Meze Aegean Bistro

we went there for new year eve. the food was ok and the price for 2 was way expensive. i am not complaining but i know its new year and there are different prices sometime. i will try it again to see how it is hope the food will be served as usual and not like the new year portions and price.

Everything was great until I ordered tea it took an hour just for the server to tell me they were waiting for the water to get warm. Really ruined my experience I just left they didn’t even bother to apologize for the wait.

What happened???
My boyfriend and I used to come here all the time and our server was always the same, super friendly and efficient guy. The food was always delicious, and tons of vegetarian options which we love.
On our last visit a few days ago everything was just WEIRD!
We had a new server this time and ordered two glasses of Pinot Noir… the wine came out and it wasn’t bad… It just was not a Pinot, try more like Cabarnet or Malbec… Whatever no big deal, we will drink it.
Next we got the next platter and Greek fries… The food came out and the meze platter was half the usual size. Tzaziki and babaganoush were delicious as usual but extremely small amounts. The rest of the platter was bleh! Either old or out of a can…
Our Greek fries were undercooked… So I’m sitting there eating raw potatoes. Awesome!
If it was just the above things I described it wouldn’t have been soooo bad, but get this… There’s was TWO short hairs in our food.
Another thing which was disgusting, our server stood by our table, within visible distance, and smoked a cigarette with two other guys. I don’t know in which country that is acceptable as far as service, but I am from Eastern Europe and there s#%t is pretty loose and I have NEVER seen anything like that!
I never ever complain anywhere I go, but I did go inside and said something to the chef. I never mentioned the hairs or our server’s unsanitary behavior, I just told him that everything has changed and not for the better. I have to say he was very apologetic and asked me if he can fix it.
By that time I was so turned off and over it that we just paid our check and left.
Three starts because every other time I loved the place and because the chef was nice enough to offer an apology.
I hope they fix everything, because I love Greek food and theirs is affordable and within 2 blocks of our apartment.

The food is standard Greek food. Pretty good, but not amazing.
Most annoying, though, is the billing, which seems designed to mislead customers into over-​tipping. The subtotal on the itemized bill included tip, but a line on the credit card receipt has the word «TIP» with a «$ 0» next to it and a line indicating a blank space.
Unless you study the itemized bill carefully, you’d take the «$ 0» as evidence that tip is NOT included. Moreover, the itemized bill shows calculations (e.g., 18%, 20%) for «suggested tip,» which would seem to suggest the tip hasn’t been added on yet. But if you took those figures and added them to the tip line on the credit card receipt, you’d be double-​tipping.
I’m tired of South Beach restaurants playing this game in order to trick tourists into double-​tipping. Luckily, I live here, so I know enough to be on the lookout.

Delicious food! We ordered the Meze platter which came with an assortment of cold spreads: hummus, Tzatziki dip, Melitzano dip, etc. and it was absolutely delicious! The hummus & falafel were some of the best that I’ve ever had.
Service was also wonderful — both the owner & the staff were very friendly and accommodating.
I’d recommend this restaurant for a delicious meal with good service in South Beach

Very decent food, lamb shank was awesome, sea bass was great, grilled octopus was perfect, staff were very nice. I defiantly recommend this restaurant.

Very good food. Ask to meet the owner, he is a very friendly and down to earth guy. I recommend the meze platter as an appetizer and anything with lamb for a main course.

Excellent hummus. Lentil soup is good. Would’ve given ⁴⁄₅ stars but Spanakopita seemed microwaved since it was mushy — blah. They need to work on that.

Great Greek food! We went with our Greek family, including two Yiayias and if they approve, you know it’s good. The taramasalata is arguably the best we’ve ever had, and we’re from Chicago where there is a lot of good Greek food! The chicken kebabs were juicy and not dry at all which is hard to find. The halloumi cheese and saganaki made great appetizers as well, with their homemade pitas! The Greek salad was fresh and the tomatoes were amazing especially considering it’s the middle of winter. Will definitely recommend to friends and family traveling to South Beach!
Make a reservation as space is limited.

It’s an amazing greek place with delicious food… Highly recommend to have a dinner there if you are in Miami!!!

Just fell in love with this place. Amazing food! The people are so nice they try to accommodate you in every way. Yum!

