Pacific Time

Miami, United States

3.5

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 305-722-7369
Website:
www.pacifictimerestaurant.com
Address:
35 NE 40th St, Miami, FL, 33137
Buena Vista, Design District
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
330 ftNE 39 ST@NE MIAMI CT
560 ftN MIAMI AV@NE 38 ST
0.2 miNE 2 AV@NE 39 ST
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Valet
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Noise Level
Quiet
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Miami) 8:39 AM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

The menu offers a full spectrum of starters, salads, and mains. Highlights include sweet corn and leek soup with peeky toe crab dumplings, coriander and mustard oil; tuna tartar with avocado and house made waffled potato chips; the already classic sheep’s milk gnudi with baby spinach, speck and brown butter; a beautiful skate with parsnip purée, haricots vert, green apple, lemongrass, capers and basil oil; crispy skinned juicy organic farm chicken with Italian parsley, garlic and chef’s diced carrots and turnips, and prime grass fed NY strip loin with California artichokes, shiitakes, wasabi and a side of truffle rosemary house fries. A spot on bar menu serves steamed edamame, steak frites and hot & sour popcorn shrimp, among other items.

A thriving daily happy hour with complimentary bar snacks and drinks specials, imbued with what Eismann calls a «real New York City vibe,» takes place Tuesday-​Saturday, from 4:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.

History

Established in 1993.

Pacific Time opened its doors in 1993 and was an instant culinary landmark, contributing to the renaissance that catapulted South Beach to national fame in the early ‘90s. Bringing a sophisticated new cooking style to the region, it was cited as one of the best new restaurants in America by Bön Appetit, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Esquire, and New York Magazine.

In 1994, Eismann was the first recipient of the Mondavi Award of Culinary Excellence. A celebrity magnet, in its first location Pacific Time attracted a stellar clientele including Madonna, Jean-​Paul Gaultier, Calvin Klein, Cindy Crawford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. An early sponsor of the Miami City Ballet and SOS/​Taste of the Nation

Meet the Business Owner

Jonathan Eismann E.

Business Owner

Jonathan Eismann, chef/​owner of the critically-​acclaimed Pacific Time, a beacon of fine dining on Lincoln Road for nearly 15 years, opened the new incarnation of Pacific Time in the Miami Design District, the region’s hot new dining destination, May 2008. In November 2008, the restaurant was named one of 20 «Best New Restaurants 2008» in a prestigious Esquire Magazine feature, penned by noted food and wine writer John Mariani. Housed in a beautiful indoor-​outdoor venue at 35 N.E. 40th Street, with a gleaming open kitchen, a wood burning oven and a full service bar, Pacific Time combines the enticing Pan Asian flavors Eismann is known for with a new palette of fresh contemporary American flavors, in a menu that is subtle, seasonal and sublime. Joining Eismann is chef de cuisine Brian Bell, and general manager Matthieu Andre.

