Barton G the Restaurant
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
31 Reviews for Barton G the Restaurant
An amazing place with amazing food & service. Barton G makes you an adult throughout dinner, only to bring you back to the circus (literally) for sessert. Order the "Bigtop" dessert which comes complete with sparklers - a must for any celebration. (Or to brighten up a regular night out!)
Yes, the menu is pricey, but totally worth it. (Dinner & wine complete with my favorite circus dessert = $130-160)
FYI - if you think the Bigtop would be a waste b.c you're only there with a date, they'll PACK IT UP!
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Oh wow, where can I even start. I loved Barton G.
The food is not only delicious, it's an art. I got this seafood special served in an enormous metal martini glass. The Kobe Beef my fiance got was just as delicious.
They have a very nice outside patio to enjoy your compny and your food.
I've seen some people complaints about the staff - I didn't have that experience, and we had a large party (maybe 10).
I highly recommend the xperience. It's a lot of fun, even if it is pricy.
I really enjoy the experience at Barton G. The food is good, but not great, and the servers are "understated" and don't bother you much...which is fine by me. I like to eat outside, so the dark patio is also cool by me. The Nitros are probably the best/most interesting part of the meal, but are very expensive.
I just don't understand it... I must have had the worst experience twice but my goodness! This is the worst! I understand the "themed" restaurant dining and that the presentation is the kicker here but the food was AWFUL!
There is no lighting in the patio. The waiters give you little flashlights, which is really cute if you're 12 and camping out. So you then can't read your menu, your server pays a little attention to you (maybe she's rude, maybe they are understaffed) but you go with the flow and use your flashlight to order what you think is going to be "the best meal of your life"
But you don't, you rarely see your server (other then to order your food) and when it comes...well lets just say its, rubbery and insignificant.
The taste that is.
If you are looking to spend a lot of money on a meal that is all show and substance this is your place!
But if you'd like both, keep searching...
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What is up with all the hype? I do have to say that the presentation was nice, but the entree I got was not. I ordered the taj mahal seafood. Shrimp was dry, lobster a little salty. I did enjoy my nitro drink. 8 ball was GREAT!!
Glad to experience it, but not worth going back unless you like 30 dollar martini's!
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Service was terrible! I have been here twice now and had the same horrible service both times! The food was very good, but I can't get over how badly we were treated. Our server (Mark) was the worst! We had to fill our own wine glasses, he never explained the dishes (or sauces) when they came out, the wait was sooooo long for each course and Mark was flat out rude! The only time he cared about was getting paid! I barely took my credit card out of my wallet and he came over to pick it up- hello! Where was he the rest of the meal!!! I would NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone- I have been treated poorly enough times to know this is not a quality establishment!!!
Made reservations for 2 and told them in advance one guest was in a wheelchair. It was an early reservation, 6pm, and the place was mostly empty, but they still stuck us near the bathrooms. They truely made no effort to accomodate or even be friendly. I guess technically they are accessable, with their cluttered ramp to the side door, but technically they are also assholes. I'd rate the food but we left before the waiter, who acted like he was the one being made to feel uncomfortable, returned probably much later.
i have to say that i love this place so much! we have been two times and have reservations for this saturday again. we have had noting but exceptional service from the moment we check in. we have always had early reservations 6:00pm - 6:30pm, that may make a difference. the food is terrific and wow what a show. it is definitely pricey but i don't mind paying for good food. if you are in town it is a must. to keep the bill low watch the drinks that is what will get cha.
also beware of specials no price is given and we ended up with a $90.00 bone in rib eye steak
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I love this place, you're all nuts! The food is fun, beautiful, and contrary to all common sense, based on the first two descriptions, it is DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Of course its also incredibly expensive, and not going to become your regular friday night stopoff, but for special occasions, this would be my first choice.
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I just had the best meal of my life at Barton g.
Yes, the presentation is totally over the top; clearly, that's their gimmick, but the food was excellent, the service exceptional, the ambiance vibrant, and fun plates and dry ice wouldn't make up for the lack of any of these other elements.
Without the crazy, whimsical (but not kitschy) presentation, yes, I'd probably have given it a four-star rating, but again, all the factors combined for a truly memorable experience.
