Red Ginger

Had dinner last night as a party of four. Food and service were fine, however, a 20% tip was added to our bill. When we asked about this we were told as of February 1^st, this was being mandated by the restaurant. Although I normally tip 20%, I do this by choice. Having it imposed on me by the restaurant, regardless of the quality of food or service, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

This place is exactly what South Beach needed. The décor is impeccable. The food is so fresh as if they just caught the fish. Service is 5 star. I didn’t have to ask for anything. Beatrice our waitress is a class act and made sure our experience was memorable.
I can honestly say this establishment will be a South Beach landmark for many years to come.
Enjoy friends!!!

The venue is beautiful but fish, service and price are dreadful. A cup of tea cost $ 12.00 and it was a small cup. The yellow fin maki rolls were filled with pinkish mush masquerading as tuna. Tuna from a can had more firmness. The service was slow and the server apologized saying that the restaurant was busy. There was only one other table occupied and they had not been served for about a half hour. A side order of rice came out 30 minutes before the main course.
A $ 35.00 order of sashimi had 6 small pieces of fish on about a gallon of shredded ice. Maybe the cost was so high because we had to pay for the ice.
The next time I want sushi I think I will try Pubix. It couldn’t be any worse than what was served at Red Ginger and the price will be more acceptable.

Very innovative food and great atmosphere. The Lobster pad Thai was out of this world. Very good drink menu.

I really wanted to love this place due to all the high rated reviews but during my visit it fell short. We decided to try this place as my pre bday celebration, but unfortunately the service was lacking. We were first seated next to a man who was yelling so loud we couldn’t even hear our own thoughts… so we asked a waiter if we could be moved to another table and so we did… the menus stayed in the table and nobody bothered to bring it to us, sat there for a good 20 minutes without anyone approaching us, not even to ask if we wanted water; for a restaurant of this caliber I would expect the service to be on point but it wasnt. Finally the waiter came, and after my companion expressed his frustration, things runned much more smoothly. Now onto the highlight which was the food: we ordered the rock shrimp tempura (oh so yummy), the pork buns, the lobster roll, salmon sashimi and crab roll. Our food was a true delight and the décor is impressing but it wasn’t enough to quite make up for the overall evening.

Heard a lot about this place and decided to give it a try. The décor and ambiance is spectacular, our waiter Carlos was the best, he was very suggestive when it came to telling us the best things on the menu. He suggested the hanger which is scrumptious and he was right. We ended off with the fried ice cream, definite must true item. You will not be disappointed

Awesome food and even better service. Stellar happy hour menu. Solomon owns the bar and kills the cocktails. Hardest working, kindest and most fun bartender on the beach.
Raul compliments the bar with his attention to the guests and Solomon. Great team. They love their job. It’s refreshing on the beach to see the energy and passion they exhibit.
Luis was cool too. When you sit for dinner, ask for Luis.

Best food ever! Amazing drinks as well. Solomon was our server and he’s so nice! Definitely come check this place out if you’re on the beach! My new favorite spot!

Great sushi spot. The lovely bar/​lounge area offers an excellent happy hour from 6 to 8pm everyday, even on the weekend and it includes sushi and cocktails. This is a very elegant venue ideal for dates.

We both LOVED our first trip to this place — had been waiting for it to open and finally made it down there. Great area, really nice décor — a little upscale but not too much so you feel weird if you are casual (but don’t go looking like a mess, its a nice place!) Friendly staff from the front desk people to the waitress to the many busboys who constantly cleared our table. We came for happy hour We /​they didn’t mention it, and sat us in the main room then had to switch us to the bar area — this was completely fine as it had normal tables and was like 8 steps away. You don’t have to sit at the bar so it’s just as comfortable. Just mention it when you come in so they can seat you there.
The prices on the main menu are as expected — a little on the high side, but it’s SoBe and it’s a nice Asian fusion place. If you come during non happy hour times and/​or have a big /​drinking group it will be $$$. HH is 3 hours every day which is really nice, and until 8pm which is later than most other places. This time we ordered only from the happy hour menu to taste a bunch of things. I think we got 2 drinks and maybe 5 food items and our bill was a little under $ 60. We were full but not stuffed, though people who are big eaters or really hungry willi want to get more. For us it was as great deal for these reasons:
QUALITY — everything was fresh, cooked/​made extremely well, well presented,
TASTE — We LOVED EVERYTHING — and that never happens. NOTE: Some things are very spicy — check when you order if this is an issue, a few things were a little too hot for me, but I should have checked. Unique ingredients too, some things we have never tried (spices, etc) and it really was interesting and unexpected.
SERVICE — It was around 7pm on a weekday so not packed, but a handful of tables were full. Maybe it’s a bit rougher with a weekend crowd, but we had a really nice waitress and they were all attentive without being annoying or intrusive. Gave great suggestions and even brought some other sauces when the first was too hot.
PRICE — For under $ 60 with 2 drinks it’s a really good happy hour deal, I would say it’s a step or two up from Doraku but similar, and there’s enough of a choice that you won’t get bored even if you go a few times a month. Of course there is a huge regular menu with lots of other things that all look interesting, if you are willing to spend the $
Can’t wait to go back!

