Le Chat Noir

I always drove by this place and wanted to visit. A few friends told me that it was an awesome hang, so I visited it on a Saturday! My boyfriend and I were charged a $ 10 cover fee each, and we considered that reasonable.
The ambiance is really cool, the fun takes place underground in a cellar (once rumored to be a bomb shelter.) It’s a very romantic atmosphere: dark, candle-​lit, jazz music, etc.
However… The waitress didn’t even let us review the drink menu before pressuring us to order. Since we had just come from a fancy dinner out on the town, we didn’t really want to spend much money so we decided to get two $ 10 cups of wine. She said that she didn’t have either of the ones that we wanted, but that she would bring other drinks that were of the same price. We only saw her once when she took the order and again when she brought the bill. The service was mediocre and the Jazz was just regular, generic jazz.
The real annoying part was when we received the bill. The total came out to $ 50 for only two cups of wine and the entrance. She lied about the cups of wine and overcharged us like $ 10 extra that we didn’t want to spend. Obviously we were upset and didn’t leave a tip… Only to be chased up the stairs by a guy claiming that the waitress demanded a tip for doing absolutely nothing, lying to us, and overcharging. We really didn’t mind tipping, believe me, but she should’ve just kept the $ 10 that she overcharged as her tip. The place is cool, but the shitty service will probably keep me from going back.
Be sure you’re clear about what you want and review your bill twice before you’re ripped off! Also, remember to tip under all circumstances if you don’t wanna be chased up the stairs by someone demanding your money for their crappy service!

I went there with a friend and was amazed that Miami has an underground jazz club. We already had dinner so it was for drinks and to listen to the music. A $ 10 cover is very reasonable and as others have stated it goes to the musicians who I am sure are not making a ton of money.
Others have stated that the owner gets mad when people talk. Yes, he does. He lectured the crowd twice about how we were paying to listen to music and not to talk so listen and don’t talk. It was not a sentence or two it was several and I had flashbacks about being in elementary school again. I do get the sentiment which is that the musicians are trying to concentrate and perform. It must be distracting to have a lot of back round chatter. I just wish he had approached it differently.

This place is about music, and food, and enjoying kindred spirits. If you like jazz, it’s for you! Get yourself a glass of wine, a toasted pannini, hang out and listen.
Yes, a gem… as good as it gets!!!

I had wanted to go to this place for awhile and I finally did on a Friday night to celebrate a friend’s graduation. There is a piano to your right as you enter, some tables and chairs, a bar to the left and a kitchen straight at the end where they prepare cheese platters.
The ambiance to me takes the price. It is dark and enchanting. Perfect to sip some of their wines while chatting with your date, friend (s) or even the high energy, friendly and accommodating lady managing the customers as they walked in. I loved that for a Friday night around 10pm the bar wasn’t incredibly full with people, which was perfect to have that more «quiet» experience our party was after.
We wanted to experience their live jazz, and so we paid the $ 10 to access the basement where the life music happens. It seems to me that the older we get the less we are willing to pay to get access to any type of entertainment venue. However, I will gladly pay (if reasonable) for the «right entertainment». Do I want to pay $ 20 to get access to one of the many clubs in South Beach offering the usual type of experience over and over, after making a half hour line just to be treated like a peasant by the King’s guard at the door? NO. But do I feel is fair to pay $ 10 to watch live jazz musicians, who probably have to work a second job somewhere in order to pay their bills, since we all know music nowadays is almost never a lucrative business, unless you start showing some skin, playing the mainstream stuff, or creating controversy «juicy» enough so the media has the right amount of dirty details in order to put your name «out there». Yes Sr. here are my $ 10.
Now, I also have to be fair and agree with other people’s remarks that the food seems sort of limited and more expensive, at least when compared to venues with similar concepts like say Lagniappe. I was also a bit disturbed by the owner’s «angry» tone when abruptly telling everyone to go somewhere else if they wanted to talk instead of listening. Later as we were leaving we had a chance to chat with him about his business and it was clear he’s passionate about jazz and cares about the hardships of the musicians. So I got it. But nonetheless he should change his tone when telling people to be quiet, or maybe change his strategy and tell people as they pay their $ 10 since nowhere in there did it say NO talking while musician’s play. Shame I was too buzzed at that point to put a coherent sentence together…
On the whole, I’m sure I’ll be back.

«Underground Jazz lounge» in Miami should be enough to drag you in. But it lives up the description and the ambience almost makes you forget you’re actually underground in South Florida.
The jazz band didn’t go on until 10, so we stayed in the upstairs area for half an hour as they set up the basement. The bartender recommended us a sweet red Italian wine called Sangue Di Giuda ($ 55 for the bottle), which was one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted. We ordered plates of salami and cheese and began to fill up the bottom room. The band played beautiful music and left everyone speechless — there was no point to talk anyway besides to say, «this is awesome.»
The service ran a bit slow. Not due to the servers because there were only two for about 15 tables. But definitely recommended this if you have some money to spare. You should try one of the paninis if you want a full meal. If not, get some food before and enjoy some good wine and cheese in a great environment.