It's expensive, yes, (we spent about $150 per person, which included cocktails and two bottles of wine). I spent more at the world-famous Inn at Little Washington and enjoyed the meal and experience far, far less.
A leisurely paced meal took us about 3 hours to savor, and by the time we were done, we decided against going clubbing. We kind of felt like we'd had such an amazing time over dinner that stretching the night on would be pointless! Always go out on a high point, right?
This place is awesome if you are hyper-visual and have no taste buds I think they try to trick you into believing the food is divine with their fancy presentation. What do you think, I was born yesterday??
I ordered the flank steak, served on an XL wooden plate with chimchurri sauce carried by a giraffe.
Big whoop di do....so you went to WalMart and found some cool serving pieces. That wasn't enough to distract me from the fact that the steak was tough and flavorless. Furthermore, the sparkler show that comes with dessert wasn't enough to hide that your popcorn balls were stale.
Apparently this place is expensive, but we ordered from a prix fix menu so I can't honestly confirm. All I know is thank God we weren't paying because I would have been irked to fork over hard-earned money on a tasteless meal!
One courtesy star for good service and the beautiful foliage in the outside dining area.
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This place is a trip. They've decided to sacrifice taste for presentation, which I might understand if the price point was lower-but it's not. So instead, you're paying a lot to experience the only place on earth that serves liquid oxygen drinks (so they say-I'm not sure I'm buying this) which means the alcohol gets increasingly potent as it defrosts.
We were looking for a date night in Miami, we wanted it to be over the top, and this place fit the bill-with the popcorn shrimp being artfully arranged cascading out of an movie theater popcorn box onto a bed of popcorn. Again, clever over taste-and that's fine if you're okay with the experience. I'm sure that's fine for many of the patrons-it had a feel of the "see and be seen." The fish had a giant toy fish that changed colors and moved across the mirrorred tray.
Having tried it once, and living in a great foodie city, I would not return, but might recommend to friends who wanted "fun in Miami" suggestions, but definitely only for a table outside.
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Angie S is wrong: the food here is eatable--good, even.
I just wish everyone would stop taking pictures of their food. I mean, come on--I'm over here trying to have a serious meal. Let me enjoy my dessert with sparklers coming out of its ass in peace, for crissake.
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I HATE this place!
1) For starters, they accidentally caught my friend's dress on FIRE with one of the sparklers they use on their food presentation. Yeah--can you believe it? My friend was so gracious, she didn't make a scene, just kindly asked to speak with the manager. When the manager approached us, he automatically got on the defensive and said: "What do you expect me to do? Pay for your dress?" If I where a manager at a nice restaurant, I think I would start out with: "Are you OK?" Needless to say, he never said that, and refused to offer to pay for the dress (and we aren't talking an expensive dress---under $80)!
2) The next big kicker was that there was a party of underage kids there--probably 20-25 eighteen year olds. Most of them where really drunk, and in particular, 3 of the girls where especially drunk. These 3 amigas spent the whole evening, in the small bathroom, hogging a stall and puking their brains out. It was so disgusting! Again, if I where a manger at a nice restaurant in Miami, I would have asked them to leave. It was clearly a scene. The only thing that was funny about that whole thing was that two girls helped walk the puker outside to the car with her her dress hiked above her butt, and she clearly forgot her underwear.
3) The waiter was a new.....spilled a drink on our table. I felt bad for him though. He was really sorry about all that was happening to us and felt even worse that his manager was doing absolutely nothing to remedy the situation.
All in all, a miserable experience. The only reason I gave it one star was because the presentation was awesome, but the food isn't really spectacular.
Ok, so the ***** comes from the stunning presentations and equally impressive taste. I went to dinner here with friends on a girls weekend in South Beach. Most nights you need a reservation. We sat outdoors in their beautiful jungle-type patio. Our app. was the snow-cone sashimi which literally looked like a giant snow cone of ice covered with thin strips of raw tuna and salmon. Sooooo good!
For my entree, I had fish that still had the head on it but the presentation was so cool I didn't even notice until I was finished. It's fun to watch the waiters bring out food because each dish looks so unique. Also, I had one of their specialty vodka drinks... elephant something, and it had some sort of dry-ice that instantly froze the drink. I highly suggest this place to impress a date and enjoy a terrific meal at the same time. Only downfall is that it is on the pricey side, so be prepared to spend $150 for dinner for two if you order an app. and a drink.
