess to this pretty little group we didn’t make the cut. Wait staff was invisible, had to wait for at least five minutes before anyone even SHOWED at our table, took our order and disappeared. So even if $ 200 bottles of Brunello and Champagne are your life, don’t expect that buys anyone who gives a crap about you. Cold espresso, wrong orders, an absolute cluster of poor service that would take an hour to itemize.
The food… creative, decent and you wouldn’t mind the expense if they actually appreciate you being there. Plenty of Creative, decent places that would LOVE to have your business and show it

review back from August 2010 dining experience:
Food was delicious (always is), service was mediocre (as usual), and the scene is South Beach appropriate. The music was super loud though, and this is coming from a 28 year old… We were celebrating our engagement this evening, so nothing really could ruin the night! We will return to DeVito but will probably wait until they have the special menu available for Taste Miami again (great prefixed selections)
Must haves: Meatball appetizer & Tortoloni Pasta dish

We went here for dinner last night. We sat outside, which was nice after coming down for the weekend from frigid NYC. Overall, the quality of food and the service were both very good. The only drawback was the prices.
We had 2 drinks each (no bottle of wine), 2 appetizers, 3 entrees a large side and the bill was $ 125/​each. Don’t get the steak. Everything else was good — Grouper, Scallops, Gnocchi…

Hit DeVito’s last night and was initially impressed. The restaurant is very contemporary and has a nice vibe. I sat down with my bf and another couple and ordered a round of drinks. My martini was awesome. We decided to start with the «colossal stone crab» because the waiter highly recommended it. What he didn’t mention however, is that each stone crab (which wasn’t a crab at all, but one claw) was $ 35. Yes, $ 35! So, four of them ran us a cool $ 140. (Note: we didn’t know this or we wouldn’t have ordered them).
Our salads were good — we tried the Caesar and the chopped — both were fresh and light.
The four of us went with the steak flight (48 ounces of meat and easily enough for a table of 4) and that ran us $ 200. We added in the lobster mac n cheese for an extra $ 15.
We picked up a couple of bottles of great cab to go with the meat and we finished up with mango cheesecake and a flourless chocolate cake with some espresso drinks.
Needles to say, the bill was more than expected given the stone crab surprise. We asked the food server if it’s common to neglect mentioning price when it’s so grossly expensive for an appetizer. He said that people are «offended» when prices are accompanied with specials. That’s just plain weird.
A manager came out to check on us and see if «everything was all right» and when we mentioned that we were really surprised by the bill he just nodded seemingly sympathetically and wished us a good rest of our evening.
Really?
Anyhoo — not a place I’d ever go back, despite the good food. Far too expensive and frankly not good enough to keep me from trying the next great steakhouse. Ya know?

We celebrated New Years Eve EVE here and it was FANTASTIC! Never having been before, we made a reservation as suggested by our hotel. Once we arrived, we were amazed to be seated immediately in a completely full house. Our table was in a private cabana with its own TV playing black and white movies and a gorgeous ruby red chandelier overhead… so romantic! Our waiter was so very attentive, down to the detail of offering me a black napkin so not to lint my LBD (little black dress) with dreaded white fuzz balls! The sommelier recommended a beautiful bottle of red wine and didn’t just try to sell us the most expensive one to make a buck. We felt like royalty… is this how they treat everyone in here even when it’s so busy?!
Our food was incredibly yummy. We split a huge meatball appetizer… delish! I had the pear fiocchi which melted in my mouth… ah-mazing…and my boyfriend had a NY Strip he wouldn’t even share with me, he said it was so good (he paid for that late of course). It truly was a wonderful evening with hard-​to-​find-​in-​South Beach wonderful food and top notch service. We can’t wait to go back!

Had been to Devito two prior occasions. Once for my birthday dinner for 12 – 14 people and then for a party of about 35 people. It was excellent both times and I decided to return for another round this year.
Walked in for an 8.30 reservation and was sat right away. They changed the furniture inside on the first floor and it was refreshing to see a place changing things up.
Service was excellent, atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Good music, nice space. Not too crowded or chaotic, which is what I needed after a maniac experience at Prime 112 the night before.
The food was excellent. We had the meatball as an appetizer, which is better than ANY meatball in Chicago, hands down. Had the Chicken Telefono (Parmesan) with a pasta side car. The chicken was excellent and the pasts on the side was cooked properly and wasn’t oversauced and had a very strong excellent flavor of garlic and tomato.
I was stuffed, but tried the chocolate fudge cake, which was so huge, we ended up taking it home. Ha.
Overall, I don’t think Devito has fallen of at all. It may not be the bustling place that it was when it first opened, but I would have to disagree with the majority of reviews complaining of changes and smaller menu, etc. Sometimes it takes a place some time to find it’s Niche and I hope Devito is around for a long time to come. People who complain of high prices… don’t go out to dinner in South Beach and expect a bargain. It just doesn’t happen at these places.
We will be back. Thank you for another great experience.

