The Café at Books & Books

When your restaurant is attached to the theatre and the actors from the theatre come to your establishment you should cater to them.
When your restaurant is empty (3 tables used inside and out) there is no reason why a table for 4 cannot be accommodated for 2 people.
Lastly, if there is a «theater only menu» for 3 courses but the actors/​performers in the show cannot drink nor want 3 course there should be accommodations in place to satisfy those paying customers.
Awful experience from «lost» hostess and manager who refused to serve us.
It’s funny to think we are the ones who bring the audience to your establishment yet we can’t be served.
Bad experience. Don’t waste your time on this place.
The food isn’t bad but the service left a bad taste in mouth. Too bad.

Books in a cafeteria or food in a bookstore? I loved the concept, I loved the location, I loved the books. My only problem? I really wished there were more books. People were extremely nice and helpful. Hadn’t been this gladly surprised in years!

I came here for a book signing today and overall had a pleasant experience. The space is on the smaller side but it is not cramped. The book selection is nice for a smaller store. There are a few chairs and tables on the main level. Overall, a great bookstore to enjoy an afternoon in.

Arrived here at 6:30. Was told it was a 30 – 45 minute wait. No problem. After going to the bar and ordering some drinks we realized that we needed to wait by the check in station because no one was walking around calling names. At about 7:20 I realized no one was around and went over and asked were we next. The hostess advised me that she was told that the kitchen was really backed up and they weren’t going to be seating anyone. I took a deep breath and went to order a latte at the bar. I figured I could order a cookie and I’d be fine. I specifically asked the bar tender would I be allowed in the Arsht Center with this latte, to which he replied «of course». Great. I went into the Arsht Center and was informed that I could not pass he stairs with my coffee. From now on I will stick with the café in the Gables only. What a terrible disappointment.

This review is missing two stars for a few reasons. Let’s start with the bad and end with the good.
The café like most restaurants and cafes attached to theatre is really geared to that clientele. From what I can tell they have minimal traffic during off theatre hours. As a result they’ve menus that adjust according the ebb and flow of showtimes. If you show up here on theatre night or matinée, expect to be rushed through your meal, mediocre service and a buzzy atmosphere much akin to an ant hill. As a theatre patron you’ll love this because, well, you need to get to your show. If you’re not going to the theatre you’ll find it unappetizing and any semblance of relaxation you may have been looking for while eating in the company of books, you can kiss that bye-​bye.
During showtime hours you’ll be relegated to their prix-​fixe menu. Which for the staff and ktichen totally makes sense for quality management and expediency. Not so great for you if you don’t feel like paying for 2 or 3 courses. That being said, I think the kitchen has some flexibility with that IF you are not ordering in the rush hour.
When the show is in session but you are there just to have food you have to put up with a gaggle of wait staff hanging out in front of the kitchen talking about stuff that really you don’t come to a restaurant to listen to. I’m surprised management allows that to happen. But then again the other day I was there in the a.m. when one of the kitchen staff trolled out of the ktichen and plunked himself at the bar to scarf down breakfast. When the bar staff prompted him about it I heard him say «I work here, I can eat where I want.» Nice guy. My point is this, this isn’t Zak the Baker where everyone gets to essentially sit inside the kitchen and that’s part of the appeal. If patrons wanted the experience of communal dining with the cook, they’d stay at home, with the cook (aka their family) and eat for free. Dining out is still supposed to be an experience. A concept that seems to be lost to some these days.
Pricing — is meh. I can’t vote that this place truly delivers value for money. Par for the course for Miami it’s a little overpriced for the quality, location and service. Oh, expect to be charged the Miami Tip, ego 18% whether you like it or not. I believe you can choose to NOT pay this if you want to make a fuss and frankly you should b/​c the waiters in this city take this for granted tip to the bank. Rumor is that we have the Euro tourists on South Beach from 15 years go to thank for the Miami Tip. For much of Europe wait staff is paid higher than our minimum wage and so it’s customary to either not tip or tip minimally. South America to a certain extent has similarities. So my point is, LOOK at your bill in Miami, all sorts of little funny fees get tacked on.
Let’s talk good:
1. The atmosphere — Tottto are we in Miami? Because OMG there’s not a stitch of white décor in sight (well, the bistro napkins are white with blue). What a nice change of pace, everything in Miami is so white! There’s a warm feeling to the décor b/​c the floors and bookshelves are all in dark walnut brown. It falls short of being «warm» b/​c there are no rugs on the seemingly inexpensive wood floors (yes, I notice details like this and the floors are coming up in some places) and the shelving is seemingly of equal low quality, scratched, dirty and chipped. I have to wonder how GC’s get away with such shoddy finishes. It’s a shame, it could be a really pretty space. It’s a slightly odd layout. You have to walk through the front space and up stairs to find the hostess stand then she will usually take you back down the stairs to seat you. Considering the median age of the theatre goer let’s just say I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for an elderly person to fall down the stairs. That’s a personal injury law suit just waiting to happen.
2. The menu is well thought out. We ordered a French Onion Soup (careful here, the preparation is not traditional and if you’re looking for gooey cheese with a baked top, you’ll be disappointed). But the flavor was spot on. Now that I’m the know I’ll order it again. The Wild Mushroom Fennel Stir-​Fry was flavorful and filling albeit a rather small portion for an entrée. The dessert a pumpkin cheesecake was just okay, not worth the cheating on sugar and calories. For breakfast I’ve ordered the Old School Cream of Quinoa and it doesn’t disappoint. A good portion of gooey yumminess. But I will say that they sell it as being served with «Roasted Granny Smith Apples» which honestly was what sold me on the order. There was nothing roasted about the three little pieces of apple in the quinoa.
Net-​net it does the job for a café at a theatre. If it improved its look leveraging its unique space and making it more akin to The Tattered Cover in Denver Colorado, this baby would have legs. Otherwise I have to say the only reason they stay alive is the theatre.

