The Whistle Stop Restaurant & Bar

I would give this place 6 stars if I could. Not only do they have delicious food — local vegetables where possible (just get the sauteed zucchini on the side of whatever you’re having, it’s SO good!), tasty meat dishes, good portions and prices, but their customer service was beyond my expectations. We came in 30 minutes before closing, hungry and tired, and with a group member who had severe food restrictions. The chef came out, talked to him about what he can and can’t have for a couple minutes, and then gave him a chicken dish that made his vacation. Outstanding!

came here for dinner and brunch the following day. the whistle stop is located inside the redland hotel, one of the oldest buildings in homestead.
inside the décor is not what you’d expect if your from miami. this place is more like what you would find on a road trip through rural parts of the state. i welcomed the change of scenery. outside they have a nice veranda where you can sit and enjoy a cigar and a drink. expect downhome hospitality here, not glitz and glam.
the food and service were good. i had the churrasco and wife had the country fried steak special. both were tasty and portions were generous. service staff was very friendly and even the owner came by to chat. the churrasco seemed to be cooked on a skillet, not a grill. it was still tasty though.
we came back for sunday brunch and staff was just as friendly. there was a large spread of both breakfast and lunch items. everything we had was tasty but i was disappointed that there were no waffles. when i go out for breakfast, 95% of the time it’s for a waffle. i was kinda let down that there was no waffle maker in sight. i’ll be back for dinner but doubtful i’ll be back for brunch unless they get a waffle maker.

I’m reviewing this as a bar, not a restaurant, as I haven’t tried the food.
Working late, I was looking for a bar and, best I can discern, this is the only place open after 11pm south of Caribbean Club unless you go much further south.
It is a bit of a dive bar.
Definitely local Keys flavor.
3 bartenders in 2 nights were all very professional and friendly.
Late, it’s late locals, mostly in the biz crowd. Mixed with local diehards and a few tourists acting like locals.

Friendly staff, but the food needs to improve. It was ok. Lets just say my first time there became my last time.

The selection is huge for the Sunday brunch but I wasn’t amazed with the quality. Most of the food was bland and that’s coming from someone that only uses a handful of seasonings at home. The décor was not as cute as it could be. I love vintage, historical places but this place could use some work. The back room is very nice but is reserved. The other room… take away the table cloths or replace them with matching ones like the back room. That one simple thing would change the feel of the place from tacky to cute. The waiter was very friendly and raved about how this was rated number one on Unilocal… I’m confused as to why.

Sliders are awesome! Wow. Bbq and horseradish sauce is key. And then the chicken and dumplings are to die for. The best! Don’t leave without someone ordering this!

It was delicious! The food took a little while to come out, but I think it was because they were making it fresh! I got the rattlesnake pasta which was amazing, and my boyfriend got the churrasco steak which was awesome as well, the chimi churri? (Spelling lol) sauce was so fresh and delicious. We just moved to homestead so we definitely will probably become new regulars here :)

My hubby and I have been wanting to try this place for awhile and we came tonight…
Such a charming, cozy, historically preserved place with so much great history of Homestead displayed in photographs across the walls. We were so beyond impressed by the ambience, the wonderful warm and very attentive server Michelle… I had the spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, we split the loaded cheese fries, and hubby had the chicken and dumplings… A-​Maze-​Ing! Hot, homemade, so aromatic and full of homestyle flavor, this is most definitely gonna be one of our regular spots from now on. Definitely come and see for yourself Thank you for making this such a delightful experience for us, Michelle! We’ll be back!!! Yummo!!!

Busy Tuesday night with only one wait staff. Waited an hour for the salad and 45 minutes for the main course. Food is OK nothing to write home about. Meatloaf was tasty but too salty. Chicken breast too dry. Skirt steak was well marinated. Skipped the desserts as they were made last week. Ran out of napkins but resorted to paper towels. I will go down the street to chefs on the run in the future.

My first time here and not my last. I love the customer service, I love the food, and I love the atmosphere. I can’t wait to come back and bring other friends!!!

The Sunday brunch is AMAZING! 12.99 per person for fresh fruits, different brunch sides like tuna lettuce wraps, dips, soups, tomato and mozzarella, salads, make your own omelettes, and more. Patty (the lady who runs the place) is a south philly native and has a great staff. Cute and cozy, but updated hotel with great service. My grandparents love this place and they are locals.

Love this place. Especially the Sunday brunch. The baked ziti is phenomenal. We usually have Linda as our server & she is wonderful! ladies night is Thursday & prices are very resonable. So glad to have this restaurant in my town.

What an interesting place. You can easily pass it while driving around Homestead. When I walked in with my friend we almost walked right back out. There are exactly 4 tables in the bar area. I imagine locals visit this place more frequently than out of towners like myself. The 2 of us that ordered our steaks medium rare got them at medium well and well done. That was really disappointing. The vegetables had great flavor, but again, over cooked. My other 2 coworkers loved their meals. None of us would go back if we had the opportunity. The service wasn’t bad and the waitress was very nice. It took about 30 minutes for our meals to get to our table, even after my appetizer. The mozzarella sticks were cooked perfectly. Everything does taste like it’s made from scratch which is rare now. Even though my steak was well done when I asked for medium rare, it was really tender still and had great flavor.
PS: PLEASE DON’T RUN OVER A CAT IN THE PARKING LOT! There are lots of stray cats wandering around that area so please be careful!

Quick adult beverage to cool off
Waitress excellent prepared my beverage exactly the way I wanted
We had the sliders. 3 Hand shaped beef patties on poofy buns. Delish
Come on in. You will like the fast friendly service.