The ambience and the musical performance in the downstairs wine cellar was so spectacular that it is what really is giving my rating a 4 star rating. My boyfriend and I had an incredible time at Le Chat Noir. It was a very fun and romantic date that I certainly recommend. The performance is worth the $ 10 cover charge. Make sure to make a reservation in advance so you can sit up front! However, if you choose to go, be prepared the service was not the best. There was only one person attending to everyone and she was noticeably stressed and she would take forever to serve us. We waited 15 minutes for our cheese plate and our wine and it was very difficult to get her attention most of the time. Still, she definitely knows her wine. Her selection for us was excellent and I highly recommend if you’re looking for something sweet, refreshing, but not fruity. I also highly recommend eating at one of the local restaurants beforehand because there isn’t a lot of variety here and it’s a little overpriced for cheese and charcuterie that is just okay. Still, it was a fun experience.

We went a month ago looking for good music, wine and small plates. A $ 10 per person was charged upon arrival, it was Saturday night and party of 5.
Let me start with the good things; everybody was friendly and Jazz was fantastic. The selection of wines is acceptable, nothing spectacular like many folks said. They have around 20 different Red wines from Italy, France, Spain, Argentina and 1 Pinot Noir from WA USA. Nothing from Napa Valley or Sonoma, and all wines are the lowest options from each vineyard. They don’t have decanters, neither adequate Bordeaux glasses to drink the 2 or 3 good wines they have like «Brunello di Montalcino».
After a few plates we ordered the fondue for 5, they overcooked to the extent off making the entire room smell bad, and we didn’t like it at all because it tasted like burned peanuts. We talked to our waitress and her best offer was to take off a plate of ham and cheese from the bill… Why should I want a $ 15 plate free and be charged $ 130 for a fondue we didn’t like at all?! That’s crazy!
To finish the night they overcharged us for 5 bottles of wine.
I’ll be posting photos of the bill as well as all corks of the bottles we drank, they weren’t 3 bottles of $ 90 each, it was 1 of $ 90 and 2 around $ 60…
BTW: The owner gets really mad when people talk.

it’s an experience. that should not be missed. Wine is divine, Jazz is heavenly. Good coffee too.

Even though I love to come here, I’ve given it four stars because it falls short in the quality of the food and service. But the Jazz is fantastic and the cellar room is so romantic! Perfect date spot. But just have drinks. Make sure to make a reservation.

Great LIVE JAZZ!
Great salads and cold cuts.

J’adore cet établissement! Quand vous entrez ce lieu semble que vous avez quitté les états unis et avez entrez une ville de la France. C’est magnifique! La musique, l’aliment, et l’environnement. C’est plutôt cher mais il tout a fait vaut la peine. Ils ont aussi un sous-​sol que né se peut pas trouver en Miami.

I had the opportunity to listen to some great jazz music last night in the company of great patrons. We need more places like this, where we can enjoy local and the not so local talent. This is a split level location. There was a bar with a couple of tables on the bottom; sort of empty. We arrived at 9:30 and were directed downstairs. While musicians were there setting up we were the first to arrive. Our Unilocal reserved table nicely awaited with a reserved sign. The music started shortly after 10:00. I heard they play until 1:00a.m. The waiter was friendly and made nice recommendations. The food menu is not extensive but what was served was delicious. Fresh tomato soup «soup of the day»; didn’t taste out of the can. The panini was crisp on the outside and the biggest caprese salad I had ever seen. Most of the crowd and musicians were Portuguese. Great music I just wished I understood what was said before each song. I don’t recall his name but what great pianist with a history of 15 records. Oh!, I almost forgot valet was $ 10 but the attendant left at 11:00 and brought us the key. The car was parked in the front. I saw a couple of people ride the train which is a few steps away this is an option but use caution as there is some homelessness in the area.

I stumbled into Le Chat Noir on Friday night randomly (without reservations) after going to see Looking Glass Alice at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Despite knowing it existed, I hadn’t actually visited before which makes little sense considering how much I love live music. When visiting cities like Chicago and NYC, I actively seek out live jazz bars. So, it’s ironic that there’s one in my neighborhood that I hadn’t been to. Anyway, I loved it! Not only was the music great but the food and wine selection were pretty decent. I would like to see more variety in the menu, particularly the charcuterie and cheese selection. But, now that i’ve been i’ll definitely make it a point to go back!

My boyfriend and I came to Le Chat Noir a few weeks ago! The wine is incredible and the music is wonderful. I adore the owner, who gave us a tour of the incredible space. He has developed an amazing venue that has so much to offer Miami!
It’s so wonderful to have a business that supports jazz and musicians. They have delicious food and wine. I recommend this business and encourage all to support it. Not only are you supporting music and the arts, but a wonderful establishment.

