Komodo

I went to Komodo for my birthday and loved the food, the ambiance and the service. I definitely recommend this place. I will agree with one of the reviews that this restaurant already has, which commented about the dress code. I think there should be a dress code even though you can dress up jeans, I think the décor in this restaurant merits an elegant casual dress code. Loved the salmon and the komodo sundae.

The food was good, but a bit pricey for what it is. Nice ambiance and well informed servers.
I’d recommend the lobster dynamite, Komodo fries, and the Komodo roll. Everything else we ate was alright.

What can I say? Everything at Komodo that my wife and I tried was truly fantastic. We started off with some cocktails that were superb then worked our way up to appetizers and finally the entrees. We had about 7 – 8 menu items and they were ALL great! Everything from the attention given to us, the servers, overall ambiance, food and décor was excellent. We’ll definitely come back soon!

The dress code is overly relaxed. There were about 15 guys in basketball jerseys and caps (all from different groups) standing against the walls and by the outdoor bar. There were two men in shorts and flip flip sandals at the bar as well. Made it a very awkward circumstance for a high-​end romantic or social dinner. (This happened twice when I was there.) Imagine paying $ 250 for a dinner for two when there’s guys in caps and jerseys. Very inappropriate. Wouldn’t come back if they didn’t fix the code. Other than that, the food was exceptional. Enjoyed the lobster on crispy rice, Sheshwan beef, and shrimp dynamite — all amazing. Great service from a guy named Louie who we loved. Exciting atmosphere.

I’m not sure why this restaurant only got 3 ½ stars. I thought this place was great! I almost gave it 5 stars but the sommelier was terrible! We asked him to guide us to wines similar to the wines we like and he had no clue what he was talking about. He couldn’t even name one wine on the list we should order… he kept going around in circles about the wine. We ended up ordering a bottle of Opus One without any help from the Sommelier. The food was great… it’s definitely a little pricey but good for a special occasion spot. I heard it’s nicer to sit in the downstairs area as opposed to upstairs which is a bit more casual. The hostess and servers are beautiful girls and beautifully dressed. Desserts are great! Even just a great spot to sit at the bar and have cocktails or just to meet a date for cocktails at the bar.

Met up with friends at the outside area bar. Décor was beautiful, atmosphere is sexy and vibrant with beautiful people seen everywhere. Our bartender Josh did a spectacular job with our drinks :) cant wait to visit again but this time for dinner.

DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!! If you are reading this review, you are one step ahead. This restaurant will close down very soon. I had such high expectations for Komodo as the place has a nice trendy Asian décor and ambience. At first glance when you walk in you feel like you are about to have an amazing dining experience but I will tell you that dinner at Sergio’s would have been «Fine Dining» compared to this. Here’s what my «anniversary dinner» comprised of at a totally misspent $ 260.00+
— 1 lychee martini and one house cab — $ 42
(The martini was weak and not one single lychee was visible for $ 24)
— 1 Nigori Daku (sake) $ 51 (for a bottle the size of a glass coke bottle) nothing fancy at all.
Let’s start with the small plates… the waitress was very nice, polite and even mentioned how the all the plates were served family style. REALLY? Family style? Maybe a family of ONE PERSON!
— 1 Lobster Dynamite for $ 24
4 little rectangular rolls the size of a thumb with a lot of quinoa and a piece of lobster the size of a finger nail with very little to no lobster taste
— 1 Tuna Taco for $ 19
4 mini (really mini) tacos filled with your typical tuna tartare you get anywhere. Nothing fancy! As small as they were I was expecting some taste that popped in your mouth.
— 1 Yellow Tail Crudo $ 21
Ok so here where it gets really bad. They serve 5 very little slices of yellow tail with some crispy garlic and a drop of spicy Siracha sauce. oh and some green scallions or something. Not satisfying in taste or portions. Kinda chewy as well.
I need to mention that none of the plates came with any type of presentation which would have at least compensated for the ridiculously small portions and high price «small plates»
Let’s go to the meal…
Now at this point I’m not really feeling this place but I wanted to give it a fair chance and try one of their main courses.
–Chilean Seabass $ 38
I’ve had Chilean Seabass in many places as its one of my favorite dishes and the only way I could describe it at Komodo is bland, with very little taste and that’s the broth I tasted. Apparently it was supposed to include truffle oil as well but they must have forgotten to pour it because there was NONE on my plate. The portion was ok (about 8oz) but that was it, it came with nothing else, zilch… NADA…No veggies, no rice… just the plain, bland fish in a bowl swimming in broth with 2 little wild mushrooms.
So as I mentioned, it’s our anniversary and of course I need to make it special cause so far the food has been horrible to say the least. I have the waitress make sure they bring a happy anniversary dessert. We order…
— Dragons West cheesecake $ 12
This wasn’t so bad. Had a burst of different flavors which was nice. (Maybe since everything else we had earlier was bland) My GF wanted to make it a-​la-​mode so we added a ball of vanilla ice cream for an extra $ 4 (the ball was the size of two tablespoons of ice cream.) could have bought a pint of Talenti gelato.
When you get the bill, the tip is included, even for a party of two so therefore the waiter is guaranteed an excellent tip regardless of the service level.
So in a nutshell, if you are on a bland, portion controlled diet and are looking to spend some extra disposable income on a ridiculously expensive place then Komodo is the place for you.
NEVER AGAIN… I feel like I was PUNKD!