After posting my first review two days ago saying I was shocked that no one even answered the phone when I called, two friends were still interested enough to join us and check out the place for Sunday brunch, to at least find out why others had given this place a 5 star rating. (After our brunch experience, all of us, including other patrons there during this brunch… are convinced that anyone who would give this place a 5 star rating must be eating at soup kitchens.)
It started off bad and went downhill from there.
When we were seated we asked for coffee. Along with the coffee we were given a bowl with individual creamers, all of which turned out be curdled. Disgusting! It took 15 minutes to get more coffee and new cream.
She then asked if we’d like orange juice. We only got one glass of juice after repeated requests for 3 more.
NOTE: Unlike other brunches, all beverages are extra. Unless you want coffee or iced tea, everything else is added to the bill at the end.
We finally headed to the food table to see what was what. We were absolutely shocked to see the lack of food! There was one sectioned off silver serving piece without sturno burners or covers — and the individual sections included food that looked like it had been left over from the night before:
* On the left was one huge scoop of dried out and very obvious «instant» and cold scrambled eggs.
* Canned corn that hadn’t even been drained — cold
* A few hard and cold pieces of … home fries?
* A tray of what we later found out was meatloaf. No sauce. Sad. And cold.
There were 2 pots of soups and one for grits. They weren’t very warm so we chose not to try them.
There was a huge acrylic case that held what should have been an appetizing selection of breads, rolls, etc. Instead it held one pathetic plate of stale bread that had started to curve up on the sides, along with a half of a bagel.
I put some bread in the 4 slice toaster. It was filthy and didn’t work. It appears only one section of the toaster worked at all.
A bowl nearby had individual packets of butter (3 to be exact, and so melted that when I picked one up, the butter started to drip all over my hand).
Another bowl contained scoops of what we learned later was cream cheese.
And still another bowl contained 5 little packages of apple jelly. After opening one of these packages, my friend pointed out that the jelly was so hard inside that she couldn’t get it out! Seriously — how old does this have to be before it hardens like superglue?!
We saw an omelet station and figured that was our best bet since other than a little fresh fruit and a cucumber salad that looked like thin slices of cucumber swimming in milk, there was literally no other food to be had!
BUT we had to wait for the person who made the omelets because she was busy in the kitchen. (Are there only two people on duty here? One cook and one waitress??)
When she returned, my friend’s husband asked for fried eggs. Simple. Right? NO. «We don’t have fried eggs» we are told. ?? Do they use EggBeaters?
The omelets we ended up with her edible. Period.
We found a tiny tray of desserts (apple cake and bread pudding). They tasted OK but they looked unappetizing to say the least.
As we were getting up to leave they brought out chicken wings that looked boiled. After our experience already, we chose to ignore these and I hope whoever did eat any lived to tell the tale.

I live in Homestead and we have tried just about everywhere to eat. Two years ago we didnt want to stray far from home, It was Mother’s Day and we had a newborn. We see the sign for specials that they have daily, and thought lets try Hotel Redland for Brunch, and it was great, very reasonable prices, so many different choices and everything is to die for.
We just took some friends last weekend, and they said the same thing, IT WAS REALLY GOOD. Our service was excellent and they greeted everyone with a welcoming feel. They would refill your drinks before you even knew you were low.
At the end of our meal we asked to see some of the rooms and If I didn’t live down the street I would stay there for sure. Also its location is great for walking down town for some entertainment. Its a must stop at the Whistle Stop at Hotel Redland.

Walked in and then walked right out… twice…this place is a ghost town, it It was empty, no staff… nothing… I’m so disappointed, I really wanted to try their food.

Having planned a day trip to Homestead to spend the morning and early afternoon enjoying tours at RF Orchids and the Schnebly Winery, I wanted to find somewhere to take my family for lunch that would definitely have great food and not be run of the mill. I honestly spent the better part of an hour on Unilocal trying to find the right spot and eventually decided to give Whistle Stop a try for one key reason: although it only at the time had five reviews, all reviewers had given the restaurant 5 stars (i.e. Consistency)
We were not disappointed. Everyone within our party that started with soups (split pea, corn chowder and lentil) had the same comment, that they were tasty and hearty. The special that day was the country fried steak with white gravy. The steak was tender and just the right portion size, accompanied by mashed potatoes. Had I realized that it did not come with veggies, I certainly would have added a side. We opted the share the key lime pie and peach cobbler for dessert, which was a perfect end to the delightful meal. Be prepared, as the key lime pie is prepared slightly differently with a chocolate grenache that tops the pie crust … Wow!
I would describe Whistle Stop’s food and service as one of comfort, and the atmosphere is one that makes you feel as if you were in your own dining room. So glad that we made this stop, which was a great end to our day in Homestead. Lynda and her staff were most welcoming, and as we left with hugs and all, we felt that we would certainly be back.

We stopped on the way back to South Beach from the Everglades. It was a nice
break from the pace and price in Miami Beach. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. I’ve never been to a restaurant where the staff all seemed to be having a great time. Food was tasty and reasonably priced and free parking! It’s a small space, but it is charming, tasty, and bursting with hospitality. The perfect ending to a long day of hiking.

So far we have only been here for the Brunch buffet but it was worth the trip further south after church:)
First, the Hotel Redland is adorable and the atmosphere is a throwback to more genteel days. There was a whole LOT of food and a wide variety to boot. Just off the top of my head, they had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, tuna sald, corn bread, Easter cake, peeps:), ham, green beans, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, waffles, grits, corn bread and I seem to remember some sort of pie. They also had an omelet bar where your omelets were made-​to-​order.
I dont remember the price but I do remember that it was reasonable for the amount and quality of the food.
The owners of the hotel are friendly and fun and are have a wealth of information about the Homestead area and it’s history!