Sea Bar Restaurant

Actually 1 is too high. One of the worst dining experiences ever. The food was OK but service was horrible. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Have they gone out of business? Closed at 9:30pm Saturday. :(

My first Sea Bar Happy Hour experience was sunk faster than the Lusitania. Unhappy Hour was riddled with spotty service, watered down drinks, and a menu that shares more in common with your local Peruvian cevicheria than fine seafood dining. First of all this location is cursed; every business that opens at 4770 Biscayne fails miserably. That being said I like what they’ve done with the place. A lot of blue hues, dim lighting and metallic surfaces. They even have space heaters outside for those chilly nights. But I don’t drink or eat ambiance. Inside is decorated like an underwater brothel, albeit a high-​class one. I could see the Little Mermaid and company working the pole while Sebastian and Flounder made it rain kale on those hoes while enjoying these drinks –
Grand Sierpe Pisco Punch made with pineapple juice and muddled lime. This was red for some reason but still on point. Plus all GSP drinks were 2−4−1 for the night.
The first drops out of the Jack Daniel’s bottle could have been confused with the early 90s favorite — Crystal Pepsi. If you are going to advertise that the booze flows until you say when, then do so. I’d rather have less real spirits, than more watered down ones.
This is how the Oyster Martini was explained to me.“You really have to like shellfish and you really have to like gin.”
«Seafood With A Twist.» What twist? Ceviche predates Columbus, and Spaniards have been eating Pulpo a la Gallega since the Crusades. Where is the motherfishing elegance and innovation?
My Restaurant Ten Commandments includes the following gastronomic imperative; THOU SHALT NOT MIX DAIRY WITH SEAFOOD.
Sea Bar excels at breaking this rule. The Clam Casino, Crab Croquets, Hot Seafood Platter, Lobster Bisque, Mussels in White Wine Sauce, Oysters Rockafeller, Pulpo Gratinado, Tuna Burrito, and the Penne with Salmon all mentioned CREAM or CHEESE in their description.
Chef’s Octopus is baked and served whole, but I don’t particularly like eating beaks, siphons and digestive glands. So the chef can keep that octopus to himself.
Peel and Eat Shrimp had me thinking I was eating at Sandbar in the Grove not «Sailing away on a gastronomic seafood tour.» I don’t need to go to a $ 20 a plate restaurant to eat this lazy dish. I especially don’t need to smell like I’ve been artificially inseminating cows all day during a shortage of latex gloves.
The main courses have you picking your own sauce, garnish, fish and it’s method of preparation. This isn’t $ 7 a bowl American Noodle Bar, you tell me how to eat it, you’re the experts!
It was a table of 10 people and that can be challenging, but it was nearly empty so I feel like they could’ve been more accommodating. Unfortunately their head bartender was off and the owner/​manager stepped in to fill his shoes. This added up to a long wait for drinks, and they were a bit off. Food was josteled, mixed up, and cold. I felt bad for the manager/​owner/​temporary bartender but he did try to put his best foot forward by offering complimentary shots of Espolón Tequila Reposado. I’m a fan of this tequila, but most people have never heard of it, let alone tasted it. IMO If he really wanted to make an effort, he should have wowed the table with Don Julio or Cazadores.
Another fatal mistake was coming to the table, and asking how everything was. The waiters, food runners, heck everyone knew the night was botched, so why would you put yourself or your guests in an awkward situation? The conversation went something like two people that had just suffered through a failed sex act.
MGMT: «This usually doesn’t happen, are you sure I can’t make it up to you?»
Unilocal Patron: Silence and head nodding «NO!»
MGMT: «I’m really sorry; it’s just that (insert string of excuses).»
Unilocal Patron: «Look really its OK, maybe I should just go.»
Maybe he was just nervous; maybe he hadn’t done it in a long time. Whatever the case, it was too little too late. Try The River Oyster Bar, Sardinia, or Red Fish Grill, they all give Sea Bar a good bent-​over shucking.