So excited to have Komodo in the area… I pass by very frequent and only recently realized there was a restaurant… Komodo definitely speaks exotic, unique, trendy, classy etc. etc… ambiance, setting, lightning, staff, food, dessert and drinks top of the line… what a great place to spend a date night with my hubby. We live in the Brickell area so it’s great to have another great restaurant and lounge to hang out. I absolutely love the Asian inspired theme (at least to me it’s Asian looking). The restaurant is indoor and outdoors with multiple levels, surrounded by bamboo and greenery. The staff was very helpful and friendly. They also were great in recommending top favorites. The prices were on the pricey side but worth it in my option based on the quality and quantity. My hubby and I shared an appetizer (Peking duck lettuce wraps), dinner plate (grilled Szechuan beef), wokked Asian vegetables and desert (cloud nine… chocolate…heaven) and it was just enough however I am also a small portion eater… so for some people the portions maybe just enough for one and not sharing. With our meal we had a few specialty cocktails, all of which were tasty… however my favorite was the dragon punch, just enough sweet for me. can’t wait to be back… maybe happy hour

Had a dinner date at Komodo on Tuesday night. I was very excited and ended up ordered a good deal of items off the menu. We started with the Lobster Dynamite, Dragon Fries, and Grutman Pastrami Eggroll. For our meal we got the Peking Duck and Wild Mushroom Lo Mein.
Quality
The food was definitely a mixed bag. For the appetizers I enjoyed the Lobster Dynamite as it provided a solid combination of crispy, crunchy, and tangy. The Dragon Fries were strange as it had a very unique texture for sweet potatoes and I enjoyed the sweet white sauce they were served with. But it seemed like an out of place dish overall and it came with a lot of fries which we did not end up finishing to save room for our main dishes. Although the Grutman Pastrami Eggroll looked delicious it was very underwhelming. The eggroll was very salty and I did not enjoy the meat that it was stuffed with. The highlight of the meal was without question the Peking Duck, which was very rich and delicious, but I was confused about the presentation. It came with scallion pancakes to almost make duck tacos, but I did not understand why you would want to. It felt like there should have been a side dish of rice to pair the duck with, however the waiter actually dissuaded us from ordering the duck fried rice as it was redundant. The Wild Mushroom Lo Mein were very good and very rich, but did not pair well with the duck. The cream sauce they used was great and really worked with the mushrooms.
Quantity
The Lobster Dynamite and Grutman Pastrami Eggroll were both good sized to share. The Dragon Fries was very large, but as a result detracted from the meal. The Peking Duck was a good size, but probably a bit small considering the price. The Wild Mushroom Lo Mein was a big dish enough for two to share easy.
Value
When you first see the price of the Peking Duck you obvious have to think about it, but in the end it was probably just a little bit overpriced. Everything else is the same way, but since its the hit new restaurant by the makers of LIV it could be expected.
Ambiance
Komodo would likely feel more at home in the Fontainebleau than in Brickell. The restaurant more closely resembles a club than a restaurant and that could be expected. When you enter there is a long bar that stretches across the kitchen area. The inside is two floors, with the upstairs seemingly set up for larger parties or VIPs. All throughout the inside are tree like sculptures with red lights emanating from them. There is a mix of tables and couches to make larger groups comfortable. Outside is also very cool as it integrates trees and greenery to create an Asian forest like feel. There also appeared to be an upstairs outside, but it was difficult to tell if there was seating there as well. The music followed what you would expect of a hip lounge with tropical house mixed with popular hits.
Crowd
