Shiso

Went with a a friend for dinner and to our surprise the place was EMPTY except for three people at the bar. The waiter took forever to give us a menu and despite the fact that the food was good, the servicie was atrocious. Waiter gave us attitude when we asked about specific rolls and kept telling us «the chef doesnt recommend it «or lied about the spiciness in one of the sauces.

Good FRESH sushi. This place is really about its amazing sake cocktails though. They are made with fresh ingredients and are not too sweet. Shishito peppers used to be good here (similar to the ones at Nobu) until they started making it more of a salad and putting this flaky stuff on top. Service is very slow. I am not sure why but it just seems to take forever.
The last night I went there was a live band and the place was pretty packed. On off nights it is quieter than dead crickets. It’s actually better to come on an off night for the first time since the servers are able to focus. The décor is very urban and hip. Loungy witih brick walls, asian styled wooden benches and tables, cool chandeliers. Definitely worth checking out.

I really hate to renounce my original review, but I had a horrible experience with the wait staff here, and even after speaking to the owner, who didn’t remedy the situation and just went on a rant telling us that it’s hard to find good service in South Florida– I regretfully am giving the star count a major beating. No need to go into the nitty gritty of the «incident” — but I’m sad to say that I’ve lost that loving feeling for shiso. :sigh:

You can remember the name of this place by thinking Shiso = She So Slow. The sushi was great, really outstanding. The service lost them 2 stars. Only because it was, honestly, the most atrociously slow service I have ever experienced. So slow that I was motivated to write this review. They lost another star for the prices. I’m big into value, and you’ll walk away with a $ 100 tab, still hungry.
I came here with my boy, and we were the first ones here on a Friday night at about 8.30. We put in our order — truffle edamame (excellent), fried tofu (didn’t try, but smelled good), spicy tuna roll (definitely their best), the yellowtail & scallion roll (so-​so), the black cod (more about this) and a big bottle of sake.
Even though we were the only ones there for about 15 min til others showed up, it took 1 hour to get our sushi order. We were told the cod was on the way. But it wasn’t, because they didn’t front the costs of a real oven when they opened this place. They are working off of a toaster over. This means that YOU DO NOT WANT TO ORDER ANY COOKED ENTREES, including the black cod.
That said, the black cod was amazing. It took 1.5 hours to arrive, though, adn I’m still smarting about htat. I was very hungry and very cranky by then. It was the size of a small appetizer. It was so, so good, and yet so expensive ($ 14 for 3 bites) and so not worth the time.
I went to 7 – 11 afterwards and filled up on a pint of cookie dough ice cream.

I’m totally a fan. Sure the food is good and fish tastes fresh — and the service is top-​notch. But my favorite part about this place is the ambience, décor, and MUSIC. Morcheeba, Sade, Air, and other trip-​hop tunes were bumping while I sipped on my milky sake and savored my tuna tataki. Pile on the exposed brick, polished wood benches and interesting wall art, you’ve got something sexy, modern, but still somewhat zen minimalistic. And don’t forget delicious. My favorites include 305 roll, white fish roulade, and truffle edamame. It was a great place for a double date — cozy, funky, and fun.

Shiso, I’d let you Sake It To Me any day!
I had a friend in town and wanted to show her a lounge I thought she’d enjoy so I headed to Shiso for cocktails and small plates.
The door is back to its simple ways sans signage.
We walked in and there was a good crowd of people but getting seats at the bar was easy. So we snag seats and the oh so well dressed bartender welcomes us and within minutes we have out drinks and they’re strong and sweet and I realize it’s been way too long since I’ve been here and promise myself I’ll be back more often.
As we were waiting on our second round our three plates arrived. The shisito peppers were really good but the black truffle edamame is lick the bowl, your fingers, order 2nds and thirds, delicious.
With the amount of restaurants poppin’ up on the West side of SoBe, I’m just happy to have the simplicity of Shiso to go to.

I don’t know how I missed this place. But after reading a few reviews, we decided to give it a shot. This place is basically hidden. Based on the reviews, I went with the truffle edamame. They were insane… so delicious. We ordered sushi, too. It was a bit of a wait, but it was also delicious. The food was similar to Shoji, a bit more unique than the usual sushi place. The atmosphere is dark, urban, and it feels like a sushi restaurant should. The food seemed a bit overpriced, comparable to the other overpriced sushi restaurants on Miami Beach.

