Best Places to eat near FIU South Campus?
Hi. I'm a grad student at FIU's South campus and I am sick of the fast food places on or near campus. Anyone know of some good places to eat around there? Especially helpful would be some late night joints and places that deliver.
Thanks.
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Followed one of the Chowhound's links yesterday to find a good restaurant near FIU South campus, and went to Siam Bistro (http://siambistromiami.com/) which has been under-reported here.
Yeh, it's a little hole-in-the-wall, located in a somewhat cheesy shopping center (Taco Bell and CiCi's) but the food was expertly prepared, authentic, and delicious. They knew how to use their spices, so don't order extra hot unless you know what you're doing.
All Thai restaurants should be graded on their Mee Grob. If they don't even offer it, then points off. Siam Bistro presented a delicious one for under $8. A nice big bowl of Tom Yum Soup was perfect for under $5. We ordered Pad Thai and various curries around our table. All perfectly seasoned and presented, food came out hot, and service was sweet and personalized. One of the curry dishes incorporated cold mango, so yes, the curried portion was hot, and the fruit was chilled, on the same plate.
The decor of the restaurant isn't special but not offensive in any way, very homey, in fact. Everyone from the kitchen came out to thank us for being there. By the end of the meal, we all felt like we just had dinner in someone's home, with a really good cook in the kitchen.
We're going back to Siam Bistro, and next time we'll take a look at their wine list. -
Hispanic/Latin/ Spanish Food
El Rey de las Fritas (good latin food at its cheap especially with the 15% FIU discount)
La Carreta is usually good also (its on 87 and Bird).
Sergios on 92 and Bird is hit and miss but inexpensive
Palacio de los Jugos (on Miller and 102 or 142 ave and 8th st)
Brisas de Espana on 87 and Coral Way
Rey Pizza on 93 and Bird roadAsian
There are also a couple of Chinese places which are good on Bird (between 117 and 112) whose names escape me at the moment.
If you want authentic thai cuisine make a trip to Siam Bistro on 117 and Sunset (where the Taco Bell is).Italian
Mario the Baker on Coral and 87 serves fairly good pizza and bread rolls
Frankie's Pizza on Bird and 92nd Ave
Nunzio's (I hear its pricey, but idk never been on 115 and Bird)Other
Sarrussi on 8th and 107 (right next to Taco Bell) makes great sanwiches
Shorty's BBQ also on 115 and bird (good BBQ)
The Pit (Great BBQ) on 176 and 8th St.
El Floridita on Bird and 82 serves up good, fresh seafood at a low price
There is also Chicken Kitchen on 114th and Bird
Natural Chicken Grill (across from FIU)
Sports Grill on 115 and Bird-----
Mario the Baker
1007 N State Road 7, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411Espana Restaurant
22 S 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 -
taiga
Mar 8, 2008 04:24 AM
Nunzio's Restaurant INC
11433 SW 40TH St
Miami, FL 33165-3311
Phone: (305) 221-6091On the weekends, Miami Dade's Italian Professor presides.
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re: taiga
I've heard tons of people say this about Nunzio's, yet I've never been. My family is inflexible on Bird Road dining options, always insisting upon the beautifully prepared peasant food at Casa Paco, but we haven't been in awhile. They do seafood quite well and their specials are incredibly reasonable.
Casa Paco
8868 SW 40th St
Miami, FL 33165
(305) 554-7633
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La Nonna near FIU South got mentioned in New Times' Blog.
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptid...
Seems like it's a good option near campus should you be hungry.
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I had the schwarma at Almazar recently and thought it was ok. It wasn't nearly as good as what they serve at the Jerusalem Market near the FIU north campus, but I didn't find anything wrong with it. The Thai iced tea with boba at Lollicup was good too. The lady operating the place was also really friendly. Does anyone know when the Rey de la Frita is supposed to open in that plaza?
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Like you, I too am an FIU grad student. I posted a similar question several months ago:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/333969
Both places mentioned in that post, The Pit and El Palacio de los Jugos, are quite good. Both are on 8th Street, west of FIU.
Here's another thread by someone living near FIU:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/405931Keep the replies coming...
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re: Nick
WOW... that's a short list!
