Ku-Va

I still can’t believe that this was airport food! I had a layover on my way home from Curaçao, and after the hellish experience that is going through customs in Miami, I was famished (and hangry is not what you want to be when you’re flying). I had about 30 minutes until my flight boarded and I wanted, no, needed, a well made cocktail and a delicious salad (I hadn’t had a decent serving of vegetables the whole time I was on vacation).
I was not sure if there was a hostess, so I stood at the door for a few minutes until one of the servers invited me to come in and sit anywhere I liked. My server, Odalys, was great. I explained to her that my flight was boarding soon, and she made sure that I got what I needed in time.
The mojito I ordered was, hands down, the best mojito I’ve ever had (again… this is at an airport!). Odalys asked if I wanted Cuban or house rum. Cuban, duh! (-: Maybe that’s what made it taste so good… I dunno. But it was excellent. I only wish that I had time for a second.
I ordered the MIA Salad for dinner: grilled skirt steak over lettuce, with tomato slices, guacamole and a vinaigrette dressing. It took longer to prepare than I expected, so I asked my server to prepare it to go. She made sure I had utensils and plenty of napkins and sent me on my way with a smile.
I don’t know what everyone else on my flight was eating, but I definitely had the most delicious dinner on that plane. The skirt steak was so tender and juicy, you almost didn’t need teeth to eat it. It was so flavorful and cooked to a perfect medium. And it was a very generous portion of steak. A very filling and delicious way to end a vacation.
You can find Ku-​Va in the D terminal, right in front of Gate D 19. If you’ve got some time to kill in between flights, this is a great place to stop in for cocktails and a bite to eat. The food is phenomenal. The service is fantastic. Although I absolutely cannot stand this airport, if I’m ever passing through MIA again, I’m heading straight to Ku-​Va.

Well seasoned food, very tasty! While on a layover from Curaçao, I’m happy I made the decision to eat here. This food was better than the food at the resort I visited. I had the chicken chicharrón and loved every bite served with marinated onions rice beans and sweet plantains. I had the Yellow rice and a side of black beans were so flavorful. 3 pieces of sweet plantains come with the meal and it was so tasty. Tasted the fish filet, and it was also tasty. I would come back, next time I’m in Miami. The food was filing and I was comfortably full for my comnecting flight.
Saw some people order from the buffet, however we dined inside the restaurant, service was great and it had nice ambiance for an airport restaurant. Didn’t care for the hard seats so we requested to be moved to a booth where the seating was more comfortable. They have a drink menu which looks tasty as well. I love Tequila but didn’t try any here. Many people are drawn in from the display of the food at the entrance & the life like statue of a woman near the food. I saw children touching the statue and the food. No complaints for this place.

My husband and I enjoyed breakfast before our flight home. Food is delicious, the coffee is very tasty. The staff are very friendly.

Not sure what the haters are talking about. Everything we got was delicious. Soup was great, the empanadas were tender and delicious, no sauce needed, and the lechon was very authentic. Service was great, amazing mojito and margarita. Will be a pit stop of ours every time in this airport

Probably would have given it a 4 if the steak on my steaksalad had been delivered with the right temperature, but had no time to argue. Attentive and friendly barstaff.

Great skirt steak! I wasn’t expecting much for being an airport resturany but it was really good and cooked to perfection. Rice could have been better.

It was decent. Unlike many restaurants in the airports, this one was spaced out nicely so you weren’t dodging carryons, briefcases, travelers, and chairs. The staff was friendly but not attentive.
The rice, plantains, and steak I ordered were good. I asked for extra chimichurri when I ordered but never received it. The mojito was listed as 8.95 on the menu but my bill came with it as 10.95. I mentioned it to the waiter (who I had to chase down for my bill) and he handed me a one dollar bill and said I ordered it with Bacardi so that’s why it was charged extra. 1) No, I didn’t order it with Bacardi. And 2) When did Bacardi become a premium rum? Whatever. Not worth arguing over. The mojito wasn’t even that great — they didn’t muddle the mint at all.
The food came out relatively quickly but he didn’t return at all to check on me and then I had to hunt him out to get my check.
I went to the to-​go area to get a café con leche, which was terrific, and a guava-​queso pastry which was decent but I’ve had way better.
It’s not a bad place but there are many options in MIA so unless you’re pressed for time and are near this place, don’t bother.

Definitely 5 stars for an airport eatery. The Churrasco was tender, nicely seasoned and perfectly grilled. The roast pork was also delicious. Cute and clean, friendly server. No one greeted at the door, though. We took our time since we had a delayed flight, but others got in and out quickly, which was probably what they wanted considering the locale.

I had a lot of time waiting for my flight and I wanted a real breakfast. The food was ok nothing out of the ordinary egg whites with turkey onion and tomato, hash browns and whole wheat toast. The waitress wasn’t literally took my order without even saying hello a simple «your ready to order».
I got my food and it was incorrect so i asked another waiter who happen to be walking around to see the order I received was egg whites which it wasn’t I asked if there was any way he could change it he was nice and took it back, didn’t see my waitress for 30 minutes when she asked me if I was ready for the check. The price is average I guess for a sit down restaurant in the airport. Total 17.45 with no beverage cause I had Starbucks lol

Service is mediocre and so is the food. If the tamale was good then, I would have given this place one star. I mean the Cuban that I got wasn’t terrible, but for being in Miami, I would have thought it would be better.

The ambiance is vey nice and cozy giving you a feel of Cuba. The customer service is good and the food is delicious. Enjoy stopping in here for breakfast.