I have been to this place a couple of times and the staff is so warm and accomodating; they do their best to make sure the dining experience works for you as a customer; the food is inventive and well priced, they give you wonton chips with a heavenly sauce to start with, I asked for more; we had two salads with field greens, seared salmon, gogi berries– which I had always wanted to rt. Their sushi is very fresh and interesting; they even gave us quarters for our car, since you know that is not the place to take a stupid chance. They have music night that is über fun and the sake-​tinis are too die for.

The place was very dark and empty. My friends had been there for 20 minutes without any water. The waiter tripped and poured an entire tray (about 8 glasses) of ice water on my head. Yes, right over my head since the seating is really low. This ruined my night and cost me my silk dress. I will never be back.
My friends stayed but they did not enjoy the very slow service and do not recommend it. One friend even received her appetizer while they were paying for the bill. They also mentioned that the restaurant didn’t have many of the items on the menu. We are all locals and enjoy eating out at all the great restaurants but this is definitely not one.

The WORST service I think I have ever had. The evening started out when the waiter spilled an entire tray of ice water over my friend, who had to go home as her dress and hair were soaked. It proceeded to get worse and worse as they didn’t have half of the menu, most of the wine list and the service was interminably slow. Everything we tried to order was not recommened by the waiter. When we complained the waiter explained there was only one chef… not our problem! The restaurant was half empty! Its a shame because the food was quite good although the portions tiny (especially the rolls). Will definitely NOT return.

Went to this place with a date (perfect date place!). It’s located in a quiet area known more by locals than tourists, which is a big plus in my opinion being a local. Immediately when I entered I was enamored with the personality of the place, which it has a lot of! I loved the colorfulness and eclectic décor. We got there a little after 8:00pm on a Saturday and had no problem getting a table. The wait staff was extremely friendly. Our waiter gave us suggestions on drinks and food, was very attentive but never rushed us. We ordered a bottle of cold sake and it didn’t come cold enough for my liking (this is why I took away one star) but they put it in a bucket of ice. We shared edamame and 2 rolls. The Tri Color was good but without the peppercorn, and the Tuna Tempura is served with a spicy tasty sauce that gives an otherwise mild tasting roll a lot of flavor. If you’re an adventurous eater, the menu has enough options to excite you.

I put this small, dark, no-​sign outside, park-​on-​a-​meter-​if you are lucky, not your average SOBE Japanese place up there with Bond Street, Asia Bay, and Shoji (during their hey days),. Went there on a school night with my 2 young kids (6 and 5yr) who loves sushi and my wife, and found the place rather refreshing from your average Japanese place you will find on the beach. Waiter was very well-​informed and friendly, had a nice selection of micro brewed beers, and unique décor-​. The music was jamming, mixture of trip-​pop, sexy-​lounge and rock.
We were the only table in their dining area, so I made a joke to my wife if she thinks this place will make it. But, after experiencing their food, I am writing my first Unilocal review in hope that others will give this place a shot.
Few starters were 86 from the menu, but they at least had Edamame with truffles, As you are sucking on those soybeans, it makes you to think… «why didn’t I think of this before… They are out-​of-​this world!
All rolls were inventive and fresh, Tuna tartar with lotus root chips were delish. Ceviches were just average, but loved in-​house smoked salmon carpaccio. Nice Sake menu to match any other high-​end Japanese place on the beach.
I would go back just to see how the restaurant fills up. I rather found intriguing that all tables had settings for 3 persons, since one side of the table is against the wall due to their lack of space. Is 3 the new 4?

I’ve been here twice. The first time I had already eaten dinner & decided it wasn’t worth eating again at those prices. Lucky for me, someone at my table ordered the insanely addictive edamame truffles.
The second time I went, it was solely for the edamame truffles. That little bowl kept me motivated to drive around the block 5 times before I finally found a parking spot, albeit a not so legal parking spot. Risky business with the tow company next door.
I inhaled the spicy tuna & edamame in record time. Both were delish, and my car was still intact.
Note: Street parking is limited. Even on a weekday.