The restaurant was very busy for a weeknight. It was a clearly a more affluent crowd with most people young or middle-​age professionals. Although it is still Miami so people never really dress-​up, but the majority of people were wearing jackets or suits. Most people were with larger parties, definitely some people celebrating special events. There were also no children, which seemed a bit strange.
Service
The waiter was very friendly and efficient. He made sure our dishes came out appropriately and made sure our table was constantly wiped down. He offered us many suggestions, but honestly they did not all pan out great.
Parking
There is no street parking in the immediate area of the restaurant, but you can park a few blocks away on the street. There is valet at the building if you want or since its in Brickell you can easily take public transportation and walk a few blocks.
Extra
Over-​the-​top would be one way to describe Komodo, overpriced and misguided would like be appropriate. The focus seems more on the atmosphere than the food and that seems reasonable for a place created by a man who does nightclubs. Although the duck is a major highlight, the rest of the dishes seem strange and lacking in the same flavor. I think to last it may need to work on the menu a good deal, but it will still draw crowds for its design and its status.

This place has great ambience, and feel. When you walk in you really think you are in for a premium experience. Unfortunately the service and the food comes a short of that. I will not comment on the value as I was here for a paid dinner so I have no idea what the food costs. What I can say is that the food looked flashy but were all small portions and tasted either too salty, such as the Sichuan Duck or too Bland like the Sushi roll options that we recieved.
Service-​wise I would say they are too quick to take away your food, too quick to take away your plates and too slow on refilling your water. In fact they are so slow on refills with your water they just all, but ignore you.
Hope the place gets better because I do feel the décor is worth a visit itself

The best restaurant I’ve ever been to in my life ! Worth every penny and more !
The owner knows good food and how to run an establishment .
Wonderful ambiance and appeal .
Can’t wait to be back.

I was REALLY looking forward to experiencing Komodo. I had tried on two prior occasions to get reservations through Open Table but nothing was available. Finally, we ended up going last night after Happy Hour at Truluck’s. My friend made reservations through Open Table for 730 and we just walked right over. Once we got there the hostess said she didn’t have a reservation under our name and we showed her on our app that we did make the reservation and she said something about Open Table not notifying them. Either way, we were seated right away. I do love the décor of the restaurant and it’s very big and spacious and they have a nice patio.
It was 3 of us which is great when trying a new place because you can sort of order a bunch of dishes and try everything. Here’s what we ordered:
–Passion Fruit mojito: good flavor but very weak and it was $ 17
–Lobster dynamite was tasty actually (it’s 1 of the 2 dishes that were actually good)
–Angry shrimp dumplings: stay away! they were very dry and lacked flavor, there’s 4 to an order, we each ate one and none of us wanted to even eat the last one
–Chilean Sea bass was extremely disappointing. It was so bland and not nice and flaky like you’d expect, plus you can’t even taste the truffles. I only know it had it because it said so on the menu
–We ordered the duck fried rice but substituted the duck for chicken and it was also bad. it was bland and the chicken was dry
–Garlic King Crab Lo Mein was very tasty actually, very flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly
Another disappointment was the service. Our server took our drink and appetizer order and I do have to say that the drinks and appetizer came out rather quickly, but it was almost 25 minutes until we saw our server again to order our actual dinner. Once she took our dinner order we didn’t see her again until she brought us the check. and on top of that, they include the tip on the bill. I really don’t think I will come back here, I’m just very underwhelmed w/​this restaurant but at least I went to check it out and see what all the hype is about.

