These restaurants didn’t get many stellar reviews, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them.
You know that here at Secret Miami we usually like to share our favorite places in which to grab a good bite around town, and we’re the first ones to share the latest and greatest things to do. But this week we’re switching things up a little by bringing you the worst restaurants in the Magic City according to the Internet.
With the help of the Top-rated tool* we’ve put together a little list of the worst-rated Miami spots on Google that users say you should avoid in order to enjoy a successful night out in the city.
Note: We mean no harm to these restaurants, in fact, not everything is bad about them that’s why we’ve also included some of the best reasons you should still try them and make your mind up about them yourself!
*Ratings were last updated in February 2021, some of the restaurants have since closed.
1. Jalapeño Mexican Kitchen
With a score of 2.8/5.00 with 955 reviews, Jalapeño Mexican Kitchen on Ocean Drive came out at the top of the worst Miami dining experiences last winter.
Do not go here unless you are truly desperate but potentially eating sand from the beach could be a better option…GO LITERALLY ANYWEHRE ELSE IN MIAMI BUT HERE!
For this reviewer Jalapeño’s service, food, and drinks were certainly not worth their money at all, but then again eating sand is potentially more hazardous for your health than trying to keep one of Jalapeño’s supposedly Chiz Wiz-covered nachos…We’ll leave that one up to you.
Despite the poor reviews, the restaurant seems to have pulled itself together as more recent reviews raved about its great service and the drinks which now seem to have “the most alcohol in their drinks compared to anyone else on the strip.” So what do you say? Will an extra boozy margarita make up for the cold tacos?
2. Freshii
Bad service also seemed to be a bit of a problem for this Lincoln Road restaurant which came out second with a score of 2.8/5.00 with 17 reviews…
Why did these people get into the food business? Obviously not for the love of food.
Oooff, well… at least their green juices and smoothies seem to be good (the pictures do look good) and on a good day the food is “great, quick and fresh,” so why not give Freshii a second chance?
3. Checkers
Rated 3.10/5.00 with 2,129 reviews Checker’s location on Biscayne Boulevard doesn’t look very inviting, especially when you read about the incidents customers have had with food that was just a tad bit moldy… The staff doesn’t really help either…
Staff was taking their precious time and some of them stopped to talk with one another from time to time. And whoever owns this business needs to tighten up the staff… I order at 9:20 didn’t get my food until 10:04 the long wait & lines are very preventable & there is no type of customer service.
So… you shouldn’t probably go to Checkers if you’re in a bit of a hurry to eat or trying to make new friends…Nonetheless, for some, this is the best fast food in the whole of Miami, and they’re very responsive to bad reviews online. They seem to be trying their best to give everyone the best dining experience possible…That should kind of, sort of make up for it, right?
4. Plnthouse
Not gonna lie, we’re kind of surprise to find Plnthouse on this list, their breezy, beachfront location at 1 Hotel South Beach is really pretty. However, the restaurant scored a miserly 3.10/5.00 with 50 reviews. It might have something to do with the fact that they advertise themselves as offering plant-based cuisine and then (alledgely) not having any vegan options on their menu …
Impossible to find if you’re not at the hotel, no thing was vegan, half of the menu was not available, and super expensive for à prepared salad or sandwich or acai bowl
5. Coral Café
Coral Café at the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon did better than most of the restaurants on this list scoring a surprising 3.20/5.00 with 28 reviews. We’d say that’s not a bad score at all considering these reviews included no nightmare stories of poor quality food, but apparently service could use some improvement…
Service is awful. Service is absent. Prices are way out of line. Food is Pedestrian, Nothing at all special. This place doesn’t even care enough about service to pick up the credit card and Process payment. I had to take it to the desk. The staff obviously don’t want to work there. I cant imagine why they even have staff. Self service would be a lot less frustrating.
Yikes! Well, maybe this reviewer caught them on a bad day… But hey, their breakfast food seems to be pretty good according to some of their top reviews, just don’t pay them a visit past noon and you’ll be fine.