They opened a new sushi bar that is great for a sushi roll and a drink. The vegan sushi roll is beautiful and delicious!

FOOD: Overall good
Tuna tartare– this was very mediocre. Cut up super small and too many veggies that the tuna almost felt overpowered.
Miso Eggplant– Amazing! Super thinly sliced, crispy outside yet melts in your mouth. Sweet miso sauce was delicious.
Lobster Roll– Delicious! This was really different and really good. The lobster aoli topping was great!
Truffle Salmon Roll– This was a disappointment. I couldn’t taste any truffle at all and the topping sauce was very sweet which I did not expect. But it did taste fresh so that was good.
Mochi– Delicious! They had interesting flavors which change regularly.
SERVICE: Overall good.
Our waiter was nice. Not the most helpful, but we weren’t bothered by lack of service.
AMBIANCE: Overall good.
Went on a Wednesday and it wasn’t very full, but we sat near the bar so there was some action. Seems like it would be fun on a weekend. Simple décor.
PRICE: Reasonable.

4.8!
Obsessed with the big glazed wood tables at the booths… gorg! Oh yea about the food… yummmm! The bao buns were so silky soft & super tasty. The rock shrimp very good. Octopus is good but small. The salmon mako roll… LOVE! I could just eat 2 of these for dinner! The pad Thai was way better than it sounds on menu… sooooo good. Now those chicken balls… what the… so bad… how can that even be from the same restaurant… no bueno. Annoying how they charge per club soda… umm yea it’s water with bubbles that comes from a tap at your bar… seriously. Service was outstanding though!

Best sashimi we ever had!
Try the chef selection :)
Sushi was also very good.
Had the egplant as appatizer (delicous)
And rhe white asperagus also very good.
Also try a cocktail, can recommend the kill bill
Great service, really love this restaurant!

Went there during happy hour. Absolutely delicious and reasonably priced.
Cocktails were $ 10(a steal in SoBe) and bar menu items were all under $ 14 for regular sized portions.
I ordered the rock shrimp (enough for two people) and the truffle sushi roll. Mouth watering delicious.
Salomon and «Chicago» were awesome bartenders.
Will definitely return back for more.

Went with a colleague to this place with an open table reservation. Very cool ambience, especially the bar area we sat in. However, the service in that area was sub-​par :(
I think we had a new server who had no experience waiting on tables, I did it through college, so I like good attentive service. That detracts a star for sure. I’d really like to give 3 ½ for this place, but the new and chic element and people watching rounds it up.
We shared our dishes.
Rock Shrimp– great, nothing too crazy, good dipping sauce.
Short rib– OK? I found it very dry… the short rib I cook is way better.
Lamb chops– fantastic
Chicken Meatballs– they were good as was the sauce
Cocktails– I ordered some cucumber thing and it was weak as hell (I never order that crap), then went to Tito’s my regular.
The manager offered us a free drink at the end of the meal as we were less than thrilled with a few things including the service– that was cool and earned the 4^th star with the ambience. OMG I almost forgot– I had the Tom Ka? soup– I’ve been to Thailand but I forget the different soups, I think Tom Ka is coconut milk… I was trying to eat the mussel loaded with soup and it flipped on the hinge and shot a load of soup on my shirt… it was brutal. Soup was ok, not the greatest I’ve ever had. They need to add Tom Yum instead.
Go for cocktails and then make the call on food and drink.