What this place lacks in size it makes up for in ambiance. Beautifully decorated with subdued lighting and a surprisingly good selection of music (a compliation of staff ipods), this is a very romantic place that would make an excellent «impress your date» kind of outing.
We went as a small group of four on Saturday night to check this place out. Divided in two sections, the dining area only has about 6 tables while the loungey area has two couches and a couple of chairs. We were lucky enough to snag a couch right away as we knew we weren’t going to be having dinner — a decision which was reinforced when we saw the food prices!
They have a fantastic selection of fancy sake drinks with witty names like Shiso Fly and Shiso Horny. At $ 13 a pop (not bad for South Beach drink prices) the only thing wrong with them is that they are so good you have to stop yourself from drinking them too fast. They also have an extensive selection of both bottled and draft beers for much more reasonable prices.
I’d love to come back and give the food a try… but that’s something I’ll have to save up for!

If Doraku Sushi and The Room had a love child, this would be it. It’s small, dimly lit, with a refined rustic look to it. They have sake cocktails and a small sushi menu, with tunes playing to fill the void.
I didn’t love it as much as the other reviewers and here’s why:
It’s over staffed, for one. It’s a small place and they must’ve had a staff of at least a dozen. Each waitperson must have 3 tables, tops. It just seemed a little unnecessary. They’ve got a couple of doormen too. There’s just not a need for it. It’s not a hotel or Club on Collins, it’s a tiny bar/​restaurant way out in the middle of nowhere.
The staff were nice and seated us at this comfy lounge couch and we enjoyed a couple of sake cocktails. I had the Funky Buddha. I STRONGLY recommend their cocktails, albeit they are on par w/​S. Beach prices. $ 12 – 15 ea. They ARE yummy though, made w/​a lot of fresh juices.
So we’re sitting there enjoying our lovely libations and we couldn’t help but notice this nervous gal who kept storming in and out of the place past us, blackberry in hand. Must’ve been part of ownership, I imagine. Her vibe was just so intense and demanding of attention. Made me wish we were seated elsewhere. It was a little comical though. She had this purple designer dress, that was too long for her, with a bunch stringy purple stuff hanging off of it.
It looked like a purple toy gorilla coughed up on it :)
On the way out we noticed Samurai swords on the wall and this huge Ed Hardy (GASP!) looking painting that had skulls, hearts, and daggers on it. I’m sure you can picture it. I told my date as we left that I wish I hadn’t noticed the painting. She laughed and said the same.
But anyway, for a place that’s off the beaten path, beyond the perimeter; I just think it should be a little more relaxed. It’s beyond the Purdy Lounge, and that place had the distinction of being as far as it gets for S. Beach. Shiso is past that, around the corner from a tow yard, and they try to pass it off as the Ritz with hi priced cocktails and $ 25 dollar sushi rolls.
Do I love the place? No. I think it’s O.K. I think their cocktails are top notch however worth maybe half of what they charge for them. But at least now I know what to expect.

Shiso fly. This cozy little space off purdy ave. is just the kind of down home lounge this city was in dire need of. With dim lighting, cool ethnic art displayed on the walls and homey touches like tiny bonsai trees hiding in unsuspecting spots throughout, the place has style. Though I will admit to being somewhat of a wino when I stop in at Shiso, the cocktails here are amazing. With super fun names and exotic mix-​ins you really can’t go wrong. While I enjoy my fair share of sushi, I’m typically not very daring when I order from a regular sushi joint, but let me be the first to say, the sushi here is out of this world. After working out a few kinks, the crew at Shiso unveiled a new updated menu on New Year’s Day including Black Truffle Edamame that was so good I wanted to lick the bowl. With a few more appetizers, entrees and sashimi in the mix the extended menu doesn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for an intimate atmosphere with a friendly and family-​like staff, Shiso is your place. As the other Unilocalers noted: I highly suggest getting here before the rest of Miami finds out about this hidden gem.

Soon to be the next «it» spot on the beach, you really can’t beat this place.
Not to sound cliché, but I’d recommend getting there before everyone learns about it and it turns into something else.
From Joe the doorman to the cocktail waitress to the bartender, I doubt you could find a better looking and nicer staff. The décor is how one might imagine a Tokyo bar would appear with loud, personalized art on the main wall next to the entrance. The floorplan makes excellent use of the limiting space by effectively turning two rooms into three (lounge, bar and tables).
I had the Budda-​something-​or-​other which tasted like a fruit roll-​up and was garnished with guava rapped around a raspberry (one of the most amazing fruit combinations I’ve ever had). Caution: If you’ve already had a few, don’t try to pick up the glass by the fork/​garnish holder — it’s not a handle.