We got an invitation to eat under Miami Spice season. Great menu selection, they treat you as a regular guest, great Meat Ball first selection. You can not miss it!!!, is spectacular.
Impecable service, and all looks 5 starts. A New Yorker-​Italian experience in South Beach!
Is not a cheap place, but under Miami Spice you got 120US for 2 person including Sparkling water and Glass of Pinot Grillo

Went to dinner for a friend’s bday during Miami Spice — and YAY! I’m a fan!
Gets four stars instead of five because I wasn’t crazy about the dessert, but we’ll get to that.
For starters, the Miami Spice menu was quite good. I started with the mozzarella di bufala campania (mozzarella with prosciutto) and hubby got the old school meatball. The meatball WOWED me — it was so delicious and HUGE! I didn’t care that I was filling myself up with meatball, I couldn’t stop eating it. The mozzarella was also very tasty good fresh prosciutto on top… MMMM
Main course: I had the Trenne a la vodka and hubby had the skirt steak. Both were SO DELICIOUS. The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare with a side of mashed potatoes and my pasta was just delectable! I loved them both it was hard to stop eating either one — poor hubby had to deal with me eating his food… :/​
Anyhow, to dessert — hubby got the ciabatta bread putting and I got the flourless chocolate cake. The chocolate cake did not do it for me — it was too rich, almost too sweet (even for me, a sweet freak). Everyone at the table felt the same. The Ciabatta bread pudding was SO DELICIOUS! Not gonna lie though, the presentation looked a little like a surprise in a toilet seat haha — you’ll see if you get it. But if you get past that and eat it, you’ll see it’s worth every calorie.
Excellent service, they split our bill with no problem even though we were a big party. Side note, if you order a glass of pinot grigio — they will charge you $ 17 a glass for the Santa Margarita, so make sure you’re specific on what wine you want.

I should trust my gut and go to the places I know on New Year’s Eve. Since I was with friends, I figured I’d go along with the plan.
The first thing I said to my friends when I opened the «dinner selections» was that you could get this at any country club in America. No frills, that’s for sure. Shrimp Cocktail, Filet Mignon, Cheesecake. Wow, that’s exciting.
Also, charging $ 25 for a glass of Moet (required charge) really got me annoyed.
Try other restaurants in the area with more flair. Just because Danny Devito’s name is on the building doesn’t necessitate a 1000% food markup.

If it wasn’t so out-​of-​this-​world expensive it would be the easiest 5 stars ever! It is super delicious! Everything is! I don’t think you could find a dish that was even NEARRR sub-​par here. The ambiance is beautiful! The décor is amazing and the staff is reallyyyyy really great! Like really, I don’t even know how they are so nice… haha.
When I first moved down from Maryland (Crab cakes and football) I could not find a decent crab cake here to save my freggin’ life! Then I FINALLY had the opportunity to go to Devito’s and WOW omg. SOOOO good. Now I wouldn’t spend that much on a crab cake (but I wasn’t paying so heyyy haha) OOO everything is so good & if you’re just TOTALLY lost the staff will offer great recommendations as well as pairings (wine with dishes etc.). Def. an experience, just make sure your wallet is loaded (or someone else’s is at least).
Oh and ps everyone raves about the house speciality, its this HUGE meatball and lemme tell ya– it WILL NOT disappoint !!

Thank you, fellow Unilocalers, for leading me to DeVito! I loved the atmosphere and flamboyant décor, especially those snazzy RED chandeliers. The music was bumping out on the plush patio (which really looked like it was ready for a Vogue photo shoot), and I found myself dancing around in my chair all throughout the meal.
Danny’s Italian steakhouse concept is fresh and interesting, however the food was merely OK. I will definitely try a fish or pasta dish if I ever return to get a better taste of the Italian influences. This time, though, I was really in the mood for the petite filet. Everything on my plate was good, but nothing about my steak dinner really wowed me. If I could give the kitchen any pointers I’d ask them to go a lot lighter on the horseradish when preparing those mashed potatoes.
One of the coolest things about this SOBE hot spot was watching the hordes of beautiful people arrive in style for late night carousing at the bar. Hmm… I can’t say I’d feel comfortable trusting my Lamborghini with a valet.