The only reason I put 2 stars is because the service was fine. the books have more flavor than the food. I was looking forward to the same delicious sandwich shop that I find on Lincoln Road. nothing had much flavor and wasn’t cooked well. I hate that I’m writing a bad review but it is necessary. I hope they can change this so they can be as successful as their Lincoln Road location.

we tried this place on regular Sunday. We conventional party of four: parents and two kids. We arrived super early and it was not busy (at all). Service was slow and when finally received the order, we could not eat the horrible thing they brought to our table… the steak should be well done but they served raw inside and carbonized-​burned in the outside… It could not be fixed and there was no time to wait another 40-​plus minutes on replacing these entries… the fish was undercooked and cold-​frozen inside, they were reasonable and fully accepted their complete failure but they only removed the mahi mahi from the check (since it was removed I would not picture it or comment on the fish problem) but the gross steak was not removed from our account (we eat not even a little piece, it was imposible) we turned down our dishes but they turned rude and insisted «steak was eddible and billable» …well understood, no drama, we proceed and paid the bill, considering they turned very anxious and focused on the billing and mathematics but showing no interest in the chain of events of the awful experience from a customer perspective… overall experience: bad and irreconcilable, observe the «steak well done» by yourself… the good: convenient to have a coffee before opera or ballet… I would not try anything else than a cookies and coffee… bad quality slow service in the café at the Addrienne Arsht Center.

Didn’t even get a chance to try the food! Either this place was too busy at that hour (Saturday, lunch) or it’s actually another Miami-​style-​crappy-​service place, where it’s within a norm to forget about their customers… After the manager promised to send a server over to the outside area where we decided to sit, we waited for 10 – 15 minutes to get service. And even after going inside and reminding them of our presence, still nothing happened, we didn’t even get the menus. Unbelievable! Never ever got such an experience! If you are too busy you need to hire more people, it’s so obvious! Another horrible Miami service spot, shame, in such a great location!

The building though. Beautiful structure. Events going on here often. It’s a small bookstore, but the waiter was so good at what he does. He displayed this by continually ensuring that the items we ordered was made to our liking as well as on point.
He was not only super handsome… but was beyond awesome at his work. He made sure that we were truly taken care of… more like him please
The book selection wasn’t as massive like Barnes and noble, however it boasted its own flare. The architecture was astonishing… what art!!!
I ordered some drinks and my friend and daughters enjoyed it very much! The waiter (can’t remember remember) truly mDe the experience. He went over and beyond his job duties… and we appreciate you !
We will be back for sure!!! Located across the street from Perez Museum of Art. Interesting and engaging artwork and well maintained.
Very relaxing and full of day of unending visual arts!
Perfect. Place for kids to explore and outside for kid-​play love!

If u enjoy — options, healthy, vegan, organic, locally sourced, economical (especially if u consider the stuff they’re serving up), always above average service (a big thing… that is seemingly difficult to come by), and tasty — then give this place a shot. Love the one in the Gables and this great location is just as good, if not better. Thank you for reviving a little lost thing called quality.

