Lizarran

This place does not deserve a star. The experience there was horrible. if your specialty is «tapas and tintos» your waiters should know the difference between red and white wine. It took three tries for the waitress to get the correct bottle I ordered. After 20 minutes waiting for the correct bottle no bread was brought or food order taken. If that was the only problem I wouldn’t be writing this review. The restaurant also doubles as an art gallery. You might say so what. Well imagine you finally get your bottle of wine and right when your going to toast with your significant other, a herd of art enthusiast gather over your table to hear the tour guides art description. A table for two converted into a group gathering for 10 minutes… Oh by the way did I forget to mention we still haven’t ordered our food. In terms of the food, the albondigas (meatballs) bland, the gambas were hard and chewy and I would love to tell you about the chorizzo in vino tinto but the waitress forgot to bring it. All in all, I would not recommend this place to my enemy. To top it off, the guitarist began to make shout outs to people in the restaurant if they were from hialeah??? Yes like if you were in a concert and the performer would ask the crowd the country they are from… Well he asked who was from Hialeah… Random. Needless to say this place has earned the top of my worst restaurants I’ve gone to in Miami.

I have been to Lizarran often and find that the modern chic environment is a wonderful change to the Spanish Tavern feel. I my pinion is that the food was very authentic and fresh. We had the Pulpo A La Gallega and it was really good. I would recommend those who like Paella try this place out.
I would definitely be back.

I will start by saying how shocked I was to see a 4 star average review on this place, so I will try to be as thorough as possible so that everyone can understand my rating.
Let me first say that the only reason why they get 2 stars and not 1 is because of the good service, they really try.
The décor is quite nice, but screams asian, not spanish; you’d never guess this is a spanish cuisine place based on the décor and music; it looks more like a sushi place with a lot of bamboo and contemporary (still nice though) furniture.
Now we move on to the meal itself. I think there are a list of «key» dishes that put a spanish restaurant to the test, and Lizarran failed miserably on all of them. First, the brava sauce for the Papas Bravas was nothing more than some ketchup with Tabasco Sauce, or at least that’s what it tastes like. I could not believe my eyes when I saw what they refer to as Huevos Rotos, which turned out to be French Fries with two Sunny Side Up eggs and surrounded by some pieces of Chistorra; these are certainly no Huevos Rotos. Then, the Crispy Eggplant was cut too thick, you see, in order to get this dish right, you have to slice the eggplant really thin, so that the eggplant flavor is not as strong and so that it stays crunchy. This was not the case.
I could not bring myself to finish my Gazpacho, which was simply appalling, it was all watered down, lacking any flavor except onions, simply terrible.
The paella was one of the worst paellas I’ve had in Miami, and I’ve had some bad paellas.
I will say this about the desserts, both the Flan and the Crème Brulee (crema catalana) were pretty good.
For me, this is the bottom line: If this place is hoping to remain open 6 months from now, they really need to re-​think their food, the menu is good, but the executions are simply poor; so I think that a change in the kitchen staff is a must.