Here are some restaurants within 2 miles from the campus... so I'm not listing The Pit or the other usual haunts (if I did, the list would be MUCH longer and possibly with tastier choices!). But since I went to FIU, I know how much driving can be a hassle especially if I had to go back to campus to study or sleep in the library! ;-)
Chilean:
Sabores ChilenoChinese:
Lung Gong - ask for the Chinese menuColombian:
El Rinconcito Paisa #4
Mi PuebloColombian Fast Food (Hot Dogs & Burgers): (THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER PLACES LIKE THESE WEST OF YOU)
Que Perros!Cuban:
Latin American Cafeteria - I still can't resist the Cuban sandwiches here.Greek / Middle Eastern:
Almazar - it's right across the campus! Also, I thought the bar (the name escapes me) across the campus had decent bar food. Maybe not the best, but still worth to check it out while playing pool or having beer. :-) It's in the inner corner of the shopping strip where the CVS is located.Nicaraguan: (THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER PLACES LIKE THESE NORTH OF YOU)
Fritanga MonimboPanamanian:
Las Molas Panameno
10910 W Flagler StTea house / Natural Store:
Essential Apothecary - Great tea house! Also has a Vegetarian menu. They're not open late though.Thai:
Royal Thai - I LOVE this place!Vegetarian:
100% Natural Juices / Vegetarian Restaurant
115B SW 107 Ave
305-553-0078
10 am to 6 pm Mon to Sat
Just go into the shopping center with the Marathon gas station and Los Ranchos. It's a little place next to an Italian restaurant. They have a lot of good stuff like empanadas, wraps, cakes and pastelitos and it's almost completely vegan. There's a different special everyday.Venezuelan:
Date Aqui-----
Date Aqui
10662 Fontainebleau Blvd, Miami, FL 33172Royal Palm Cafe
1000 S Pine Island Rd, Plantation, FLEssential Apothecary
12226 SW 8th St, Miami, FLFritanga Monimbo Fontainebleau
9612 Fontainebleau Blvd, Miami, FL 33172Latin America
2010 NW 84th Ave, Miami, FLQue Perros
5912 Johnson St, Hollywood, FLRinconcito Paisa
15108 Sunset Dr, Miami, FL 33193Mi Pueblo Columbiano
7212 Southgate Blvd, Tamarac, FLLung Gong Restaurant
11920 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33184Marriott-Dadeland
9090 S Dadeland Blvd, Miami, FLAlmazar
1665 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33165-
re: mialebven
dmo305
Oct 22, 2007 08:35 PM
wow today i went to try royal thai after hearing all these great reviews about it and quite frankly i thought it was pretty miserable. definately in the lower rung of all the thai places i have been to in miami (born and raised). we went for lunch and the food was sooo mediocre at best. if i didn't know where i was eating it would've been hard to distinguish the dishes from any random mediocre chinese spot. we had the garlic chicken and the chicken and broccoli with fried rice. everything was pretty disappointing. also, we were waited on by an older gentleman and the service was TERRIBLE. no smiles and we just felt like we were being rushed the whole time even though the place was 3/4 empty. when i asked for chopsticks he literally threw them on the table. if you like thai food you have to check out Rock a Bangkok on kendall drive (sw 88th st) around 135 ave i think. that is some of the most delicious thai food i've had since thailand. skip the appetizers. also, regarding almazar the 'greek' place or whatever it is.... terrible aswell! i don't want to sound like a hater but thai and mediterranean cuisines are two of my absolute fav's and both these spots let me down big time. the shawarma at almazar was maybe the WORST OF ALL TIME. skip this place. if u want to eat in this plaza go with a philly cheesesteak from Subrageous next to Little Caesars. Skip the thai place in this plaza too.... possibly worse than Royal.
go with a cuban sandwich at Surussi's on 107th and 8th they are pretty good. i also liked palacio de los jugos (as the name implies, the juices are great). if u want bbq hop down to 115th ave and bird road and go to shortys!-
re: dmo305
Most of the people I know liked Royal Thai and even raved about it. I've always had good experiences there. But perhaps the first mistake was ordering Chinese. And also, I should have mentioned that the dinner menu is much better than the lunch menu. Do not go to Royal Thai for lunch but for dinner instead. That's when it's not 3/4 empty - it's a suburb! Lunch places in the suburbs tend to stay empty.
As for the service, yes, it's run by an old couple and they often act as a server. I cannot vouch for stellar service but their Thai food really beats Rock a Bangkok (I've tried both).