So i am one of the luckier Unilocalers when I say that me and the mrs. got to eat at this place for FREE. There was a pharmacy rep dinner for doctors, and other health care workers. And i attended. They gave us a choice of salad, entrée, dessert essentially letting us choose our own 3-​course menu. I ordered the buffala mozzarella, the skirt steak, and the cannoli. The Mrs. had the buffala mozzarella, chicken parm, and tiramisu. They also gave us their bread with salami and stuffed olive. Also the entrée came with 2 sides that were shared amongst everyone at the table, the creamed spinach and the horseradish (wasabi) mashed potatoes. Everything on our plates were good, and the pinot grigio made everything that much better. I would rank this place a 4 star, however knowing that everything tastes better when its free, makes me take a star away to adjust. Nothing was to die for, everything was good, but not great. Supposedly the reps paid 100/​head at this talk. I probably wouldn’t mind coming here if it were a third of the price. One touch i did enjoy about the décor was they had plenty of LCD tvs enclosed in picture frames around playing movies.
Heres a tip: instead of valeting it for 15 bux, find street parking (we paid less than 4 dollars)

ok so finally went to devitos for a super nice mothers day dinner — my dad took us, thank god bc i wouldve never been able to afford it. thats why the 4 stars vs. 5 — really pricey! BUT with reason.
we started with cocktails while reading over menu. which were excellent. i had the fruit and flower martini which was delicious!
we ordered 3 appetizers — meatball, danny salad, and kobe beef tartare. i cant decide which was better. they were all 3 great but obviously very different. if i had to pick it would be the kobe tartare.
the bread «basket» was like nothing ive ever seen before. came on a wooden block. bread wrapped tightly in foil to keep the amazing garlic butter spread warm and gooey.
along side the bread were a few dips (which were unecessary) some meats and bruchetta.
entrees– seabass, which i had heard rave reviews about and i thought it was just ok. huge in size but nothing special.
filet — which i had heard was just alright and was up to par with any of the best steak houses in miami. grilled to perfection. with great flavor.
and the pear tortellini — omg each bite was overwhelming. the explosion of flavors was one of a kind experience.
sides– parmesan asparagus — deliciously crunchy
and champagne risotto, one of the best risottos ever!!!
for dessert — we went simple with the 4 cones of gelatto. the zabaglione was soooo good i wish all 4 cones wouldve had that flavor!
overall i was super impressed with the restaurant! great setting, funky/​nice décor. really comfortable seating, huge dining area upstairs and the outside patio is awesome (with mist fans). the unisex common area bathroom was a little weird though.
i cannot wait to go back!

I have been reading the other reviews, is everyone who has eaten here a red-​neck? Seriously, this is a solid 4 or 5 star compared to McDonalds!
I have been here 3 – 4 times now, believe me not willingly. This is the typical SOBE tourist trap leveraging a very talented Actor’s name. The best thing about this property is its Location!
To start, everything is over-​priced. The menu is diverse, it would just be great it if the stuff tasted good. Salads could be made at hope, the pasta could be bought in a super market (with a little more garlic and salt for flavor), the meats — always over-​cooked. I am not a food snob, however this restaurant food is powerfully plain.
I must say, every time I have gone, there are less and less people. Most recently this past Friday. At 10pm the place was almost empty. Whle other establishments near-​by Prime 112 (highly recommended, but go EARLY), even the Hilton Bar across the street, yes, the Hilton was packed.
The staff really did not take pride in presentation. The waiter only pushed the Koby dishes and magnums of red-​wine. Talk about not focusing on your guest’s experience. When not serving us (most of the time), he was either hitting on the Hostess or wrestling (I swear its true) with the Bus-​Boys.
If you want to experience SOBE tourist trap and spend too much, I highly recommend it. If you want quality and variety, walk in any direction about 500 feet and you will bump into a better quality restaurant.
I hope this suceeds for another few years, but it will demand changes.

Very expensive, very worth it.
Even the bread with the cheese and meats they bring you to start with is great.
highlights: carpaccio, Dover Sole and any steak.
The atmosphere is great, and they have quiet a bit of outdoor seating. The service is superb, and many of the staff are actually Italian.
A definite SOBE do.