I’ve been a few times to the Café at Books and Books and each time I go excited to try something new as there are multiple things on each menu that catch my attention. My most recent visit (for breakfast) seemed to represent the great things about the Café and a few things that could be improved (or just to keep in mind when visiting).
The recent visit was for a work breakfast and I ordered the pulled heritage pork hash. I love hashes in general and this sounded really good. With some high hopes it definitely met them (and probably exceed them a bit). It was very flavorful and pretty filling for the size. The pulled heritage pork was ham-​like, but tender and flavorful with a bit of sweetness. It was actual hash browns (like the shreds) inside, which is hard to find in Miami. There were peppers thrown in and some sour cream on the side. I would say this is one of my favorite breakfast dishes I’ve had in Miami and certainly want to go back for it.
I’m not a big coffee drinker, but the crillo mocha (with spiced drinking chocolate, espresso, whipped cream, and shaved chocolate) really caught my attention and I ordered that. The waiter came back to say they were out of the spiced drinking chocolate, but he recommended the caramelized latte with steamed soy milk. I enjoy almond milk, but wasn’t sure about soy milk. I went for it anyway. I turned out to really like it. It was creamy, but not too heavy, plus it wasn’t too coffee-​like (since I don’t drink it often). It could maybe turn me into a «coffee» drinker even (I know it’s nothing like a cup of black coffee or «real coffee» as some people would say).
Overall food has gotten similar rave reviews for friends/​co-​workers. Favorites included the avocado toast and warm and nutty quinoa. Everything seems very fresh and flavorful.
Some of the downsides or qualifiers is that every time I’ve been several dishes have been incomplete according to the menu such as the toast missing a fresh fruit compote, the fruit salad missing a honey lime dip, or an omelette missing 2 of the 3 ingredients. For that I was tempted to give 3 stars, but my friend who is very particular about service still thought I should put 4 stars because of how delicious the food is. She made a good point that they seem to source things locally, so when they run out there isn’t an alternative. I agree with that, but think that staff could do a better job about informing patrons when something is out. Multiple times dishes were delivered and people were disappointed with it based on how it compared to the description. The toast for example came out just as a plate of bread and my co-​worker had to ask for something to put on it. Only when the waiter brought out the butter (after the request) did he mention they were out of fruit compote.
The Café at Books and Books has a lot of delicious, fresh, flavorful, and locally sourced dishes. The dishes myself or my friends have tried all get rave reviews. Sometimes certain dishes are missing ingredients that run out, but that’s understandable given where they source their ingredients. They could just do a better job of letting customers know that instead of them being confused when an incomplete dish comes out.
The atmosphere and space is also great. You can either sit inside surrounded by books (which is awesome! So glad downtown Miami has a bookstore now) or outside in the shadow of the Arsht Center. A great place to do work or get a café breakfast.

We had a light dinner at the Café at Books and Books at the Adrienne Arsht Center prior to the opera. We were seated promptly outside during a lovely evening.
The server took our drink order and prompted us to place our food order (which we weren’t ready to do yet) showing they are eager to get performance patrons served in plenty of time.
We ordered a Cosmo and a specialty cocktail. We were shortly informed that they were out of the ingredients for the cocktail.
While the pre fixed menu was enticing we felt it a little overpriced so we had a bowl of their soup du hour, an excellent cream of asparagus, and the Sears Burger. The burger was good (one of us thought it lacked seasoning).
All in all a fair experience. Not great but not bad.

I feel like this place has not gotten the recognition it deserves. Maybe because it’s part of the Adrienne Asht center and people may not notice it? It’s inside of the small but eclectic book store. I have been here for lunch a few times and love it! Their menu offers great healthy and hardy options. Great friendly service, which is important to me. They also have a coffee counter where you can order some coffee or tea and enjoy some quiet time reading a book or looking for one. There are plenty small 2 person tables throughout the book store and also some larger tables for groups of 3 or more. They have a shaded outside seating area where a nice breeze runs; love it out there.

NPS = 4
Found myself eating here more from necessity than anything else. Our show was staring at the Ziff Ballet Opera House in half an hour so we needed something quick and easy.
The food came out fast, I’ll give them that. But anything with the quality of what they served couldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes to prepare.
I had the turkey panini and it was the BLANDEST sandwich I have ever had. I’m not even exaggerating. I’m actually rather impressed that the sandwich was SO bland it qualifies as the BLANDEST sandwich I have ever had.
The burger my girlfriend had was not as bad and cooked to a medium temperature was rather juicy. Nothing out of this world, but juicy no less.
But that turkey sandwich… ugh.
Anyway…
The service was not spectacular either because our server (who was running around like a madman bless his heart) seemed TOO busy and the restaurant seemed severely understaffed.
Come here only if it is your LAST resort before an Adrienne Arsht production. And even then, you might want to hold off and visit one of the many other great restaurants in this side of town.

I’m really glad this place opened up at the Arsht center because I go there all the time. It is nice to have a food option that you know you will enjoy. Went there right before a shoe and it was PACKED! You better get reservations or you won’t eat/​I just went for drink and there was a line at the bar — at least they were helping the patrons in order of arrival which was nice.
I went again for lunch on a quiet Friday. The food was good but I have to say, not as good as the food at the Books & Book in the Gables. That is by far my favorite.
Check this place out. It is ncely decorated, you are surrounded by books (the only thing better is to be surrounded by wine), and its a nice place to chill right before a show

I have one word for my experience: terrible.
Terrible service, and the food was awful. Maybe the library is good though. The only thing this place has going for itself is the cute setting. However, neverrrr going back.