Anyone giving this less than five stars either ordered something they wouldn’t have liked anyway, or forgot that Ku Va is in an airport.
And for that second point alone, Ku Va is a triumph.
«Authenticity» is a common way to describe meat-​and-​potatoes Cuban joints in Miami, but given its location, it is remarkable that this place has nailed the personality (and smell) of a strange off-​the-​highway, family-​owned spot. And unpretentiously so. Blue neon. Bright lights. A wide variety of vernacular lagers from the Caribbean and beyond. A really weird mannequin leaning up against the bar.
And yes — food, too. The roasted pork is divine. The tamale-​like object (I forget the name) was perfect. The bartender was nonplussed. I wondered whose grandmother was in the kitchen cooking all that meat. It was not the work of a mortal.
Are there more historic joints? Are there even wiser grandmothers cooking even more tender pork bits elsewhere in south Florida? Yes, and probably, yes.
But not in an airport. A place where good food goes to die. Across from a Cinnabon.
Love, in an otherwise hopeless place.

3.5÷5 Pretty good service; food overly salted but generous portions. Ambience is comfortable and inviting. I love that everyone speaks both English and Spanish. I’d say it’s overpriced, but what isn’t at the airport? We wanted a booth but none were available so went to the bar for apps and wait for an open one. We were not informed that 3 booths opened up, but whatever, we took one. Food came fairly quickly, but our waiter seems to have forgotten us again…
I wanted café con leche!

The new kid on the block. Are you on Terminal D or E? If you are looking for something other than the standard fast food stuff this is your place. I do warn you that since the food is made to order you should have 15 – 20 minutes before you have to be at your gate.
The Vaca Frita was delicious. The rice and beans were great. The restaurant is clean and the wait staff is nice. You almost forget that you are in an airport. Did I mention that they have a pretty good bar?
Missed your flight or if your flight was canceled or delayed and you want some good substantial food this is your place. If you want to try Cuban food while on a layover in Miami look no further.
But like I said, you should have time on your hand.

It’s airport food.
The staff knows you aren’t likely to return, so their service is just meh.
The red beans and rice — amazing.
The maduros are cold and meh
The chips and garlic sauce appears to be just garlic from the bottle, it’s strong, i pitty the people on the plane with me
The empanadas are pretty good.
Luckily we had hours, so we were just relaxing and enjoying having a seat, but i would not return or only to get a big bowl of the red beans and rice.

After arriving in the Miami Airport, my friend and I had a little time to kill while waiting for our friend. Our first thought was to obviously grab a beverage. Ku-​Va was the closest establishment so there we went.
I could have stayed there all night! So we went for the drinks, stayed for the food and stayed a little more for more drinks.
I started with a glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a Vendange, which I don’t really enjoy, so my own fault there. I really enjoyed my next drink, which was a mojito. My friend’s cosmo was nice looking and seemed to be pretty strong.
While imbibing, my friend and I both ordered the black bean soup and split the chicken empanditas. They were both very tasty and a great snack. I would have liked to do a little more menu exploration.
Our server was nice, but tried rushing us a bit. I guess being in an airport, that’s really not a bad thing.
Let’s just say, I’d go to this place if it was outside the airport.

This four-​star rating requires a caveat: For an airport eatery, it’s an easy 4 stars.
What sets this place apart from most airport places is that the food is seemingly cooked to order and has flavor! It’s nothing amazing, mind you, but a nice omelet in the morning before a long flight is so much better than much of the packaged, carb-​overloaded crap available in many airports. Our server wasn’t all that attentive, but we had everything we needed.

Normally I wouldn’t waste my time eating at a sit down restaurant in an airport but as it already had been a long day of travel and I had my fill of fast food crap, I decided a standard meal might be more of what I was looking for.
Service was adequate, nothing special, the bartender/​waiter kind of just wandered off in the middle of the meal and I had to chase him down for the check, so while he wasn’t anything special he at least got the order right.
The food was surprisingly good, I had the Cuban sandwich, meat was well prepared, fresh and moist. Bread was a nice portion and not overwhelming of the meat. I was also able to taste some of their pork sandwich, that was a real treat, pork was perfectly seasoned and incredibly tender. I wish I ordered this over the Cuban sandwich.
All in all if you’re tired of the fast food or other little shops and have a long layover give Ku-​Va and chance.

«Visiting» Miami via connecting flight. Feeling sad coming home from an excellent vacation, so gotta enjoy Cuban food while avoiding the reality of having to cook my own food once I get back. The feeling of denial is strong.
I had an hour till my next flight, so plenty of time to sit back and relax. Or not…
Service was great at the beginning: walked up to the restaurant, got seated, and ordered fairly quickly. It was after eating where the service became practically nonexistent. Waited 15 minutes for the check (had to flag them down) and another 10 for them to pick it up. Doesn’t sound like much, but when you got a flight that isn’t gonna wait for you, it’s added unnecessary stress. You’d think a restaurant in an airport would move a bit faster.
It’s a shame cause the food is actually pretty good. I order the Fried Beef and my girlfriend got the Creole Shrimp. The beef was dry and the fried plaintains could’ve been a bit more crispy. However, the rice and beans were on point and the flavor of the beef was great. The shrimps were cooked perfectly with that desirable crunchy snap. Despite the slow service, if I find myself flying through MIA I would definitely be eating here again.

When in Miami… eat Cuban! :) in this case it was a quick stop for a colada (high octane espresso for those who are unfamiliar with Cuban coffee) and a ham/​cheese empanada. Coffee was as expected – strong and sweet! Empanada was a wee bit disappointing. Kind of dry for my taste. But hey. It’s a small snack. I can’t totally dis this place. Perhaps I’ll stop back for a meal on the way home…
Which by the way, this IS a full on restaurant with seating and full menu. Just that as is the norm in most airports you have a to go counter just outside if you’re only passing by. So by all means check them out!