Abokado

Awesome Miso soup and killer Tuna Ceviche !
Staff was super nice too

The venue is nice as its located in Brickell, but honestly I’ve tasted better sushi and have had better drinks elsewhere.

Walked in with my girlfriend for a quick lunch and fell in love with this joint. What a place! The décor is hip and very clean, the staff is super friendly and the food was outstanding! We started with the Cebiche (as they call it), it was a yellow tail with avocado and lime juice (superb). I ended up ordering the Tuna Tataki salad and my gf ordered the Revolucion Roll, we were wow’ed! The only regret was I didn’t get to try the Arroz con Leche! But sure will try next time.

This was my first latin/​asain fusion experience. We visited for Miami Spice and I would definitely go back. The atmosphere is very modern but comfortable. Tucked in the back of Mary Brickell village next to the Burger and Beer joint. My personal highlights — great service — attentive and happy to discuss the dishes and make recommendations. My friend thought the sea bass dumplings where really good, I would return any day for the salad with ginger dressing and shoe string beets. My friend had the roll that consisted of avocado, Asian pear, topped with Serrano ham and she said it was really good and she was happy to have the Miami Spice menu guide her towards trying it out as she probably wouldn’t of thought of ordering it other wise.
The highlight and an absolute must try was the Arroz Con Leche — I might be inclined to visit just for drinks and dessert. Imagine a martini glass, with dulce de leche ice cream on the bottom, then cinnamon rice pudding and fresh homemade cinnamon whipped cream and to add some texture rice crispy bits. It is like heaven in your mouth. We also sampled the mango passion fruit panna cotta which I swear tasted exactly like the fresh fruit. This is an enjoyable location for a lunch date. The regular menu looked a little pricey.

Wakame salad! Bossa Nova Roll! Ambiance is elegant and inviting. Staff is pleasant and attentive! Cabiche… Well, a must eat in this lifetime! Presentations were unique and portions were plenty.
Enjoy and return!

I have to say, Caro d.‘s review hit the nail on the head. Everything was good, but nothing was great. Well actually dessert was great.
We went in to try their Miami Spice menu on Sat night. There were a lot of open tables, and no wait for a table at 8:30pm. We sat inside and I liked the restaurant itself. The room gains architectural interest with ceiling wood detailing and nice drum light fixtures. The hostess sat us immediately but did not provide the Miami Spice menu. We asked the waiter if they were participating that night and he quickly brought us the separate menu. The Miami Spice deal here is a good one. You get the normal three courses plus a draft beer or house wine of your choice. I chose a glass of Stella and it was a very large glass of beer. They brought plantain chips with a spicy dipping sauce that was a unique alternative to the bread course.
I had the Abokado nachos to start. They were good, but the crispy shiso leaves were very greasy. It was a large portion, perfect for sharing among 4 people but too much for me alone. Julio had the Caliente roll which was a better choice. It was a spicy tuna roll with sliced jalapenos on top, very spicy and quite good. After the apps the waiter brought the chef’s amuse of the day, which was a tasty ceviche spoon of tuna with a homemade sauce. Nice taste between courses.
For dinner I chose the Sushi Choice meal with the Tropical Roll. The roll was pretty much a shrimp tempura roll. The shrimp was overcooked as was the sushi rice. It was just ok. The meal also came with 7 pieces of fresh sushi with salmon, tuna, eel, yellowfin, whitefish, and a couple more I can’t think of now. The sushi was quite good and I liked trying all the different ones I may not usually order. Julio had the pork short ribs which were really good. The coleslaw it came with went perfectly with the meat and the BBQ sauce they use was tasty. It also came with potato fritters on the side. This dish was the winner.
Dessert was the highlight of the meal. Julio ordered the Arroz con Leche and it was delicious! Like a icy cold milky treat with rice krispies and vanilla ice cream at the bottom. So good. My mango Panna Cotta was not so good. It can’t quite put my finger on it but the taste almost had a hint of fresh cut grass taste.
Overall we enjoyed our meal and had decent service. We wouldn’t rush back for another visit, but wouldn’t be opposed either. It’s somewhere between Meh and A-​ok, leaning towards A-​ok. The menu has a lot of interesting choices so I’m sure there are some more winners waiting to be found.