I eat out alot, so it’s not often when a place impresses me with it’s food, ambiance and service, but that’s what DeVito’s did last night. Named after actor Danny DeVito who teamed up with Florida restaurateur David Manero– this place is quite impressive.
Located on the southern end of the South Beach strip, DeVito’s is a mix of a 1940’s supper club with an upscale Italian steak house. The interior is an eclectic mix of Italian glass chandeliers, with deep leather chairs colored in red, white and olive, with an extensive outdoor eating area and glass bar. The kitchen is open and I sat at the chef’s table allowing my entertainment for the evening to be the carefully orchestrated «dancing» that is a kitchen in full swing. The upstairs space is more like a small house, which has a wine room, several TV’s and fireplaces as well as a DJ booth.
The food was amazing. The bread plate comes with some sausage, chunks of Parmesan cheese, a warm sesame baguette and some truffle butter. That alone set the stage for the rest of my meal.
For my first course, I had a half portion of the Rigatoni Bolognese which was exceptionally well done. The pasta was perfectly prepared (of course it doesn’t hurt that the pasta they use is Guiseppe Coco Pasta which comes from Abruzzi Italy, and as a side note– is the only pasta that is served to the Pope!) The Bolognese sauce was a perfect mixture of beef, veal and sausage and was delicious.
For my entrée– I went with the Grouper. This, too was delicious– prepared Oscar style– it was flaky and perfectly done. And the sauce did not overwhelm the fish as is often the case. As if there was room for dessert– I had a cannoli with vanilla gelato. A perfect way to end my meal.
The wine list is extensive and they have a nice selection of half bottles which was nice to see. The service was great– once the team that was waiting on me decided who was going to lead. The second server was a delight and made sure my evening was a success.
It’s not a cheap date, by any means– entrees are in the $ 40 -$ 60 range and dinner for one with gratuity, and wine (note that they automatically add 18% to every bill) was almost $ 200. But if you’re in the mood to splurge– this is worth the money. And if you go before September 1^st– they are participating in the Miami Spice prix-​fixe menu so you can taste three courses for about $ 40 which is a steal.
If you live in the Miami area and haven’t had a chance to try this place out– you should. As for me? The next time I am in town– I will definitely be back. Maybe I”ll run into Danny himself the next time to tell him what a hit he has on his hands!

We were told by our hotel down the street that Devito’s were totally booked, but we should walk in. Upon arriving the place was half empty. We were put in the main downstairs room, which had 2 other patrons. Upstairs, during a trip to the bathroom, it was half full, and out front in the outdoor seating, there were three tables available. We had our hotel ask for a 10pm seating, and we arrived at 10pm. Were a little surprised, but assumed they say this on the phone to «appear busy» but then they tell you to «try walking in» to see if anything is available. Do try, as it’s apparently quite available.
We were seated, in a nearly empty room, at the «chief’s bar» at the end. We kind of laughed about the fact that the bar had a view of the chefs, but also all the help stopped to argue quietly right at our corner of the bar. It was very entertaining.
We started with cocktails ($ 18 each): the Devito Martini and the Fiore, and got a bottle of pelligrino ($ 8). Cocktails were good, Devito was citrus flavored and good, but very steep for what they were. Even the Delano, which is far more stylish and hip charges $ 12 for a similar drink.
We ordered tuna tartar ($ 19) and carpaccio ($ 28) for 1sts. Tuna was good. Carpaccio hit it out of the park, for beef quality (the toppings: aoli and arugula were good but no better than any other restaurant carpaccio).
We ordered a barrel steak ($ 47) and veal sausage orrichette pasta ($ 28) for seconds. The steak hit it out of the park, and the veal sausage was good, but the pesto sauce was far too salty (i couldn’t really eat it) and the pasta was dried before cooking. We ordered a side of wild mushrooms (likely good for 4 steaks as it was so big) at $ 12, that was fantastic. Excellent butter delivery system. And oh so tasty with the great steak.
I ordered a glass of Barollo Damilano (supposed to be $ 9 but they charged $ 24 for it) that was terrific, but not at all smokey or structured. But very good and I’d get it again.
Near the end of the meal, the Chef, David Manera, was hanging around us. His title is Executive Chef, but I suggested he should be «chief executive chef» so that he could have a C-​level title. He said (with a hint of self-​impressed vigor) that he was a half owner, and he’s have to talk to «danny» (danny devito, who the place is named after). I had the feeling that while everyone there is very nice, and very cool, that they are all a bit stary-​eyed about working with «danny» and in some ways, justifies the sometimes overpriced food and drink, and their treatment with reservations over a half empty restaurant.
I’d rather eat a really good meal that felt fair on pricing (steak should have been $ 10 less; the orichette, had it been fresh pasta with a better sauce, would have justified $ 22, but $ 28 for dried pasta with 5 pieces of sausage and inedible sause was ridiculous; the cocktails should have been more like $ 13; the water was ridiculous at $ 8 and the carpaccio at $ 28 should have been more like $ 22).
But I guess that’s the price of celebrity. So if you want a good steak with good mushrooms, go there. If you want more delicately prepared pasta or more for your dollars, skip the celebs (in the room and on the door) and go to a better place. I had far better food overall, for much more reasonable $$ in miami, than Devitos.