I’ve always been a fan of dining at Books & Books, whether it be in the Gables or Lincoln Road, and I couldn’t be happier that there is now a café at the Arsht. I work in the Design District and usually come in for lunch. The menu at the Arsht is so good, and the food is always served with a beautiful presentation, and it’s so cool to be able to go to the Arsht on a regular day and just enjoy the beautiful setting.
The overall experience always good during lunch, but if you’re going for dinner when there’s a performance, just make sure you plan ahead since it gets busy and everybody arrives at about the same time and then wants to pay their bill at the same. I learned the hard way when I took my girl to see Newsies. It was very busy and once our food arrived we had to eat quickly.
I’m a generous Unilocaler unless I’m really, really ticked off (see my review of Deco Bike), so despite the pre-​show dinner experience, I still give this one 5 stars.
I will continue to be a frequent lunch diner, and next time we come for a show, we’ll arrive early and if we finish early, go to the bar for pre-​show drinks. Win-​win.

Books & Books recently opened in the Ziff Ballet Opera House and is now another good option for a pre or post-​show meal!
We were seeing a performance at 8pm so made sure to give ourselves plenty of time as they don’t take reservations. Upon walking in at 6:30, we had about a ten minute wait so getting there early is definitely a good idea! While we waited, we grabbed a drink at the small bar and hung out by some bookcases until we were called for our table.
There is a mix of inside and outside seating. We weren’t asked our preference but ended up outside which was great because it was a beautiful evening! They had a special Nawlins prix-​fixe menu for $ 35 to coordinate with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra performance that night, along with their standard menu which was cool but we decided to order a la carte.
To start, we got the mahi mahi ceviche and for our mains, I got the Heirloom Tomato Greek Salad and my beau got the Sears Burger. It definitely took awhile to get our «starter» and in the end it came only about two minutes before our mains. The ceviche itself was way too lemony. The sweet potato was a nice respite from the sourness. As for the salad, I didn’t get a strong «Greek» flavor from it. It filled me up but wasn’t really that unique or satisfying as far as salads go. As for the burger, it was pretty standard but my boyfriend especially liked the bun and I thought the thick patty tasted good. The «secret sauce» our waiter lauded was barely detected. It was served with some thick wedged potatoes that were a little uneven and burnt in spots.
Now, what saved the meal? The key lime pie! It was light and fluffy, almost like a cheesecake texture. The graham cracker crust was thin so you could really focus on the good stuff. Also, our server was pretty attentive and sweet throughout the meal.
While the few courses we tried didn’t blow us away, I haven’t lost all hope in this place. It’s hard to find a bite around the Arsht Center so it’s a very welcomed addition to the scene. I’m sure all be back, if only for another bite of key lime pie after the show!

Great place for lunch. Service at the bar was great. I had the Sears Burger, amazing… Perfectly cooked.

2.5 Stars
I really don’t know what to expect from the Café at Books and Books. I have been a loyal customer and huge fan of their South Beach and Coral Gables locations; however, once they opened the Newstand downtown and now this Café, I have no idea what to expect from this restaurant. Menus are different, some don’t offer breakfast… I can’t get the same delicious meal I’m used to on the beach at the other locations which is very disappointing.
The atmosphere is very weird here. Tables to eat are everywhere throughout the books, outside in front, outside in back… really odd. They should have one area to eat and that’s it… period.
Also, seeing a supervisor speak down to an employee in front of me was a very unattractive sight to see.
I’d only return to the Beach (especially for breakfast) and the Coral Gables café for lunch but probably not this one unless they fix the above problems.

I had dinner at this new restaurant three times over the past couple of weeks – brought New York family twice, local friends once – and each experience was fantastic!
The menu is imaginative, yet familiar and everything was prepared to perfection.
I had the cauliflower steak (and I am not even a vegeterarian!) twice because it was soooo delicious the first time I tried it. I’ve also had the charcuterie board – perfect portions – open-​face sandwich with shrimp, and the skirt steak. All delicious and VERY VERY reasonably priced.
About time a really good, casual, yet chic, restaurant owned by LOCALS opened in this area. There’s not much at all in the area and Books & Books at the Arsht is excellent any time of the day.
I live on South Beach and chose to drive over, rather than walk just blocks to any South Beach restaurant because the food and atmosphere – great lightning, outdoors, balmy – was so lovely each and every time.
And did I mention the books? BOOKS! You can buy a book for dessert. I you have the will power, which I don’t, so I ate the coconut cake – moist and creamy. THEN I bought a book – I recommend Lovers at the Chameleon Club, 1932 by Francine Prose.
BTW, you can park in the open lot right across the street and just pay the meters. Simple.