We went out for a friends birthday and I was really excited to try this place. Maybe my expectations were high, but I was very underwhelmed by the whole experience.
Okay good news first: some of the food was good and the restaurant is beautiful. Great ambiance and décor. Very chic Asian fusion type place. Similar to the setting in the movie avatar with some Asian pizzaz. The alcoholic drinks were very good and refreshing. The cucumber martini and watermelon mule were delicious. The three dishes that I believe we’re worth the price were the Komodo roll, tuna and toro roll and the lobster appetizer.
Now for the bad news. The service was great in the beginning. Our server was very attentive and then after our order was taken he completely forgot about us. Never came back. We had to flag down another waiter to tell him to come back. Additionally, we informed him it was our friends birthday and they never sang happy birthday or offered dessert. Very disappointing. On top of that, gratuity was included. It just felt that since tip was included the server could just get away with bad service and still get a good tip anyway.
Critique on the food. Let me just say I’ve been to over 30 different sushi restaurants and I myself used to work in one. The dragon roll had great flavor, but the actual shrimp on the inside was soft. The whole point to the actual dragon. It was not that crunchy great texture that a characteristic dragon roll has. It was chewy and not fresh. The rest of the food was mediocre. My friend claimed that the Chilean sea bass was bland and chewy, not flavorful and flaky.
All in all, with all the other great sushi places in the Miami area, I would not come back to this one. Food and service were not worth the elevated prices.

Komodo is nearly perfect. I say nearly perfect and not just plain perfect for a very specific reason: timing is everything.
Here’s the scoop — I remembered reading a bunch of Unilocal reviews that said the food came out way too fast. With this in mind, I mindfully ordered only appetizers at first to test their speed. Within 5 minutes, our first courses arrived… this is way too fast, as consumers are first getting comfortable at the table and spending time with company. I then asked our waiter — who was fabulous by the way (Haissam) — to please slow down delivery of future items. We worked together to order items one at a time. I had to physically control the pace of our meal, as Haissam validated that food would come out pretty instantly if not.
The perfect:
The ambiance. This is, by far, one of the most gorgeous restaurants in Miami. I particularly love the outdoor area — a tropical oasis somehow hidden in the heart of Brickell. String lights and multi-​shaped lanterns illuminate the space which resembles a secret garden.
Dragon fries. If I had to choose just one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be these. I fear my description won’t do them justice, but imagine tempura white sweet potato that is not too sweet, served with a heavenly garlic aioli. This is not a drill, you must get these.
The lobster dynamite app is flawless. Creamy lobster salad sits atop a log of crunchy quinoa, providing an ideal balance of flavors and textures.
Komodo roll. So much flavor in those mushrooms and in the truffle oil drizzle that you won’t even notice the sushi has no fish. My husband doesn’t eat mushrooms and went crazy over this roll.
Mushroom noodles. OH LAWD, these were crazy. Unbelievable mushroom cream sauce over dreamy al-​dente noodles. I was beyond full by the time these arrived but didn’t let a single drop go to waste.
The almost perfect:
Pastrami eggrolls. I have heard many rave reviews, including from my own hubby who shared this dish, and we still have different feelings. I thought they were fatty and not super flavorful. BUT, I could have bathed in that mustard sauce and ate almost everything else we ordered with it.
Lime chicken. Ehhhh… chicken was good but I hoped it would be more juicy after learning it was cooked in sake and marinated for quite some time.
Moral of the story here: you can have incredible food, 5-​star wait staff and unmatched ambiance but the pace of the meal is sometimes most important. People come to a place like Komodo for the full experience, so being rushed through a meal is a major defect.
You’re welcome, Komodo — I have pinpointed your only problem. Fix this, and I guarantee your reviews will be 5-​star like they deserve to be.