We’ve been on the search for good sushi in Miami and we found a nice place at Abokado. We had two sushi sampler platters, the shrimp ceviche, and the chocolate molten cake. The sushi was good, the rolls delicious, and my Hubbs ate up all the chocolate cake like it was going out of style. We will be back although it was a bit pricey!
One sampler sushi platter (one rill and 5 pieces of sushi)
One pre fixe sushi platter, ceviche, and chocolate cake
one big rouge beer
one leche martini
=$ 100+ tip
Overall, good sushi, nice environment, but we are still on the search for the best sushi in Miami…

Had dinner at Abokado last night with a friend. The most memorable part of the experience was that the interior mysteriously smelled like a pool lounge — lots of chlorine.
I wish I could write a flowery description of Abokado, but the truth is, nothing about Abokado truly stood out. The service was good — not great. Our server was nice but went missing for long periods of time. The food was good, but not great. The restaurant boasts a latin-​Japanese fusion menu –but nothing that I ate really provided a twist on my usual sushi experience. The edamame with Lime was nice — but the lime didn’t really enhance anything about the edamame, the flavors just didn’t mix in my mouth. The Tropical roll I had included Mango with tempura shrimp, cucumbers and some sauce — but the mango taste was undetectable and really did not differentiate this roll from any other tempura shrimp roll (that could be because in each roll, the tempura shrimp dominates — it’s more than 80% of the stuffing).
I would probably come back, but in reality, you can get the same quality of sushi more afford ably at Sushi Maki down the street. What sets Abokado apart is the décor — which when coupled with a quiet atmosphere on a Thursday night — is not anything to write home about. Although it’s more impressive for a date than Sushi Maki.

The restaurant has nice outdoor seating, and an interesting (albeit increasingly contrived) ‘Latin-​Asian’ concept.
The only problem is that the food isn’t very good. The Abokado nachos are not so great… I love Shiso crispy (especially in drinks), but it was nothing special. The drinks were OK, but the sushi is sub par BIG TIME. And we had a very bad experience with one dish — the kind of experience in which every time you think of eating it, you not only get a bit queasy but also wonder WHY a restaurant would serve something so unappetizing.
The Spicy Crab Mix & Chorizo Stuffed Calamari was disgusting. We had to send it back. Imagine a creamy, crab with undercooked meat (chorizo) filling, wrapped in a chewy, slimy calamari ‘shell’. It was so unpleasant. And what is worse — this dish was RECOMMENDED by our server.
We haven’t returned.

I just had a fantastic experience at Abokado! We started with the Abokado «Nachos,» which were crispy, fried shiso leaves topped with spicy tuna. AMAZING! Probably the best thing I had that night, which is saying something. Our first round of sushi rolls were to die for: Bossa Nova, Temptation, Hamachi Jalapeño and Lobster Dragon. They each come with an incredible sauce on the side — I never even touched my soy sauce. Our second round, Tropical, El Diablo and Amaya, wasn’t quite as heart-​stoppingly good, but still a cut above many sushi places I’ve been to.
The service was great, the sake was delicious — I will definitely be back.

A little pricey but a very good experience! I just got home from having dinner here for the very first time after much curiosity about Abokado and the idea of Japanese Pan-​Latin cuisine… interesting idea…
Lets see, our server was super nice and gave us some samples of Saki as well as a little freebie spoon dish which was YUMMY! Not sure if its on the menu but it was comparable to a shrimp cebiche and it was goooooood. For apps. we tasted the Sea bass Gyoza 2 fried and 2 steamed YUMMMM also the tuna cebiche also YUMMMM
For entrees I tried a roll, ElDiablo (I think was the name) it was pretty tasty and my companion had the sea bass entrée which was SOOOO GOOD!!! As I mentioned the prices are a bit much but the food and service was quite worth it, also the scenery is nice. Abokado is tucked in Mary Brickell Village in the back so its easy to miss but I say go hunt for it :0)

I have to say I was not completely disappointed this time around.
I had eaten here when they first opened in Mary Brickell Village.
The Amous Bouche was excellent but the food had left a bitter taste.
I decided to give this place another chance since so many Unilocalers seem to rave about it.
I ordered my food only to find out they got rid of the amous bouche :(which was the best thing about this restaurant.
Apparently, the restaurant changed menu, lucky for me, so did their crappy sushi.
Now, sushi is not really sushi if they have plantains in it, but this is a good sushi-​fushion alternative.
I had a Tetaki, but was surprised when the waitress placed cooked fish in front of me. Nowhere (and I really want to stress this about misleading menus) on the menu did it say SEARED FISH WITH BURNT EDGES.
I didn’t mind it, but my girlfriend tried it and told me it was terrible. I disagreed and tried hers (Bossa Nova. This happens to be a Pixie’s song too! I liked that).
I have to admit, her roll was wayyy better than mine.
Another thing this place has going for it is the drinks. Oh yummy drinks.
My girlfriend and her friend had mojitos. I know what you’re thinking, mojitos? asian? sake???
But they are actually really good, made with –wait for it– REAL FRUIT!!!
I had a lychee & Strawberry sake (with real lychee purée, not just the canned syrup stuff). I was thrilled.
We toped everything off with some passionfruit tea for the chilly night. Another god choice.
The service was also wonderful. From the host (ess, it was a man, so not really a hostess) to our waitress.
Great experience and a welcomed change from the first time I went.