I thought I would love this place. They cater all of our company events. the presentation is always great and the food is always delicious.
I went there last night with a young lady. When I arrive at the podium, i requested a seat for 2. The hostess gave me a look as if I couldnt afford to eat there. i brushed it off and followed the gentleman to our seat.
We were seated literally 6ft from the restroom at a small wobbly table.
Inside was a bit full, but there were a few other 4 person tables open.
I asked the waiter if we could move, he gladly took our menus and escorted us back to the front of the restaurant to speak to the hostess again.
I was told that i would have to wait 45 minutes to be seated at a 2 person table. I question why we could not be sat at a 4 person table.
She responded with "We dont seat parties of 2 at 4 person tables." I looked around only to find abt 2 other couples sitting at 4 person tables. I didnt argue with her and politely left the property.
Needless to say, I spoke with our events coordinator and they will be losing about $30,000.
It sucks that such a great place, can have such nasty people employed there.
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Quite a trendy place. This place is about the experience--SOBE flashy. So foodies steer clear.
If I had to choose a restaurant to represent Miami, I would pick this restaurant. Like the rest of the city and nightlife, it's all about over-the-top presentation. Many menu items are served literally as they are described. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy your dining experience--maybe even take some pictures of your food and drink. (I recommend getting an outside table.) But be forewarned, not foodie level in taste.
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Barton G is a Miami Beach landmark. Outside dining is elegant and romantic under white umbrellas in a lush garden setting. This is an experience for serious foodies who are willing to indulge the whimsy of Chef Ted Martinez and restaurant mascot Sabrina the Chimp. Each plate is a unique presentation with its own theme but don't let the theatrics fool you. These are serious victuals which feature American fare with international flare. The wine list is just as impressive as the menu with a wide variety of champagnes and excellent wines from all over the globe. The bass in papillote with roasted potato and asparagus is distinguished by tender ginger slices and the pear and walnut brioche crusted lamb chops are perfection. Share a fountain of chocolate served with fruits and cake slices for a dramatic finale to a true fine dining experience.
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Super yummy, ultra-fab, casually elegant dining experience! Love the outdoor dining area with its tropical jungle ambiance and sexy grooves. Especially appreciate the attention to detail w/ the tongue and cheek presentation of dishes. Creative and upscale, very enjoyable.
Ordered the Voo-Doo Coconut Shrimp appetizer and it came out in a volcanoesque vessel, smoking from the dry ice. Delish!
Surprised and delighted by the portions, not teeny-weeny. Our entrees were superb, swordfish was amazing and my companion's surf 'n turf was awesome!
Friendly, professional service and since we aren't big eaters our check wasn't all that expensive - we each had a cocktail, shared an appetizer, ordered individual entrees, it came out to about $150 plus tip.
It's a fun, fine dining experience. Chic and unique!!!
Update 8/6/2007
Dining experience inside opposed to outside patio is worlds apart...recently sat in the dining room on a Saturday night and was overcome with the cheese factor! Seemed very tourist-y and servers were harried. I recommend sitting on the patio instead! In either section, ask to be sat at Jennifer's table. She's an excellent server, friendly and professional!
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The experience was wonderful, except for the extreme heat of the evening the restaurant treated us well. I do agree with most this is a spot for excess. My thoughts on the night were the the chefs definitely put more emphasis on the presentation than the flavor of the dish. We tried the Mahi Mahi (good), grouper (great if you like grouper), shrimp (excellent), disco crap (excellent), Monk fish (great), ceviche (ok), chopped steak (eh), and a few other items. They have an interesting selection of Nitro drinks where the alcohol is frozen with nitrogen and as it thaws and the nitro vaporizes, increases the alcohol content. At 24-35 a pop, it may be also a novelty purchase over a tasteful one.
The atmosphere on the patio was exceptional with the jungle feel, fans to disperse the heat and a very welcoming vibe, although the 70's and 80s soundtrack for ambiance could use a good update. Inside is much more elegant and modern with a more professional appeal. Either way keep in mind the weather for a summer time reservation when selecting the patio and go to impress.
