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Mon-Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
"Went to the reopened and re-imagined La Cofradia, and am very pleased with the changes. The owner decided to take a step back and reassess…" read more »
More than meets the eye.
This is Peruvian seafood restaurant, which aims to be upscale. If you are looking for a more authentic Peruvian feel, this is not the place to go.
Driving by, one would never imagine what a gem lies behind these unsightly doors. Once you open those doors, however, the homey and cozy feeling hits you and you don't want to leave that place. Very simple decor, but the energy in the air is very warm and welcoming. The waiters' uniforms and the service create the upscale feel. Now about the food. I have tried four types of ceviche in pink, white, yellow and the traditional lemon sauce. The traditional version topped my list and it is, no doubt, the best ceviche I have had in Miami so far. I wish we ordered just that and omitted the other versions. Well, will know better next time. For the main course I had their famous squid ink dish, which has the most amazing taste and very rich and satisfying flavor. Dulce de leche nut cake dessert was very moist, not too sweet with good texture.
The server was very helpful when making selections. All in all, a great Peruvian restaurant with delicious food!
Came for a business lunch and ended up with a culinary adventure. i was surprised that such a nice space existed behind the less than stellar facade. I wish they hadn't whited out the windows, but I guess the only view would have been of my building's parking garage.
I'm a peruvian food novice. I know i like ceviche but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Fortunately my lunch companions were far more knowledgable and we ended up with some great plates to share.
The Causa Rellena con Camarones was good -- kind of like a potato cake with avocado, shrimp and a really yummy sauce.
Also the Conchas a la Parmesana which were really tasty marinated sea scallops with a crust of cheesy goodness on top.
I also had the Ceviche de Pescado which was good but surprised me with three different creamy sauces that I hadn't encountered before. It was all tasty, but I prefer my ceviche lighter.
The service left something to be desired. Our lunch took nearly two hours mostly because of mistakes in the orders. It's pricey too, so i don't think I'll try it again unless I'm not footing the bill.
This place is awesome! It almost seems to be hidden (because I certainly had never seen it before). We were driving around the Gables looking for somewhere to have lunch. We almost went to Graziano's but then we saw this place and my husband said he had heard good things about it. I'm so glad we went in! It is pricey, but the food was fantastic.
The ceviche was perfect, lots of lime, onion, and spicy too!
For entree I had the grilled corvina with a tangerine and pernod sauce. The sauce was wonderful..a little sweet and different than any sauce I've had before. Next we had flan and espressos to end our lunch. I can't wait to come back and try their other dishes.
This is a gourmet Peruvian place that definitely aims to please.
Definitely not a cheaper restaurant, but worth trying at least once. Our food was delicious, I had a rice that was made with squid and its ink. Absolutely wonderful, I am not going to deny it was a bit heavy, so its not a dish you want to eat too late lest you want to have a heavy stomach and weird dreams.
We asked for them to recommend a good wine.. they did, we left happy.
I am always surprised by the amount of hype this place gets. I've been twice and not particularly impressed either time. Both times the waitress decided to upsell, both times not for a particularly stellar dish. The locale is very nice, ingredients are high quality and the food well cooked, but they have a heavy hand with oil and seasonings. I like my ceviches light, bright and flavorful, not doused in creamy sauces. One time I had a black linguini (upsold) with olive oil clinging to every strand. The whole thing tasted of HEAVILY of garlic.
I think there are some very good homestyle Peruvian options throughout Miami for a fraction of the price, and in this case, I prefer the more inexpensive options.
I am also not certain why it gets so readily branded AUTHENTIC every time, it is upscale Peruvian, closer in its roots than perhaps La Cofradia was, but it is not true authentic.
I go to Francesco's at least once a week for business meals, and it never, ever disappoints. You can always see Franco, the owner, overseeing things and making sure everything runs smoothly.
It is a cozy, intimate restaurant and the staff is really courteous.
Now let's get into the food, this is AUTHENTIC peruvian food, I've tried almost everything on the menu. You must try the Three Sauce Sampler Fish Ceviche, it's fantastic. The Shrimp Causa is also really good. They do have lunch specials during the week for reasonable prices, please try the Picante de Camarones. And from the entrees menu, please try the Squid Ink Risotto with Aji Amarillo, you will thank me for that one.
Finish it all off with the Suspiro Limeño, best I've tried in Miami.
One thing I must say is that the prices could be more reasonable, there is a little misconnection between value and price, and during these difficult times, they should re-consider their pricing strategy.
Overall, this is a nice place, with great food and not-so-friendly prices.
I say try it, at least once.
A potentially five-star Peruvian restaurant. The food is great, especially the ceviche, which tastes like it beamed up from Peru 10 minutes ago. Five stars for that, and for the location, if you happen to live in the Gables.
One star minus for the prices, which could be much, much more reasonable. And another falling star for the host/hostess attitude (have to wait for the hemming and hawing to finish when you tell them you don't have a reservation, in spite of the restaurant being 3/4 empty) and for having to valet park because they've taken over the 5 metered spaces in front of the restaurant precisely for that reason.
If I could give it 10 stars I would!!!! The BEST PERUVIAN RESTAURANT IN FLORIDA!!!! If you want authentic Peruvian cuisine you have got to try this restaurant!!! You won't regret it!!! I can't recommend it enough!!!
Happy eating!!!!
Absolutely fantastic. The cerviche is great, very fresh. Everything on the menu is tasty really. A very cute cozy place, sometimes there is live music.
This is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.
I have been to Francesco's several times in my quest for great Ceviche. I have also tried several of their other items. But first I need to comment on their decor. I do know some Peruvians of German background. But, why didn't they change the design of the restaurant when they took it over from the owner of Fritz and Franz? I don't know how Alpine decor works with fresh fish (and other Peruvian foods).