My husband and I having returned from a Paris vacation a few weeks ago were longing for a place we could go on our date night and enjoy that same atmosphere. Looking for some live jazz music venues came across this place. The live music happens in the basement. I called ahead and made reservations when we arrive around 9:40 the place was pretty empty. However once the band started playing around 10 all the tables were taken. This is perfect place to come enjoy a bottle of wine and relax. A bottle of wine will be in the $ 40-​$ 80 range. There’s not too many food options just some paninis and charcuterie. With so much variety of restaurants in downtown I will be having dinner elsewhere before and then coming here to enjoy some wine and great live Jazz Music. When you go down the steps into this local you will forget you are in Miami and will feel as if you’ve been transported to a Jazz Bar in Paris.

Very Nice place, overpriced, 54 dollars à pino grigio, cheese platters are very tiny. Service very long. They bring you thé bread 30 minutes after you ask for it. The waitress was very good but only 2 waiters is not enough. Music was ok. The patron came Many time To ask is To shut up. Was kinda weird expérience.

I went there with a friend. We had a bottle of red wine and paninis. Paninis come with soup or salad (a real tasty vinaigrette on the salad). The food was good. The waitress recommended us an Argentinian wine that was very good and nit expensive. At 10pm we enjoyed live music (jazz) and it was a very pleasant ambiance, with candles. The service was a little slow but you go there to relax and take your time to enjoy great wine and music. You have to reserve a table (underground).

I don’t really know what to say… I am maybe a little bias because I’ve always loved this location. Even when it was called Kork, my experience here has always been fulfilling and never lacking. The new owners and changes have come in and the improvements surpass everything that I loved about Kork.
I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know if it’s the dim lights, the bodega feeling, the smell of wines and cork in the air, the smooth tunes of jazz with the never mistaken sax in the background playing, or simple that you have a private getaway 30 feet below the city and all your problems, worries and stress stay above on the pavements of a deserted downtown. The place definitely portrays and enchanting Je nei sais quoi mood.
I met both owners Giovanni Scuotto and Alexis Salis when i came here. they accommodated me and AK to the smallest detail making us feel as if we were part of the house. They were both very catering, respectful and for the very first time in a venue everything was not about the check and how much we were spending. Even at the end of our date, Alexis walked both me and my partner to our car so that we didn’t have to walk past midnight alone. Talk about going out of your way for a costumer.
I encourage everyone to try out this place. Don’t shy away from the neighborhood and the people who stray in the streets or sleep in sidewalks past bed time, I guarantee a great time with awesome private jazz concerts and a decent menu with the freshest cold cuts and cheeses.
We had the Spanish meat plate, the Spanish cheese plate and a bottle of Pinot, some smoked salmon and caviar and at the end we had the Grand Marnier soufflé.
Spanish meat plate: prosciutto (literally melts in your mouth), smoked porked loin, cantimpalo
Spanish cheese plate: Manchego, Mahon, Asiago
I understand one of the reviews below mentions how when they got in the place was empty, yet the owner explained how all the tables where reserved. This is very true, the place has the best artist in town and often international artists that come just to play that night. Reservations are required because the place is small and limited in the amount of public. The show usually starts at ten then all the reserved tables get full. Sometimes people just stay in or see to watch a show and they truly don’t mind. A nice glass of your choice of wine and great live music, who would complain?
I came here twice in one week, will continue to make this a habitual gathering spot for friends and for my significant other who thinks this place is more than a cellar. For her it’s a place of solitude, where artistically smooth sounds provide an intimate space for her and I where nothing can pull my attention away from her and our moment.

I have been to other places that have live jazz playing at night but I think this place takes the cake! Great atmosphere as it is in a basement with dim lighting.
The only reason why I wouldn’t give it 5 stars is because the service wasn’t all that great. Things took long to be brought out and service was a little slow.
Other then that it’s a perfect place to have a «date night»! The Barcelona salad is amazing as well as the Lime Tart as a dessert. Enjoy!

Live jazz music in a cozy basement in Miami? Sign me up!
This place reminds me of one of my favorite hangout spots in Brooklyn. Depending on the night that you go, you can experience live jazz, steel drums, or saxophone. No cover charge. Excellent selection of wine and cheeses. Perfect for a date night!
So happy to have stumbled upon this hidden gem just walking distance from my apartment.

Formerly Kork Wine & Cheese, Le Chat Noir is the newest and one of the better venues on the block.
One thing it really has going for it is its ambiance and atmosphere. It’s a classic, with dark easy going relaxed décor, some really top of the line wines, excellent cheese plates (I had some of the best Gorgonzola I ever tasted) along with a very tasty Bruschetta.
They also offer a good tomato, mozzarella, basil Caprese Salad along with other salad selections of Spinach, an American of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes with a red wine vinaigrette, a Barcelona of mixed greens, chorizo, goat cheese croutons and Dijon honey, an Arugula, Soups of the Day, a variety of sandwiches and my favorite cheese plate with prosciutto.
One thing not to be missed is the basement. Yes, unlike most structures in Miami, it does have a basement. Word on street is that it was once a designated bomb shelter, but today it is a sort of hidden away place of comfort and relaxation.
For what it is, being a friendly relaxing place with a good atmosphere, quality wines and excellent cheeses or simple light salads or snacks, Four Stars.