I'm knocking off a star because the food flavor could have been executed better or at least priced more reasonably for what you're getting, the wine selection was a little lacking and over priced for some of the international bottles, however, it was over all a great experience and I'd try it again or recommend it to friends for an extravagant night out or a place to "impress" a date/group.
I hardly ever give 5 stars but this place is well worth. The space is gorgeous, loved the outdoor area. The food is absolutelyyy deliciousssssssssssssss!!!
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Ok, Barton G is not what you would call casual dining. Put your party dress on, and if you are on a date, dont wear panties because after signing this check, your escort will expect you to put out. I didnt have that problem, because i came here with my family, and it was the best part of my trip to miami. The reason for that was that my dad had to shell out for my $250.00 steak. I showed him.
This is a really fun place for groups and parties, their whole shtick is presentation. Everything you order is like four times the price of everywhere else because they bring it to you on dry ice or wrapped in christmas lights or something like that. The food is definately really good. My kobe beef was the most incredible, tender piece of meat i have ever eaten and it was served on like a manhole cover with some jim dine inspired metal work to hold the sauces and savory ice cream (!!!).
They also have great desert and a variety of coffees including one thats made from monkey shit. I am not kidding. thats what it says on the menu. We got the mini creme brule assortment and there is also a cotton candy desert that comes in a little machine. Also, my family is no prize and i felt sorry for the unlucky server that got stuck with us, but she was gracious and pleasant, even when i felt she had every right to lose it. It is definately an experience, but the fancy drinks will leave you sober and unless you're being treated the pimped out seafood in a giant martini glass might not be worth the exorbitant price. I couldnt wait to get back to LA and have an In'n'Out Burger.
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Really deserving of NO STARS!! Hands down, some of the worst food I've ever eaten, and we barely ate a thing at this completely overhyped stuck in the late 80's bastion of nastiness.
If I had to choose a restaurant to represent the lowest quality food, this would be the restaurant.
We ordered about five or six dishes between us, and every single part of this meal was absolutely terrible. Caesar salad course? Unwashed lettuce, not even torn apart, with some overly creamy SYSCO-like salad dressing on it. Fries? Popeyes is better. Stone Crab? I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be slimy...yeah, sure, it wasn't frozen ( so totally dethawed it's not even funny).
Perhaps the worst part was when, to complete the terrible meal experience, we ordered the mound of cupcakes to go. First of all, they're not cupcakes-- they're muffins. It was like trying to eat stale Otis Spunkmeyer muffins covered in Jif Peanut Butter & gummi bears. SO REPULSIVE EVEN THE DOG WOULDN'T TOUCH IT, AND SHE EATS CAT SHIT!!!!!
Oh, and we had diarrhea for 3 days. BOO HISS!!
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Great recommendation from friends. This is where Top Chef's episode on creative food presenation and now I can see why.
The food is all three dimensional, literally. As a vegetarian, I had a miniture wheelbarrow with vegetables inside. The meat eaters has a kabob of large salmon or beef strung like a bbq on a large mount. The desserts weren't like anything I'd seen. HUGE portions of ice cream. One cotton candy lifted up high with caramel popcorn underneath. Cupcakes stacked on top of each other. Beignets with different flavors to choose from.
A must go for visitors. Waitresses were super nice.
One star docked because of the hostess who gave us attitude for being on time while we waited 30 minutes for our table (we had made reservations). Otherwise, I would have given then 5 stars.
Tip: Make reservations outside, and make sure to come early.
It is safe to say there is no restaurant like Barton G's anywhere. I don't even think there are words to describe how amazing the presentation is. The seafood appetizer with shrimp, crab and lobster is truly amazing and served in an over sized Martini glass. The Martini flight is served in four test tube shot glasses. Monk fish comes served on a rectangular plate with a ceramic monk. My parents ordered the lobster pop tart appetizer that comes served in a faux toaster oven.
Everything at Barton G's is a show. The deserts and appetizers are the best part of the menu. The previous time I had been here a few years ago, the short ribs were amazing. I could go on and on about Barton G's it is without a doubt one of the best restaurants anywhere. Its also a great place to celebrity watch. Be prepared to break the bank though, its really expensive.