This place does not come close to what it tries to be.
It’s uncomfortably loud, the whisky selection is poor and they don’t even have a list so when I ordered a scotch that I normally pay 25 – 30.00 for and got charged 74.00 I call that starting off on the wrong foot.
I love octopus so I naturally ordered that and as my friend said it was like octopus jerky it was so dried out and chewy. The other dishes were over oily, greasy with washed out tastes. Especially the truffled dishes which had zero truffle flavor.
The only dishes with taste were those that had a hot chili on it which to me is not the preferred way to make food tasty. Simply slopping some ingredients together and tossing a serrachi chili on it is not skillful and not tasty to anyone who knows good cooking.
I felt as bad for our waiter as I did for us cause he was great and did his best to compensate. And is why I’m being gracious in giving it two stars instead of one.
Overall it’s a pretentious over hyped and way over priced restaurant I will never return to.

It was just yesterday that I remember Komodo taking over the China Grill failed project and I remember telling my wife how excited I was for it to finally open. I work in the office building, 801 Brickell, which Komodo occupies. Every day, I would see the restaurant progress into the masterpiece it currently is.
Being that Komodo is quite pricey my wife and I were waiting for a special occasion in which to make our maiden voyage. Finally we decided to treat my mother in law for her birthday. I’m a good son in law :)
We made a 7:30 reservation for Saturday night and arrived around 7:45. As soon as you walk in, the massive restaurant’s chic asian inspired architecture and design takes your breath away. The hostess asked if we preferred to sit inside or outside and being that it was 70 degrees in Miami, in March, we couldn’t pass up a chance to sit outside in Komodo’s beautiful garden.
Our waiter, Haisam, immediately greeted us and welcomed us to Komodo. He was extremely polite, and very knowledgeable about the growing menu favorites. We ordered a bottle of sake for the table and started with the lobster dynamite, dragon fries and the pastrami egg rolls. About 10 minutes later, our appetizers arrived. Theres not many words to describe how amazing these 3 appetizers were. The dragon fries are an absolute must! You simply cannot leave Komodo without trying these outrageous fries. The lobster dynamite provided a bit of a kick but the flavor profiles left each bite packed with delight. The pastrami egg rolls were also one of my favorite things I ate during the night.
Next, we ordered the Komodo roll. Again, the chef nailed it! Each bite was as good as the last and we literally did not want the food to stop coming. For dinner, we split the lime chicken and the wild mushroom noodles. Let’s get one thing straight, I am not the biggest mushroom fan in the world but these noodles were literally one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in my entire life! They were truly life-​changing! The lime chicken was cooked perfectly and the lime garlic sauce provided a wonderful compliment.
For my mother in law’s birthday dessert we selected the nutty bar. The nutty bar provided the perfect cap to our already overstuffed bellies. Everything about our experience at Komodo was absolutely perfect. Our waters were constantly refilled by Alessandro and our expectations were more than exceeded. With so many amazing 5 star restaurants in the area, Komodo quickly rose to the top of my list. I cannot say enough amazing things about this restaurant but I know it’s one place that I will definitely be returning to.

I thought this would be just another overpriced see-​and-​be-​seen yuppy hot spot. Indeed, as the evening progressed, plenty of flush old dudes with escorts young enough to be their daughters entered the building.
If you can get past the prices, the food is actually pretty phenomenal. Valet parking $ 15, house cocktails $ 16, Beijing duck $ 90, you get the gist. The drinks are delicious and worth splurging on. They did a really nice job crafting a unique cocktail list that’s not your typical martinis or mojitos.
The Asian fusion menu has a little bit for everyone, including some nice vegan and vegetarian options. Our waiter was very accommodating when it came to my wheat intolerance, alerting me to which dishes contained it. They also made a few dishes vegan upon request.
Every dish we had was excellent, bursting with flavor, fresh, never too salty, spicy or greasy. My absolute favorites were the Komodo Maki Roll and the Nutty Bar dessert. If you like mushrooms you have to get the Komodo roll, I promise you won’t miss the meat or fish.
The Beijing duck received rave reviews by my fellow diners. In fact, Komodo has a seasoned Chinese chef just roasting ducks. Not sure the $ 90 price tag for a small duck is justified, but it comes with mu shu pancakes and can be shared among 4 or more people.
Kudos to the pastry chef for not only creating little pieces of art, but doing so without wheat! It was great being able to have dessert instead of just watching everyone else devour it. Note, the desserts aren’t gluten-​free, but they are wheat free.
Finally, the service was outstanding. They were constantly refilling our water glasses. That’s huge for me because I drink like a fish. I’d definitely come back for drinks, or to get my veg on.