At first, I thought that Jane made the night… our server! Her hospitality, attention and knowledge of the various offerings (for me) is unsurpassed.
When I travel, which is often, i go-​sushi. Our hotel in-​room magazine had an ad for Abokado… we mapquested the location and headed off into the Brickle area of Miami (downtown). Fortunately, parking was readily available street-​side.
The preparation, portions and presentations were excellent! And plenty of saki to wet our whistles.
Comfortable seating at 4-​top tables and booths are provided. There were 4 of us for dinner, earlier this week and our tab (not including tip was $ 220.00).
Outdoor seating is also available in a mall-​courtyard setting well-​off the street.

I eat everything. But when someone asks me about going out for sushi, I don’t get excited. Not that I don’t like it, just that it’s generally the same dishes, which gets boring. But Abokado is nothing like that. It’s a refreshing take on how to make sushi interesting by adding some sabor latina.
I know that Kobe beef or tortilla in a sushi roll just sounds like a gimmick. But they’re not, they make for incredible dishes. The rolls and the rest of the menu are handcrafted to be unique and quite tasty.
All tastes can be satisfied. My dad enjoyed the more traditional sushi experience. I was pleased with Latin fusion takes on Asian cuisine. And my brother-​in-​law found some more strictly carnivorous parilla options.
The service was great and the sake selections were impressive. A nice find in Brickell.

I really wanted to like this place. It’s within walking distance, the décor is hip and the food is gorgeous and creative. The service was particularly attentive, but we were one of the few tables about an hour before they closed the kitchen.
Unfortunately, the food was prettier than it was tasty. I had the Tuna cebiche (that’s how they spell it). It was not a traditional ceviche that I’ve had where the fish comes out white because it has been «cooked» in pure lemon juice. The tuna was mostly pink and the mound of raw fish looked more like tuna tartare than a ceviche. It was quite spicy but I felt that the pieces of tuna were too big and didn’t mix well with the spices and veggies as I am used to having in a good peruvian-​style ceviche. The mound of fish cost $ 16.
I tried the steak & chimichurri pincho next and was underwhelmed. the beef was just not tasty. One skewer with about 5 little cubes of meat dabbed with chimichurri sauce and onions was $ 8.
In the mood for some rice, I eyed their side orders on the menu which included fried rice. Because I don’t eat shrimp, the waiter volunteered to have the kitchen fry up some fresh rice with just the veggies and beef. I got a decent sized bowl of fried rice but the beef was not tasty, and the rice was greasy and salty. I didn’t finish it and didn’t think it was worth bagging up to take home.
Perhaps I’m just a curmudgeon who likes asian/​latin dishes in the traditional manner. I left disappointed that I spent about 40 dollars on three appetizer-​sized courses and nothing rocked my boat! I like my peruvian style ceviche and my fried rice a certain way. Because the service and ambiance were good, this place may score more stars with a more adventurous diner.

Abokado has reopened and $ 60 later, I am still hungry. The whole concept is Asian-​Latin fusion, like Sushi Samba pioneered back in the day, so ceviches and tiraditos, jalapenos and mofongo, jostle for space with shiso leaves and ponzu sauce on the menu. The restaurant is located in the Mary Brickell Village, shiny new concept open-​area mall space where you can dine in a designated al fresco dining space next to a very horizontal fountain that an architect thought up one fevered night.
I started with the Rethink Sushi chef’s choice plate ($ 28) which seemed compelling due to its rather fascinating flavour pairings, out of which the tuna topped with foie gras was an immediate standout. I am a pushover for foie gras which tastes like luxury – rich, unctuous, creamy. It paired well with the smooth, meaty tuna. The rest of the sushi was less exceptional, although the shrimp smeared with curry mayonnaise and the kobe beef (ooh, sweet tenderness) with wasabi cream were notable. The rest of the plate was let down by the utterly revolting pairing of hamachi and blue cheese. Grim. There were about seven pieces of sushi on the plate, artfully arranged over a slender coconut palm frond with «abokado» imprinted on it. I’m guessing the presentation cost about $ 6.
After that meagre offering, I was still hungry, so I ordered a hamachi tiradito with serrano, guacamole and a chilli-​garlic ponzu sauce. I forgot to specify a «half» portion ($ 9) rather than a full ($ 16), so I had to track down my waiter to change the order. He was irritated, understandably (although he could have made sure of the size I wanted instead of going ahead and putting in whichever order he thought best), but not very magnanimous in his response, even though I apologized profusely for forgetting. The tiradito was fine, nothing to write home about. A half portion is three slices.
This was paired with an $ 11 glass of light, fruity Albarino, suggested by the server, which actually went very well with both dishes.
I guess the meal would have been an okay three stars, if not for the outrageous prices, stingy portions, and the service that rapidly soured as it became apparent that I wasn’t planning on ordering that second glass of wine, or that full portion of tiradito. Being so pushy is as tacky as the cheap, disposable wooden chopsticks the restaurant uses. I’m not really inclined to return.