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20 reviews of Pacific Time

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Place rating: 1
Miami, FL
I’ve given this place a few chances, no more. First their salad dressing was basically mayo, second they serve COLA and tell you it’s COKE– which is actually illegal and Ive busted them twice because I can taste the difference. Lastly, it’s uncomfortable inside.
Place rating: 4
Miami-Dade, FL
Closed! Just called to make a reservation and the phone was disconnected. I emailed and got a reply that they have closed, bummer!
Place rating: 2
Miami, FL
If you’re going to Pacific Time, I have 2 pieces of advice: 1. don’t go when it’s hot outside and 2. grab a sandwich on the way there. I went to Pacific Time on a Saturday night, and it was hot out, so we chose to dine inside. Big mistake.
I don’t know if they just naturally keep the restaurant hot like that or if the A/​C was broken, but they don’t have any business opening a restaurant in S. Florida that hot on the inside. Since it’s a fairly nice place and kind of expensive, I got dressed up to go eat there, but halfway through the meal, I had to seriously fight the urge to pull my pants off and eat in my underwear. It was so uncomfortable, I was damn near on the verge of pulling a Frank the Tank, ripping off my clothes in the restaurant and running right out of there. On a hot night out, we would’ve been better off dining outside, because at least we could’ve gotten a breeze.
In a hot restaurant it doesn’t help when your waiter is painfully inattentive and slow, thus making you having to stew a lot longer than necessary. It felt like our waiter was going out of his way to serve everyone else BUT us. It must’ve taken us at least 10 minutes to get his attention to tell him to give us the check and another 10 minutes for him to actually bring the check to us. Pacific Time may have left the Beach, but they managed to bring the South Beach service over with them.
In the interest of fairness, the food was pretty good, I had the popcorn shrimp as an appetizer and the mahi entrée. Both had really nice Asian fusion flavors, and the mahi was especially delicious. But Pacific Time is a pretty pricey place and for all that it cost, the portions were way too small. We were going to get dessert, but we didn’t want to have to roast in the restaurant for another 30 minutes waiting to get served, so I left there really hungry.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
Really a 3.5 but lets round up today. I was a huge fan of the old space on Lincoln Road. The new one in the DD is pretty cool. The bar is nice but empty when we went this last Sat. night. I wanted to go to Buena Vista Café (have not tried it yet) but wifey put the kibosh on it so I checked my bookmarks and wanted to try PT again. Went there a few times before at the new digs but never got a real feel for the place. Either too packed with lousy service or too slow to really enjoy.
This time, we had a great server (from Haiti.) and the host is a french dude who really knows his wine and reminisced for awhile with us. Food was pretty good. I brought a really nice bottle of a Grand Cru Bone Mares 2003 which they decanted (only $ 25 corkage). The Chinese spare ribs were awesome. My favorite appy is still on the list… the tuna tar tare in a bowl over ice with house made «ruffle» potato chips. The only disappointment on the starters was the Grouper cheeks in a lemongrass broth with «bananas». Strange.
Main entry was the chicken. Awesome!!! Unbelievable. I love Michael’s chicken (with some french name I can’t recall right now) but this is up there. Wife (who does not eat chicken) ordered a few sides. The wood roasted veggies were really nice.
This end of the street in the DD is a little dead. Does anyone go to Grass anymore? I hope that Pacific Time can keep it going… My only few requests is more entry options and a larger wine list.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Best lunch I had on my recent visit to Miami. I had originally read about it in the LV Miami Travel Guide. They got an excellent review so it was definitely on my list of places to try.
My boyfriend and I decided to venture out of Miami Beach to the check out the design district and Pacific Time. As we got closer I noticed more of a «downtown USA» vibe to the area. It’s not located in a huge bustling metropolis but more of a cozy, shop-​filled neighborhood. It’s a good draw for anyone who wants to get out of the hectic-​ness of South Beach.
We entered through the front gated area into a very pretty courtyard garden-​type of space. We asked to be seated there. We were started off with a choice of still or sparkling water (we chose both) which were presented in recycled wine bottles (which I thought was pretty cool). Our appetizers were edamame (very good but admittedly hard to mess up) and the Hot and Sour Popcorn Shrimp. The popcorn shrimp was my boyfriend’s but I ended up eating half of it (girlfriends tend to do that, don’t we?) because it was SO good. The Thai vinaigrette sauce that it came with was incredible. HIGHLY recommended. For our meals I had the panini which had sun-​dried tomato pesto, fresh mozzarella, grilled eggplant and arugula in it. The flavors were great, very clean and fresh. Not heavy at all, especially for an Italian sandwich. My boyfriend, on the other hand, had the short-​ribs sloppy joe sandwich, which would be considered very heavy. For some reason it tasted pretty light, too. The bbq sauce was so delicious and smokey, GREAT flavor. Perfect for lunch.
Our meal at Pacific Time was one of the absolute best meals we had on our trip (and definitely our best lunch… I’d love to try them out for dinner!) and I recommend them to everyone I know who’s planning a trip down to Miami. Off the beaten path of South Beach but worth the quick drive!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
9÷13÷09. We showed up without reservations, treated pretty horribly at the front desk by the hostess. About to leave and were quicky turned around by Britt and were treated to some of the best hospitality Ive seen in a along time. The service is noticebly the same throughout the entire restaurant. The food is right on, especially the halibut cheeks! Chef Jonthan is an amazing chef, even came out to thank us for coming, which he didn’t have to at all. Thank you again. Can’t wait to come back!
Place rating: 2
New York, NY
The service was pretty terrible. I expected more refinement for the prices we paid. But maybe I’m just spoiled from New York. Not a single person at our 5-​person table received their appetizers or entrees correctly. One appetizer that came out was out and out incorrect, and all of the rest were delivered to the wrong person. Not a big deal, but really? Not a single plate was put in front of the correct person?