The man behind over-​the-​top LIV nightclub is at it again, this time showcasing modern Chinese fare and elegant décor with Komodo on Brickell Ave.
The massive dining room extends over multiple levels both indoors and out. Komodo’s exotic lighting, chic decorations, and trendy beats did not disappoint. Komodo is Brickell’s answer to the Fontainebleau’s Hakkasan.
The family style menu items are not groundbreaking, but the concept and presentation of the dishes are elevated to justify the price tag. I truly enjoyed the crispy and decadent Lobster Dynamite. The Grilled Szechuan Beef was alright but not as warm as I would have liked. The beef dish was paired with thinly sliced potato sticks that were a bit impractical to eat. For dessert, the Dragon’s nest was a work of art but bland.
Komodo has employed plenty of servers bustling about the tables. Ours was attentive but a bit arrogant when we told him about our food. Rather than take our constructive critiques in stride, he haughtily responded that we should have ordered his recommendations instead.
All in all, Komodo screams Miami. What it lacks in substance it makes up in style and sets the bar high in the booming Brickell neighborhood.

There is a new top-​notch restaurant in Brickell!
Two great business minds, David Grutman from LIV and Jeffrey Chodorow from China Grill, got together to open up this unique restaurant in one of Miami hottest areas. I understand it opened to the public only around a month ago and the lounge area is still in production but so far this place is a hit.
We came in on the night before New Year’s Eve and had a great experience. They serve Asian-​inspired cuisine and Peking duck is one of their specialty dishes. We decided to stay by the bar area and we received excellent customer service by everyone. Our bartender, Oscar, was very attentive and friendly. Managers came by to verify everything was going well. Even though the atmosphere is luxurious and posh, we were treated with exceptional courtesy and attention.
Some of their cocktails have a unique twist like the old fashioned made with rum and tonic. Food was delicious and high quality. We loved the duck wraps and everything with duck in it. Beautiful presentations of their dishes, cocktails, and desserts. Everything was creative and prepared with attention to detail.
The venue is beautiful with ample space for big parties. For what we were able to see, they have multiple floors including several bars, an outdoor garden, and elevated dining areas shaped like birds nests. The lounge area is not open yet but it is located on the third floor. Ambiance is nice throughout the entire restaurant but the second floor seems to be a bit more intimate. On this night, they had a DJ playing great music. They do not have a happy hour or brunch yet, but I can’t wait to see what they will come up with.
This restaurant/​lounge is a unique concept and something that I never seen in Brickell. Komodo will be the place of choice for dining and entertainment. You can come for drinks and bar bites after work or for a delicious dinner and next unwind and enjoy a convivial social atmosphere in the lounge. Everything under one roof, or in this case, everything inside a floating nest!

Komodo brings a high end, trendy, Asian inspired restaurant to Brickell. From the moment you walk in, you’ll see roasted ducks hanging behind a window just like you would see in any China town BBQ shop. As you approach the hostess stand there’s a nice bar to the right with a happening crowd and an upstairs area with a second more intimate bar. This huge space is beautifully decorated and full of the beautiful Miami citizens dressed to the nines.
We ordered the sea bass with white truffle, black cod skewers, tempura sweet potato fries, and the angry shrimp dumplings! The sweet potato fries were the best thing we tried. The sauce accompanying this dish is amazing and the fries are crispy and light and seasoned perfectly! Oh so satisfying! Everything was delicious but the fries were addictively good! The sea bass was nice flaky and light served in a mushroom broth. The cod skewers were sweetly glazed with miso and tender. The dumplings were very plump and full of shrimp and served with a nice lightly spicy ponzu sauce!
Dessert menu was impressive but we opted out this time. I’ll definitely be back for round 2!