Love it… and its back open!!!
Yay!
Love their Tuna Cebiche, and the spice menu was so good.

I went to Abokado only once for the lunch special. The sushi was pretty unique and it was very good. The only thing I didn’t like was that the sushi rolls were pretty small. The miso soup was delicious and the dulce de leche churros left me craving more for days.
The environment is warm and relaxing, not sure about the night life though. They did a good job on the interior design as well. Very modern and inviting.
Apparently Abokado closed but will be reopening soon under new management. This news comes straight from one of my good friends that worked there from the first day it opened. Hopefully they get their act together because this place has great potential.

Had lunch for the second time this month at Abokado today. The service has gotten much better! The first time I went I was the only one in my group who didn’t do Miami Spice, but I decided to go for it this time since I ended up spending 50 bucks on lunch that day.
The «to taste» crispy cheese appetizer was SOOO good! It comes with a sweet and sourish dipping sauce — fantastic.
For my first course, I had the Hamachi with serrano peppers and guacamole– with ponzu sauce. The Hamachi was SUPER fresh. I’m a big fan of tuna tataki and I LOVED this dish.
For my second course I had the tropical roll– basically shrimp tempura roll but they kick it up a notch by throwing in some mango. The mango isn’t overpowering but gives it a sweet little aftertaste. I absolutely loved it and could’ve definitely had another!
For dessert, I had the cheesecake and my coworker had this frozen thing with strawberry marmalade that was incredible. We ended up splitting both.
For you downtown/​brickell lunchers– the waitress told me that after Miami Spice is over, they’re still going to continue doing a similar 4 course menu for the same price– so that’s good news!
Enjoy :)

Time for some Pan-​Latin Fusion done RIGHT, y’all!
Now deep in midst of my employer-​financed gastronomic tour of Miami offerings, the co-​workers and I found ourselves at Abokado – a place that I admit I had (unnecessary) reservations about because this was only a *partial* Branch Recommendation (Gasp! I know, I know).
When the locals can’t come to a full consensus and heartily endorse a place, I cry a little inside… but we liked what we saw and went in anyway!
Situated in the Mary Brickell Village, there was something very relaxing about the place – a mellow, mature ambiance that may have had more to do with our arrive time (mid-​week, early-​ish evening) but I liked it right away.
We were lucky to have a very funny server with a dry wit (yes!) and she did not steer us wrong with the menu choices. Now, its still Miami Spice but I wasn’t really inspired by all of the pre-​selected arrangements so we threw caution to the wind and ordered what ‘looked good BUT not arm-​and-​a-​leg good’
*Wakame Salad
(this is the best seaweed salad I have had outside of NYC)
*Pan Seared Sea Bass Dumpling
(this was a potential problem – very glad I haven’t come across this in NYC yet – would order this daily)
*Bossa Nova Signature Rolls
(this was a popular item at the table – everyone ordered this ‘sept me; can’t do the avocado)
*Spicy Tuna
(co-​worker tends to play it very safe with the rolls but loved this one)
*Snow crab California
(see spicy tuna comment)
*Edamame
(got two orders – skin was a little tough but the bean was prefect)
*Miso Broiled Pacific Sea Bass
(the sauce was a little heavy for my taste but overall well done!)
*Viva (spicy tuna/​avocado/​cucumber/​cilantro/​jalapeño/​tortilla/​Spicy Crab Mix) – we all watched while one co-​worker ate this like it was his last meal! Ha!
And my visit just wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t order some Churros with three dipping sauces – this time Mango (mmm), White Chocolate (meh), and Caramel (I almost licked the spoon)
Throw in the wonderful fruit-​infused ice tea and we were very, very pleased with our evening adventure!