All of this could have been mitigated with excellent food, but that’s where the real disappointment set in. About the only tasty thing was the popcorn shrimp. But how can you make deep-​fried shrimp slathered in sweet sauce taste bad?
I was disappointed by the deep-​fried dates, the flavors merged together into a sweet and oily puddle in my mouth. The so-​called lobster bisque had almost no lobster flavor — it was just a spicy tomato soup. The grouper cheeks were bland and forgettable. The salmon tartare was overly salty and did not taste very fresh. The short ribs were dry! Dry short ribs? Unbelievable. It was obvious the short ribs had been cooked earlier and then re-​heated. The black cod was not dry, but it was overly potatoey and forgettable. I thought black cod was a very oily fish, but this fish was not. I wonder if it was another fish. My friend said the steak was nice, but I did not try it.
The ambiance was good. But the temperature of the interior was very warm. Our whole table was too hot. The first serving of bread and butter was nice, but the next serving of butter we received was completely molten — it had been sitting out of the fridge for quite some time.
One saving grace was that we were 40 minutes late for our reservation, but they held our table and seated us immediately. That was a very pleasant surprise.
Overall, I wouldn’t go back to Pacific Time. At the least they need to really clean up their cooking act.
Place rating: 4
NY, NY
One of the better fine dining experiences I have had in Miami! I have been twice over 1 years time, once for dinner and once for lunch.
On my most recent visit 5 of us had lunch and drinks for under $ 175 dollars. My chicken was phenomenal, roasted but finished in a pan with hot oil to crisp the skin (I am guessing).
The wine and beer selection was excellent. The presentation was very good. The atmosphere is nice aside from the slightly visible and audible road work that was going on.
I will head back here every year I am in Miami.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
4.5
The popcorn shrimp is still my favorite appetizer on their menu and maybe in the whole of Miami. That being said I’ve been coming here for almost a year and bringing in friends whenever they visit Miami and still I have no complaints.
The service is always good and friendly, the portions are generous without being wasteful or gluttonous and the drinks from their often photographed bar are cheap and good. In fact, said bar has been a drinks destination for some time. Plus $ 5 on well drinks all day doesn’t hurt.
Place rating: 4
Glencoe, IL
After eating like Miss Piggy for the past few weeks I begged the fabulous Maria A to take me somewhere healthy (ish) for lunch. And we ended up here…
As soon as we sat down Maria was so kind to place an order for their infamous popcorn shrimp. I hadn’t had a chance to glance at the menu yet, but… I like popcorn, I like shrimp, and I like Maria. So I figured I was in for a treat. I’m not sure one basket of popcorn shrimp was enough because I devoured this sweet and sour shrimp like dish (my apologies to Maria for not sharing) within minutes. Um, YUM!
Something about Florida humid hot summers makes me crave salads. At my waiter recommendation I ordered the arugula salad– grilled chicken, goat cheese, and strawberries. I devoured this too… I’m telling ya, Miss Piggy. Maria was lucky I didn’t eat her sandwich, which looked pretty tasty too.
This delicious restaurant also happens to be located in the very cool design district of Miami. Popcorn shrimp followed by some upscale shopping? I like it.
Place rating: 4
Warren, NJ
An interesting location for some great food. The adults were all happy with their selections from the menu — for me I believe it was a Salmon Yaki appetizer with a Szechwan Grill Local Mahi-​Mahi for a main course. The surprise, however, was seeing the kids satisfied as well with a burger and pasta as off menu items. Oh, and then there is the Rum Punch from the bar…
Place rating: 2
Atlanta, GA
Service was spectacular. We were treated like royalty. Up until the point we requested the «Miami Spice» menu. From then on, we were treated like the broke ass peasants that we admit to being.
The menu was comically pared down to only a handful of selections, none of which were all too tantalizing. It was our own fault, for even bothering to read the real menu, which was chock full with mouth-​watering dishes and descriptions. Perhaps the comparison increased the likelihood of disappointment. However, the lackluster execution is the sole reason for my dismal rating.
Typically, restaurant weeks [or in this instance, month] are meant to give one a taste in order to a. introduce you to the restaurant and its approach and b. incite a more committed [and expensive] second visit. This is what I’ve understood their purpose to be, anyway.
But after Pacific Time, I’m no longer sure that’s the objective. It came across as more of a, um, «why would we put any effort into our food when you’re only paying $ 34 for three courses? What do you think, we’re crazy? Please. Here, have some artfully designed leftovers and let’s call it even» approach.
The seafood salad was uninspired. Sadly, we were to find out, it was also the best thing we were going to have there. I have a fondness for salt but the steak and salmon both saw too much of it.
The desserts were sloppy and the same heavy hand made an appearance, this time with sugar.
I don’t know, man. I guess all of these weaknesses and inconsistencies may be attributed to Miami Spice. But if that’s the case, they really shouldn’t bother participating. Their lack of effort was plainly obvious and failed to encourage return visits.
Place rating: 3
Miami, FL
This is a 3 ½ start review. I would not round it upward because I think the main course is the selling point of any restaurant not the appetizers and desserts.
A Friend of mine whom I have not seen for more than a month and I decide to meet up for lunch this past weekend. Pacific Time in the Design District gave my friend and I the red carpet treatment. When we arrived the Maitre d’ offered us a discount of 25% if we sat at their sidewalk tables to promote more traffic in the area for the weekend, we were like what the heck and took the offer. (Which was awesome!)
The food was very good from my friend’s point of view. She had the burger with fries which She rate it a crisp 5 star and I had the 2009 Spring Miami Spice Menu special which I rates at a 3 star. My choices are: hot and sour popcorn shrimp, grilled fish (Salmon) szechuan style and tempura sweet potatoes and vanilla crème brulee with poached ginger. The appetizer and dessert was excellent and refreshing on it own unique way. The grilled fish (Salmon) was a bit fishy which I didn’t minded, the sauce tasted more like sweet and sour style (more to the sweet side) and lacking the infamous the Szehuan kick. Additionally I felt the Salmon was a bit over cooked and the tempura is not even close to being tempura.