The food is exquisite! We tried a couple of the cold appetizers (the mezze platter and tzatziki being winners) and the white anchovy dish was my favorite of all time. The complimentary pita slices were toasted and warm upon arrival. My friend enjoyed her large Greek salad — my warm octopus dish was the only one that was less than stellar.
If you’re searching for a lavish dining experience there are probably nicer places but for an off-​the-​beaten path find with healthy options and casual indoor or outdoor dining, I would definitely come back!
The valet person even watched our roller blades as we dined inside :)

What a pleasant surprise and great local addition to the neighborhood! The portions are generous and the quality pretty high. The moussaka is a bit different from the traditional dish but really yummy. Also really enjoyed the Greek salad and octopus. Has a similar European vibe to that of La Locanda, sitting next door. Will definitely be a repeat customer!

Cute place in a nice location. Some of the best falafel and hummus I’ve ever had. Bathrooms were not very pleasant but the for such good food, I’ll forgive that. Our server was very nice and we had attentive service.

We were charged for an item we did not receive (the tatziki dip), but we did not realize until after we left. We called the manager, Ahmet, who said he would send us a check because we did not want to come all the way back in just for the refund or have another meal there just yet. However, we never received the check. When we try to call back in to talk to Ahmet they either say that he is not there or he no longer works there and when we ask to talk to the owner Saba, they always say he is not there. To Whom it May Concern and/​or Saba: We will remove this review only when we receive the refund for this item that we did not even receive.

Meze Aegean Bistro was really good! at least the dishes we tried. i do not understand the other reviews.
i lived in the middle east and my friend is Israeli, so we know good middle eastern
food, and he highly recommended the restaurant, and returned with us.
the octopus, the grilled squid, sea bass, the cold appetizer combo plate,
rice pudding were all as good as it gets.
hummus is usually not good in most restaurants in the US, but their’s
was perfectly done.
the service is good and the prices are good for Sobe.
i can not vouch for other dishes, but based on what we tried, wow.

Kind of reminds me on a Greek place that would be on Ocean Drive. Lots of tourists outside with very average food, and gratuity included. The greek salad was nothing special. The only thing decent was the pita bread and taztiki sauce. I got chicken kebobs came with cold rice and some average looking salad. The chicken had no taste. I had much higher expectations of this place. I will not go back.

I had high expectations, but honestly, I have definitely experienced better. The service was good, the octopus was tasty but overpriced considering the portion size (I think it was about $ 17 for one tentacle), and although they give you complimentary bread, they give you nothing to accompany it with — no hummus, butter, nothing. That in and of itself is a bit cheap, as most places give you SOMETHING, whether olives, or free hummus.
I ordered the lamb shank, and although it was pretty tender, it seemed as if it was swimming in grease, the broth had no flavor and was greasy, and the vegetables including the potatoes, had a «boiled» taste to them. I am used to having the lamb in a tomato sauce or oreganato, and the vegetables, like the potatoes, are usually baked.
The baklava was okay, but nothing to write home about either. I feel that places like Ouzo, Anise, My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, and even Mykonos offered better, more flavorful food. Parking is also a pain in the butt in this area, so I don’t think I will be coming back, unless it’s for good company.

Positives: raki (turkish ouzo), pita bread, olive oil, meze platter, service (they try), music (greek)
So-​so: Grape leaves (lacked taste), mousaka (reheated; beshamel and potatoes too thick, not enough eggplant or ground meat), salad (heavy in red onion), baklava
Bad: lamb kebab (inedible meat, looked as if precooked and simply reheated) They make better kebabs at NYC street carts.
Doesn’t look like this small place has much of a kitcken to really cook fresh hot food (such as kebabs). Most appear to be precoooked (probably offsite).
Would suggest just for trying cold meze.

This Turkish/​Greek place is newly opened on Wash Ave.
I ordered the octopus soup, the resto’s signature appetizer. It was pretty good, lots of interesting flavor, but also really salty.
For my main, I ordered the moussaka, but they said they were out and offered the lamb special, because it had eggplant in it. The lamb special turned out to be nothing like moussaka (not that that really matters to me, I don’t care), but it also turned out to be SCORCHING spicy. Like inedibly so. Eventually the waiter came around and was like «hot enough for you… it was too hot for me!» They agreed to make me another dish, and didn’t charge for the lamb.
They also comped me a coffee at the end. All in all, they dealt with the situation very, very well and professionally. The problem with this place is that the food, in the limited experience I have, tends to be out of balance in terms of flavors, often severely (too salty, too much cayenne). I think this is fixable, and I hope that this place does.