On to the Ceviche. They serve several versions including the traditional. The other versions are interesting but a bit cloying for my taste. The traditional version was very good, it just wasn't as good as Cofradia and the portion was smaller for the same or possibly greater amount of money.
The other menu items that I have had were all good. Possibly the best octopus in Miami outside of Ariston. They have two versions, a simple, perfectly grilled hot version and a cold version in a yellow hot sauce that is also great. Their Causa is also very good.
Unfortunately they have a very poor wine list. Not many wines that would work well with the Ceviche. Just a lot of the typical supermarket brands.
SUPERB - this place is simply all that !!
Great little Peruvian place in Coral Gables, wonderful menu, there is really nothing particular that pops up just because everything is good.
It is a great mix of Peruvian and Italian.
The service is nothing short of Great - even though we paid a pretty penny, we have always left satisfied and feeling good.
There is magic in the combination of good food, good spirits and good service.
Definitely make reservations if you are coming for dinner.
I enjoyed my meal here. I would recommend.
Love Francesco! The owners brought it here from Lima, Peru where its also a very well known restaurant. It's a quaint little place in the Gables, but it sure makes up for it in the taste of it's dishes. I"ve had the ceviche and causa de camarones. It's delicious!. Great service too.
Um, yes, it is that good. Both food and service were wonderful. Sauces are the specialty here. There are special sauces for ceviche and various fish dishes.
Quite excellent indeed, including in its original location in a house just north of Lima (port town of Callao) and their second location in the Miraflores section of Lima overlooking the ocean (very high end and with a wait at lunch). It is run by a family and is very appropriately well regarded in Peru but not so much for authenticity as for simply being excellent (they play a bit loose with some traditional recipes though their "causa" is perhaps the best I've ever had, as is their "papa rellena"). Everything there that I have tried has been very good and the problem is that Peruvian food does not generally export well because the ingredients are there (like their amazingly potent limes -- ceviche just isn't the same without them).
Doesn't make the cut. Not at these prices. For what they charge, the meal and the ambience should be perfect. Francesco fails on both counts.
I love Francesco's. All in all, I reckon I've been there 20 or 25 times and I always find the food outstanding and fresh, the service attentive, polite and not overdone, the prices fair... what is there not too like? The noise, for one, but one can gloss over that.
The tuna herb salad for lunch is outstanding. Could easily have it every day (and went I finally make enough money to go to restaurants every day... I certainly will).
Recommend it for everything: lunch, dinner, special ocassions...
Nice little Peruvian restaurant tucked away from the rush of other Coral Gables restaurants. Test run for Lunch, Seafood in mind. Recommend the Ceviche offerings and their Corvina. If you are brave, try out their squid with rice (it is completely black from its ink). Will try out dinner next month.
5 stars because this really is as good as it gets. Francesco is a small restaurant that pours its energy into food and service, and the results are outstanding. The casual setting creates the illusion that this is easy. It's not. Suggest that you start with a ceviche sampler -- every ingredient wil have its own texture and taste and will contribte to a symphony of taste - and go from there.
Simply amazing food and atmosphere! The ceviche is WONDERFUL. Go to this place!
There's an old Jewish saying that if you want to find good sushi, go to the restaurant where all the patrons speak Japanese. The same rule applies to Peruvian restaurants, as this gem is light on the gueros and heavy on the mindblowing ceviche and astounding lomo saltado. The only slightly disappointing part of the meal was the tres leches cake, which oozed three kinds of milk, but was probably not the best dessert selection on the menu, contrary to the waiter's emphatic suggestion. The atmosphere is great for a special night out, and the service was excellent and unobtrusive. And don't worry when they take your bottle of wine away after pouring a glass -- they'll be back promptly to top it up exactly when you need some more. A perfect introduction to Miami.
4 stars entirely for the food which is FANTASTIC.
One of the very best restaurants in Miami. This nuovo latino - fusion restaurant offers a mix of perubian and italian cuisine. Excellent taste. You should make reservations in advance.
What can I say? Probably the best Peruvian restaurant in Miami. The food is excellent. Try Mixed Tiradito, Causa rellena or Lomo Saltado with mushroom Tacu Tacu and you'll know how nirvana feels like... if they just could work on the acoustics of the place, you could hear yourself Ohm!
I came here because of a recommendation from a Peruvian friend of mine who says that Francesco's is the most Authentic and best Peruvian restaurant in Miami. After eating there, I can definitely understand why. The restaurant looked very quiet on the outside, but was very cozy and quite busy for a Monday night on the inside. The waitress was very attentive and spent a great deal of time explaining the menu to us since we did not have experience with this cuisine before. Additionally, unlike most authentic restaurants in Miami, her English was easily understandable and quite fluent. We ended up ordering a three sauce ceviche as an appetizer. The sauces each very distinctive and had an excellent flavor. The flavors complimented the shrimp/fish nicely. Their dinner rolls were also really soft and flavorful. We ordered the squid ink risotto with shrimp as well as the seared tuna over a spicy risotto. Both meals were slightly salty for our tastes, but the tuna was prepared perfectly. The tuna was seared in such a way that the middle was still soft and slightly raw, while the outside was cooked and crusted with a sauce which made the fish taste almost like a perfect steak. Overall, the restaurant was reasonably priced for the quality of food and service, but it's definitely not cheap. I will definitely be back again to dine here.
Coral Gables, FL
Category: Caribbean
Coral Gables, FL
Category: Latin American
Coral Gables, FL
Category: French
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Seafood Markets
Miami, FL
Category: Japanese
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