Even so, their service was excellent beginning with the Maitre d’ our waiter and the assistant to the waiter (bus man), which was very attentive and kind. If it had not been for the Salmon debacle we would have collectively rated it 5 stars. Go on Saturdays because the «crowds» don’t know they are open for lunch during weekends and it’s very relaxing specially when the weather is beautiful.
I am sure all of you is wondering will I go back and the answer is yes because the service here is excellent and I have yet tried their other selections on the menu.
I want to thank my friend Mariana for helping/​writing this review.
Place rating: 3
Miami, FL
i hate to be the party pooper, i just cant give this place 4 stars. not even 3, i think 2.5 is fair… i must say that im reviewing this place based on a baby shower that was held at pacific time with a fixed menu.
the location is great. i got so many flashbacks as i was walking into the restaurant and then when i was ordering a beer by the bar. so many nights of silly drunkenness when that place used to be picadillys and they used to throw the poplife parties… time flies.
i had a sesame chicken salad as appetizer. i did not find it good. it was greasy, (maybe too much sesame oil?) and the veggies were the regular veggies you get anywhere else, kinda bland. then i had fish, it was sorta caramelized but it claimed to be «schezuan». i dont know what kind of fish it was but it tasted like tilapia to me and i have nothing against tilapia but again, thats like the budweisser of the sea. seriously. i cant say i had a memorable lunch at pacific time.
since drinks were not part of the baby shower (and i find that absolutely reasonable :-P) i went up to the bar and got a beer. i only saw two beers on tap. the one i got was an ale, it was a good ale… but it cost me 10 $ without tip. fuck that.
i also thought it was strange to be sitting down having lunch amongst a group of friends, parents, relatives, and kids running around… right at the very same spot where i used to dance with my eyes closed, holdin to my jack and coke, scouting for chicks i could potentially make out with. wwweeeiirrd.
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
Seated in the courtyard for lunch, we ordered a number of small plates, as we wanted to try out the different flavors at Pacific Time, we were not disappointed.
The individual thin crust cheese pizza was a delight, however, the most delicious appetizer was the popcorn shrimp, a generous portion of chili glazed shrimp that left me wanting more. Our entrees consisted of a perfectly prepared calzone and a large serving of spagettini.
The restaurant is located in a somewhat hidden spot and had it not been for the outdoor tables on the sidewalk, we would have completely missed it.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
You gotta try to gnuddi! This place is not only nice (located at the old District spot) but the food is great! I have to say, when Jonathan’s in the kitchen, you can expect to have a wonderful meal.
The service it good and the food is clean and simple. The gnuddi is my favorite (I think it the server should tell patrons it’s a good app if shared because as an entrée it can leave you hungry). The pizzas are good. My co-​worker ordered the fish of the day which was a delicious snowed grouper and i ordered the skirt steak which was a bit raw but good nonetheless.
It was my boss’ birthday so Jonathan sent a «cake» of profiteroles which were out of this world but not on the menu (yeah, that’s how we roll). oh, and the capuccino!!! sooooo delicious.
I’ve been to Pacific Time twice and I have always had a great experience. Definitely recommend it.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
I’ve been here on multiple occasions. Twice for lunch and twice for dinner. I’ve tried both the surf and turf and everything has been much about as on point as you can get for a place you have been to 4 times in the past month. I’ve taken clients and business associates and they have also been impressed, but enough about praising the place let’s talk about the food!
The first time I had Skirt Steak for Lunch with their House Fries and a lunch size chocalate bomb. I ordered the skirt steak medium rare and it was delicious. After annihilating that I decided to try the chocalate bomb. It’s like a cupcake filled with ooey goodness (hot fudge). The fries are so much awesome as well. I’d order them seperately if I had to.