As for Alamazar, always check if the shawarma is being made fresh. But you're better off in ordering a dish than relying on something that comes in a pita bread that is not made fresh - same concept with Pasha's (Pasha's pita wraps are nasty if the pita bread is just old and cold). But either way, I won't say Alamazar is the best in the field. However, it's not a bad option close to campus either.
Try ordering better things. I'm sorry for your unfortunate experiences.
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re: mialebven
dmo305
Oct 26, 2007 11:14 AM
I will try Royal again if you insist that it is a different experience for dinner. However, i did NOT order chinese. They have 1 thai lunch menu as far as i could tell and thats where we ordered from. As far as being in the suburbs... most of Miami is considered the 'suburbs' - we are a spread-out city. I know plenty of good places for lunch in the 'burbs that are not usually 3/4 empty. What do you recommend at Royal? and what did you have at Rock a Bangkok?
As far as the shawarma at Almazar, yes it was not fresh but it wasn't just that. The flavor of the meat was just wrong. Also, i was so excited that there was a mediterranean spot near my new place that i actually ordered about $35 worth of food for two. I was not impressed with anything... shawarma, falaffel, hummus, grape leaves etc. If anyone knows of a good med. cuisine spot around FIU please tell!
As far as ordering better things.... everyone has their own taste.-
re: dmo305
Actually... in all honesty, I haven't been very happy with many Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurants in Miami. Pasha's, a fast food joint, actually rates pretty high by comparison with most shabby places I've tried around. And also Layali Miami - their sides and spanakopita were a miss but their grape leaves and other things were great. If i was going to spend 35 dollars, I would spend it in Layali Miami. Almazar was suggested to be a quick bite... sorry about that. I don't really expect many people to really dine in a restaurant anywhere near FIU except for Royal Thai.
Layali Miami is in Doral and is not too far from FIU. I also heard of another place, Cleopatra's, on 107 just north of Miami International Mall on the east side that is supposed to be good but I have not been there.
At Royal Thai, I had the duck (basil and sweet sour) and I thought it was good. I also had the Thai donut (was for a birthday celebration) and the vegetarian soup (the name escapes me at the moment) that were good.
At Rock a Bangkok I had the Lotus Chicken and the Ginger Beef, both were good, but the duck at Royal Thai made a better impression on me. I also had the spring rolls at Rock a Bangkok and that was very disappointing.
But I must say the people at Rock a Bangkok were much friendlier.
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re: dmo305
Almazar got into the FIU paper just recently... and it said that the baklava there was voted by Miami New Times and The Herald for being the best in Miami.
Additionally, the article says that everything in the store is made fresh, and nothing is canned. Perhaps you went on a bad day or hour? Or maybe even though it's "fresh" it wasn't any "good?"
It appeals a lot of FIU students also because it's affordable. I didn't see any negative reviews.
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re: gimmecarbs
I go there almost every week. The traffic isn't too bad during lunch. You might have to park a little further than you would like, but the sunshine and exercise won't kill you.
I have had the tofu tacos, which were delicious, but the next time I get them I will ask for "light" on the sauce.
The veggie sandwich is also great. it comes with shredded carrots, shredded beets, avacodo, white onion, lettuce, and sprouts. It's on their multigrain bread-delicious-and comes with a yogurt dressing. I get it with the queso fresco instead of the mozzarella-the texture and taste is better for me. It's always melted and wonderful. a great sandwich...The veggie rice is also wonderful. long grain rice with sauted spinach, onions and sometimes bokchoy. I get it with tofu--seasoned and cooked perfectly with a little soy.
The black bean soup is also very good. but make sure you ask for only a few or no tortillas, otherwise that is all you taste.
They are also really good about to-go orders if you don't want to face the crowds.
Anyone know a good indian buffet around here? I would love to indulge at lunch!
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re: mialebven
dmo305
Apr 30, 2008 12:35 PM
Tried going to the address listed for Lazeez and there was a grocery store there instead. When was the last time you were there?
Also, i know i bashed Almazar heavily in a previous post. Stopped in today for a quick falaffel pita and it was good, not great, but i would definitely have it again. Also had the lentil soup, which was made of ground lentils and rice, and spices. It was nice if not a little watery.
Noticed the baklava comes from a place in Dearborn, MI, http://www.shatila.com. Not entirely surprised as some lebanese family friends have been sending us a giant case of similar style sweets from their favorite bakery in MI for years, however, I am a little surprised since I have seen/heard in multiple forums that they make the best baklava around.
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