ITO Mojitos Y Cafecitos

The best Mojitos around. They are hand crafted, no mixers or shortcuts. Real fruits muddled and time taken to create the perfect Mojito. THE FOOD: I’ve tasted several things on the menu and my goodness, all of it hits the spot. The Tuna Tar Tar I had about 5 times during my hotel stay… The ingredients are combined to perfection. The croquetas on the jam is out of this world. And there are warm donuts with a sweet glaze and a bit of chocolate sauce drizzled over time– to die for. I’ve stayed at the hotel next door for about a week and every person I met every single day raved about the food. To top off the perfect execution of the food– Larry and Andres are the most genuine and passionate hosts. They really hit all the details to make your experience excellent. If you’re in this area, this is a must. Happy hours 3−7pm. And I’ll be driving from a bit away to be coming back here :)

The food is amazing! Sat outside and the courses just kept getting better and better. Personally the ribs were my favorite. Chef Andres came out to visit several times and explained how he prepared the food. Then he surprised us with these amazing cream cheese donuts covered with guava chocolate glaze… thank you Andres for a delicious meal and we can’t wait for brunch on Saturday.

I normally don’t write reviews but I’ve been here multiple times and thought I was doing my fellow Unilocalers a disservice by not letting them know that this place is…

AMAZING
AKA
FIRE

It’s a hip place with a nice retro feel, hip décor, good ambiance, with pleasant tunes buzzing in the background.
Brunch
the Grilled Shrimp Tostones were great.
The fried plantain was hot, crispy, and perfectly salted. The shrimp was juicy and the avocado added the perfect texture. The garlic cilantro aioli complimented this dish well. Your friends will be fighting over these (Pro-​Tip; lose the friends.)
Cuban Eggs Benedict: An unexpected twist on a brunch staple. Want to begin by saying I’m a sucker for Pork Belly in any capacity. I’ll take that on my eggs benedict over ham any day. The poached eggs and pork belly come nicely cradled inside of the cuban bread. Fork and knife? Who needs em. Pick these suckers up and show them the way to your stomach. Delicious.
Ceviche was tasty: fish was very fresh paired with the great taste of the leche de tigre. Best part was the crispy wonton chips it brings for pairing.
Guava & Cream Cheese stuffed French Toast: I think the name says it all. Don’t think about this too much… just get in. FLAVOR EXPLOSION. Definitely a favorite.
Short Rib Grilled Cheese: Where childhood meets adulthood. It’s like catching up with an old friend after 20 years and realizing how much you’ve both grown up. Short Rib/​smoked gouda/​pickled onions all a pleasant reminder of how far your palate has come.
Fried Mojito Chicken and Waffles: I loveeeeeeeeeeeee chicken and waffles. This wasn’t any different. A match made in heaven. The chicken is fried to perfection and paired with bacon. The waffles are soft and fluffy. Add in some spicy maple syrup and you’ve found the meaning of brunch encompassed in one plate.
Lunch/​Dinner
Queso Frito with Guava Marmalade: Fried. Cheese. Guava. Trifecta. Nuff Said.
Fried Camarones: Can’t go wrong with these. Kind of like a Bang Bang/​Rocky Shrimp from your local sushi place but instead in a sort of spicy yellow aji sauce. Yum.
Churrasco: WoooooWeeeeeee. Love me some churrasco and this one is among the best. Sometimes in life you just need some straight up steak and this delivers. Order it medium for maximum flavor. Paired with delicious green chimmi-​churri and a malanga purée that will have you calling abuelita to move this into the dinner rotation at home. Must Try.
Billy Burger: Named after the chef. This is my favorite burger hands down. No kidding. The Miami Smokers Bacon, Red Pepper Aioli, and carmalized onions send this bad boy over the top. Must try.
Last but not least
Guava Cream Cheese Donut: I’ve reserved myself from cursing til this point in the review… why? Maybe to lend myself some credibility BUT that’s about to go out the window…
CAUSE THIS DONUT IS FUCKING AMAZING!
This little guy is filled with guava and coated with sugar then deep fried to heaven! Topped with a cream cheese frosting. Words don’t do it justice. Order two cause you absolutely will not want to share!
I know there’s a bunch of other dishes I haven’t mentioned but I haven’t wrote anything this long in a while and my ADD is kicking in hard…
Also, Mojitos, try them all. They are absolutely amazing and really tie this place together. I like the Watermelon, the Guava, and the Revolucionario with champagne.
In Conclusion, ITO Mojito Y Cafecito is definitely worth checking out. It’s a great place to hang out with friends, take a date (did I mention it’s practically on the beach?), and enjoy some great cuisine from a chef who’s obviously put a lot of thinking into this unique menu.
¹⁰⁄₁₀

This place blew me away. easily the best food I have had in Miami. Everything was super fresh and hot. I had a few drinks all made in house with fresh fruits and a killer mojito. The food was spectacular I had several appetizer’s all super good. and the desert from here I had some donuts that were so good. I absolutely loved this place I will recommend it to anyone as the food is AMAZING and the price is very good. Two thumbs up! ITO you are amazing.