Second time I wanted to try this infamous Colorado Burger. I ordered it Medium it came out perfect and with goat cheese. This burger did not need ketchup or mustard that would’ve ruined it. I also had another helping of those wonderful fries. Dinner size bomb this time but I had someone to share it with :)
Third time was probably by far the best service I’ve had in a Miami restaurant. I took all the waitress recommendations and they were great. I had the Skate this time in a very yummy sauce that consisted of a bunch of things I cannot remember at this time. The fish was very good, but alas I was still hungry I ordered some sort of Key Lime pie concoction which wasn’t really my bag. I told the waitress I wasn’t really too fond of it and she brought me this lovely lemon sorbet. She went beyond what I would typically expect here in Miami. I believe her name was Kimberly ask for her! :)
Fourth and most recent time. I had a business associate who wanted to eat seafood. So I figured I’d give pacific yet another go after such a wonderful experience the previous time. We had a different server this time, but like every other time the food was very consistent. We had the popcorn shrimp appetizer which was a perfect way to start the evening. then ordered the Scallops which were delicious and our waitress recommend a particular white wine that could not have gone better. Our business associate had the mahi and he loved it. So I look good, the restaurant looks and best of all I’m no longer starving.
So after a short break I hope to be back sooon. I can already picture myself eating another burger. :)
Place rating: 4
Hatteras, NC
Although the old location on Lincoln Road was cozier, this clean contemporary space is a big hit.
The quality is still very high, and the prices are moderately expensive, but not insulting (e.g. Domo Japones)
Most telling is the sign when you enter, that reads almost like an epitaph: Pacific Time: South Beach 1993 – 2007, 2008: Design District
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
Pacific Time was formerly on Lincoln Road and after it closed, it reopened int the Design District. They have an extensive lineup of very different types of seafood dishes, small plates and main plates. It’s one of those menus that has such a diverse selection of different items, it’s hard to choose. For our party we ordered: hot and sour popcorn shrimp, edamame, ginger scalion pancake, seafood salad, grilled wild salmon yaki and pork ribs mott street style. Of those items, the hot and sour popcorn shrimp and the seafood slad with its turk and caicos conch, salmon toro, tuna, fluke and roasted pineapples stood out above the other starter /​appetizer /​salad dishes. If you come with a large group, you can order all 18 of their small plates, any combination for $ 230. I think that would be a unique dinning experience but it would have been too much food for the four of us.
Each of us ordered a main course, I had the Pacific Time Fresh Noodles which was more Italian than Asian, but I thought it was unique.
We ended our meal with a crème bole.
There is plenty of street parking. Make sure you feed the parking machine you’ll get a $ 20+ ticket! They also have valet parking.
This restaurant is worth a try if you haven’t been there.
Place rating: 4
Palo Alto, CA
4.5 — kind of like a James Beard nominee but not winner yet
I think this place has a chance to bring back their former glory but is not there yet. Nice long list of small plates — menu still in flux. Probably faces stiffer food critic competition in the DD as compared to Lincoln. Tried their seared foie gras with apple/​pineapple/​pomegranate and their pompano fish (the special) with olive/​garlic/​calamari/​crisped spinach. my comment is that the fish was nice but kinda lost in the overpowering tart sauce. foie gras seared expertly but could also haved used one more element to balance the all fruit sweetness.
went back since the small plates menu is finalized
seafood salad — not very good at all
corn and leek crab soup dumpling — mediocre
quail with soy glaze and plum — good flavor choice but execution a little lacking, quail cooked a bit too much
*the hightlights were: grouper cheeks in curry coconut flavor sauce with bananas — nice play on soft and sweet with savory, plus our server recommended a side of truffle oil fries to mix in the sauce, which was quite delectable
the tastiest dish was the crisp dates, which was almond and date wrapped with bacon and placed on garlic aioli sitting on a leaf of endive
very good, better than Sra Martinez dates since there was minimal cheese and excellent pork belly ratio
notice the clock — they are on west coast time!