Lizarran is a chain restaurant, with locations around the world; the Coral Gables location is the fourth one opened in the U.S. In the dark wood and terra cotta tile space once occupied by Diego restaurant now stands a bright, modern, open showcase for Spanish tapas, tablas (plates of assorted cured meats, cheeses, etc.), paellas, and reasonably priced fish and meat dishes.
We tried the Gambas al Ajillo ($ 10), the traditional dish of shrimps sauteed in garlic and olive oil. A simple preparation, but when done correctly as it is here, it’s very good. Seasoned nicely and brimming with slices of fresh garlic, the contents of the small clay dish were still sizzling when it came to our table.
Less exciting were the Albondigas con Tomate ($ 4), small meatballs in a tomato sauce. Perhaps beause they lacked the seasonings, cheese and other ingredients that we have come to expect in Italian meatballs, they seemed a little flat in flavor.
Pulpo a «Feira» ($ 12) were simply presented slices of octopus set atop sliced potatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika. The octopus was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely although it too seemed drained of flavor.
Croquetas ($ 5) come in four varieties: cheese, ham, chicken and bacalao. A standard order comes with one of each, but you can choose a different combination or all of one kind. The croquetas came nicely crisp on the outside and soft inside, but could all have used more cheese, ham, chicken or fish.
Hamburguesas ($ 5) are four tiny sliders prepared different ways: 1) cheese, 2) topped with Serrano 3) barbecue sauce & 4) with caramelized onions. Interesting concept, but the burgers came out well done and dry, although the mini rolls were soft and fresh.
Chips de Patatas con Boquerones y Salsa Lizarran ($ 6) was one of my favorites. Fresh, vinegar-​marinated anchovies are served on potato chips (yes, regular potato chips that you might buy in the supermarket) and drizzled with a reddish-​brown, fish-​based sauce. The salty chips and Lizarran sauce are an unexpected compliment to the fresh fish and create a savory snack.
Almejas Marinera ($ 12) was a generous serving of small little neck clams (often referred to as «pasta clams» because of their perfect size for adding to pasta dishes) served with peppers, tomatoes, olive oil and wine. The sauce was flavorful and a good accompaniment to the clams, but the shellfish was overcooked and rubbery.
Tabla Mixta ($ 15) came with tasty slices of smoked chorizo, serrano, fresh goat cheese & manchego.
Ensalada Caesar ($ 7) was topped with thin slices of Parmesan cheese and strips of grilled chicken breast that were moist and tender. Unfortunately the kitchen sent out the salad dry, without any dressing, so it had to go back. When it reappeared, there was a side of Caesar dressing accompanying it. The dressing was indistinguishable from bottled dressing.
Service, at least in the earlier hours of the evening when it is quiet and not busy, is friendly and attentive… if a bit inexperienced. At one point they shut the lights over our section of tables and the waitress didn’t think anything of it. The manager had to intervene. Lizarran does have live entertainment weekend evenings and hopes to become a popular night spot.
The wine list is almost all Spanish with selections priced mostly between $ 40-​$ 50, although there are lower priced offerings.
Pinchos, tiny bites offered at $ 2 each or 6 for $ 10 are smaller than tapas servings. Both hot and cold Pinchos are offered at the bar and are nice idea if you come in for a drink or two and feel like grazing.
Lizarran is still pretty new and may be working out some of the kinks in the kitchen and service. It is certainly worth a try.

I love Spain and I’m a huge fan of tapas. 15 years ago there were very few tapas bars in the US and jamon serrano wasn’t even allowed to be imported here. Now it seems like a new tapas place is opening every month.
Lizarran is an inviting, contemporary space in the old Diego’s location. The pinchos and other plates we tried (croquetas de bacalao and jamon serrano, of course) were freshly prepared and very tasty.
Prices are in line with the neighborhood and the service is friendly. It’s a nice spot to start off a night in the Gables, Barcelona style.

I should let you know that Spain is one of my favorite places in the world It’s just so laid back and their spanish is so funny as compared to my Hialeah version
Lizarran is a cool, casual yet semi-​upscale chain with over 200 locations world wide Their concept is instead of saddling up to the tapas bar, the tapas come to you in the form of waiters holding up trays with bite size pintxos (you see, they even spell things funny) such as Aceitunas con Anchoa, Albondigas con Tomate and Ensaladilla Rusa These pintxos are all served on a slice of baguette and held together with a toothpick and then you are charged by the amount of toothpicks you collect My personal favorite pintxos were Tortilla de Patata con Cebolla y Pá amb Tomaquet which is similar to how my dad makes them and the croquetas because I keep it real You can also order off their regular menu if you don’t want to fight the urge of using the toothpicks for what they were invented for
The service here was top notch and professional When i dropped one of my pintxos, a team of waiters and managers came over to clean it and make sure my tortilla was replaced I don’t like to fruit my drink but Jenny said that the sangria was one of the best she has ever had They have tons of flat screens and a full bar so I can easily see this becoming a huge spanish futbol gathering spot during World Cups and La Liga fixtures