I highly recommend Ito to anyone that loves amazing food at a great price! The appetizer platter offers by far some of the best classic Cuban dishes with a twist (I would not share this with anyone, not even my grandmother). The Billy burger… hands down best burger you will find in Miami. Juicy patty cooked to perfection, cheeseee, BACON, and a red pepper aioli sauce all pair together to create a delicious entrée your taste buds will more than appreciate. The hand made mojitos are not to be forgotten! The watermelon mojito is my personal favorite; how they managed to get a taste that feels like you’ve stuck a straw into a watermelon is beyond me, plus the additional affects of the alcohol is the kicker ;) I will be visiting again very soon!

Yes, you should eat here! That’s the short version.
Before I start the longer version, two things:
1. I am a Cuban from Miami. I grew up on Cuban food. I came here to judge!
2. I’m not a North Miami Beach local. I live about 30 minutes away from ITO. This has not stopped me from eating here three times in the past three weeks.
Okay!
Shameless admission, I have tried nearly everything on the menu. I wrote a draft of this review that was me listing practically every menu item I’ve had and talking about how good they were, so… that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
— The ham croquetas with a blueberry sauce. I read this and thought, «This chef believes in nothing.» How dare you offer blueberry sauce with croquetas??? It was unbelievable. The spread gave the large, round warm croquetas a nice, delicate, really pleasing balance that almost made me spoil the rest of my meal out of my desire to order more… all three times. Certainly a favorite.
— Fried yuca injected with queso fresco, accompanied with a cilantro aioli and a light guava glaze. Also incredible. I didn’t order it the second time to try to be healthier, but the third time I went, I was with a group of six… all of the yuca bites were consumed before out server left.
— Chicken empanadas with a yellow pepper aioli. The chicken was super fresh, and the aioli… incredible. Really, really good, but quite filling.
— The chicken wings. The ******* CHICKEN WINGS!!! Boy… ****!!! Holy ******* ******* **** these ******* ************* wings are *********** ******* AMAZING… I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that these are the *best* wings I’ve had in my life. If I want to be conservative, I would say top 3. Cooked in lime and mojo, and with a sweet little kick thanks to a daring and apt application of simple syrup, these are extremely unique and extremely good. It also helps that the meat comes right off the bone. Volume-​wise, this is probably the item I have eaten the most of, and will probably continue to eat the most of in subsequent visits. Another favorite.
— The ribs. They follow the same philosophy as the wings. The meat is super soft and tender, the taste is unlike any rib I’ve had, balancing a juiciness with a huge flavor, the comes right off the bone… imagine every good thing you’d look for in a set of ribs, leave room to be pleasantly surprised, and you have this dish. If organ donors donated stomachs, I would apply for an extra stomach just to have more of these ribs. They are incredible. These give the Biblical ribs a run for their money. They aren’t BBQ ribs, but don’t need to be. Definitely a go-​to menu item. Yet another favorite.
— The churrasco with a malanga purée and chimichurri sauce with rum-​infused cherry tomatoes. This is high art. How can one man cook so well? This dish blew me away – even after having 3 or 4 small dishes before it. Surprise surprise, ANOTHER FAVORITE!
— The Billy Burger, named after the Executive Chef and the man to which I owe all of my compliments. Colby jack cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, and a red pepper aioli. It was booming. It was also massive. I had to share this item… definitely an excellent stand-​alone meal, considering the hefty side order of fries that comes with it. The fries are, of course, done to a satisfying, fantastic crisp, but what really makes them a unique experience is the mojo ketchup. Indescribable. Forgive the cliché, but it was unlike anything I have ever tasted. If you’re a simple kind of person and don’t want to go through the whole appetizer/​small dish process, then order this burger + fries. Obviously, I’d suggest getting the full experience.
— The pan con lechon. This is super mega jam packed with flavor. Not for the faint of heart. I mean it. Your little human heart won’t be able to take it. Share this with someone you love.
— The donuts. It has never been so easy to be so full yet have the primal desire to continue to eat after you see and smell these beautiful masterpieces. Bite-​sized cinnamon sugar donuts with a smooth, airy cream cheese topping, glazed with a very light guava sauce. My best friend of seven years and I almost ended our relationship because we couldn’t decide who should get the biggest donut, and we eventually had to split it in half while our friends did damage control. You cannot come to this restaurant without trying these donuts. Seriously.
Anyway, Unilocal has a character limit. Here’s a short version of the rest:
— Cute place for dates
— Kid friendly, family friendly
— SUPER affordable for the quality
— Extremely kind staff
— $ 5 mojito happy hour (wow!)
— Nice bar, TVs to watch sports, etc.
— Practically ON the beach
— New, so not packed, not loud
— Free parking after 6pm on Ocean Terrace
Five stars, more if I could. This place blew me away and deserves all the love and success.