It started out really rough. I made a reservation for dinner Saturday after researching the menu on the Miami Spice website.
Our table wasn’t ready when we arrived so we went to the bar and both had cocktails… my boyfriend ordered sake so he was served right away, but my cocktail took maybe 20 minutes for me to get. I thought the bartender forgot about me. The drink was good, but my boyfriend has already finished his drink by the time I received mine.
We were eventually seated by the hostess. Our server came by to greet us and I asked to see the Miami Spice menu… and he never returned. We flagged down another person and explained that we asked for the Miami Spice menu and she then went on to tell us that they do not offer the Miami Spice menu on Saturday (although the Miami Spice website very CLEARLY states that they do).
When our server arrived back at the table there was a super awkward exchange between the staff where the girl whispered into our server’s ear for about 3 minutes and then left. Extremely uncomfortable! I felt like I was being shunned for even asking to see the Miami Spice Menu.
We ordered from the regular menu because I was just too mortified to argue with the server regarding the Miami Spice menu. We ordered Hamachi Crispy Rice, Bao Buns, King Crab, Uni, Yellowtail Roll, and chef selection sashimi platter.
Maybe it was just a bad night for our server, but he was kind of awful. We were brought food intended for a different table 3 times during our meal. And the food we did order took forever between courses and we didn’t ever receive the sashimi platter until we asked the manager for it as he was walking by. The server was really not attentive whatsoever to us, which was pretty disappointing; but like the other reviews mentioned, the manager really helped make up for the other crappy service with his charm. He saved the evening from being a total disappointment.
As for the food, it was good, not great. Not worth it. I can think of plenty of other restaurants on the beach that I prefer.

I came here on a whim after I attended a Porton Pisco mixology class next door at Radio. To begin, Radio has phenomenal cocktails. When I discovered that Radio had something to do with the opening of Red Ginger, I knew I had to go. From beginning to end the experience was magical. Firstly, their walls are made out of Key West coral. Their meticulous attention to detail shows not only in their décor, but their food. They believe in a «tapas» style dinner, and encourage a sharing atmosphere. They encourage the sharing atmosphere so much so, that they even have communal tables. The communal tables allow you socialize with those around you. If this is not your style,‘they have regular tables also.
We began our dinner with a cocktail named the «Prenup». Although the name is not Japanese inspired, it is a perfect marriage between yogurt and blueberries. My friend described it as a «breakfast smoothie cocktail.» It is definitely worth the try.
We were lucky enough to sample the entire menu, but a few of my favorites include the shrimp, coconut soup, kale, and the short rib. The dishes I have noted are a must try. Everything else was phenomenal as well. Our service was spectacular, and our experience was truly a good one. I can say that I had a similar dining experience to Zuma.
Please make sure to stop by Red Ginger! I know I definitely will be returning

Did I say Asian fusion food = disgustingness before? Well I have to take it back after trying this. I found this place after reading it on Miami eater. It opened one month ago and on the quieter side of the beach. The interior is really new and chic. The reception ladies are very friendly. We got here around 8 Friday but the place is only ¹⁄₃ full.
About the drink, I ordered prenup cocktail and it is fabulOUs! Must try if you want a cocktail to start the night. We also ordered short rib, fried rice and shrimp tempura. The short rib and fried rice are both really good. As for the shrimp tempura, I thought it was a dish but it was actually a roll, and the taste is normal. The entrée is sea bass, and it is delicious! A must try. The food, service and environment should be a 5 star, if not for all dishes are really salty. Besides, the waiting time for food is a bit too long, especially since the restaurant is not full at all, the waiting time is a bit too long.
Overall ⁸⁵⁄₁₀₀.

3 with potential to be 4. Obviously a lot of effort and money went into the decorating of the place and it shows, but service seems to still be a little uneven despite being open a month (June 19). The head chef had already changed in that time («Top Chef Masters» contestant Herb Wilson was the executive chef for only 3 weeks).
I think the challenge for Red Ginger is going to be distinguishing itself from the competition, and it won’t be on price (it’s $$$). I came in for a June $ 39 «sofi hour» menu (from 6−8pm), but I’d be reluctant to dine at the regular prices.
The cauliflower in shiso butter ($ 9) was not cut to chopstick-​friendly size and was light on the shiso (in a «who did it better» competition, Mignonette would win this one). The miso eggplant (also $ 9) showed more originality, but neither vegetable appetizer was particularly generous in size. The Mizuna salad of japanese greens ($ 9) offers more value. So for apps my recommendation is the rock shrimp tempura ($ 12), but you can find this dish or a variation of it in many places in Miami (Yakko San in NMB, and even PF Chang’s does something similar).
For mains I had the miso sea bass, and it was very well executed, but again it’s a very common menu item in Miami that doesn’t set Red Ginger apart.
I love the concept of an Izakaya restaurant in Miami (I’ve had several izakaya items prepared by the Chef from Makoto, and they were mind-​blowing). It’s a niche Red Ginger should try to fill, but to do so they will have to be more competitive on prices for both the izakaya part of the menu, and the price of drinks ($ 14 for a cocktail isn’t unheard of for SoBe, but an izakaya needs to create an «all day happy hour» kind of vibe, and you can’t be too happy if drinks are $ 14).
If the «Miami Spice» (August/​September $ 39 menu) is similar to the «sofi hour» menu I had in June, it’s absolutely worth checking out. At that price point, it’s 4-​stars.