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This place is definitely worth the money spent! I went to Barton G's last week and we enjoyed, the monkfish and the Kobe beef! wowser...:)
Chef Joe Parson's has done a great job of amping up the quality of the food and coupling it with Barton's whimsical food presentations...
If you are into the rich and famous, Keep an open eye! Last time we were in Tommy Lee & Denise Richard's were celebrating his birthday with Tom Cruise.
Be advised...for a decent dinner for two with wine..appetizers and dessert...expect to drop a minimum of $200 clams per person.....pricey, but definitely worth the money spent!!!!!!!!!!!
What's up everybody, I don't live in Miami, but thanks to my super trendy Miami cousin we came here and I must say it was probably the best part of my trip. Not like I don't know good food or anything, I do, so you can def. check this out.
1. Best pork I've ever had! Also, biggest pork I've ever been served at a restaurant. Take note, most everything is big enough to split with two hungry people. My pork came with veggies (yum, grilled brussel sprouts!) on a pitchfork stabbed into a wooden pig board with a mini cornbread loaf that was sooo sweet and good, honey glazed, then there was also applesauce sorbet, with a hint of liquor in it and some cornbread stuffing. SO GOOD.
2. Shall I address the desserts? Choice of one is big enough for the whole table. We opted for the lightest option, an apple tart which was perfect. Most desserts are served with options of what to top the dessert or dip the dessert in, you'll see what I mean.
3. Dude, disco crab! Chicken on Brick! Mac n Cheese! Popcorn Shrimp! I'd love to meet the guy who came up with these presentation, I know that's probably why you are reading this anyway, and why you are contemplating going here, trust me, it's expensive, oh yeah, but the food portions are definitely generous and the presentations will Wow you. Unless you're just a not fun person.
Make a reservation in advance and come early if you want to hear what the person next to you is saying. What can I say, I loved the place.
Overall, I absolutely loved this place! From the moment we walked in, there was a constant hummmm in the restaurant of everyone chatting and sipping exotic cocktails.
The food is served in quite possibly the most entertaining manner: lobster rolls served in actual toasters! I had a magnificent and very strong champagne martini (not to mention pricey at $18): the martini came with a champagne popsicle and a chocolate monkey hanging from the glass. The sticker shock of $18 a glass didn't turn into that much of a problem as the strength of the drink limited my order to 2...
While the entrees were not as spectacular as the aesthetics of it all, I would definitely recommend hitting Barton G! Just make sure you dress the part and don't leave home without your wallet ... ;)
The presentation of the food is unique - a popcorn shrimp appetizer was served with a small box of popcorn. The service was excellent. The only option for parking is valet, since the restaurant is located in a residential area.
It's a "once in a lifetime" type of restarant. Since I've been there once in my lifetime, I don't need to go again.
I loved this place. The presentation and food were both amazing. It was just a really fun time eating here. I got the Coca Cola BBQ chicken which came with a tiny Coke bottle filled with Coca Cola BBQ sauce. The meal also came with Blinkies which is their version of a Twinkie except it was cornbread. Definitely the best cornbread I've ever had. My friend got brick oven chicken that was served on a brick! Everything looks great there and tastes even better.
Make sure to get a dessert, I'm guessing they are all fun. I got the cotton candy which was the size of a beach ball and came with three popcorn balls and tons of chocolate covered pretzels.
Just a warning it is pretty expensive to eat here (expect at least $40+ per person if each get entrees, an appetizer, and maybe a drink) but its definitely worth it on a special occasion.
If you eat only one expensive meal in your life this is the place to go.
This is the restaurant that you go to when you are trying to impress someone--but pretty much only for that reason. I had a business dinner here and the food was good but the presentation was the real show. The swordfish comes out on a sword and some dish (not sure which) comes out with a sparkler on top, drawing attention from the entire restaurant. My first mojito was good, the second was terrible and I had the bartender remake the drink. We must have had $200 worth of desert consisting of a GIANT banana split, an enormous chocolate fountain with fruit and rice krispie treats to dip, and a chocolate fudge brownie with ice cream in a huge martini glass.
In other words, go here if someone else is paying. :o)
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