Miami River Cafe

Food is simply delicious. This is a family business and everyone is very nice and great service! The ceviche vuelve a la vida was incredible!!!

Authentic Mexican. Only locals will find it. The tacos are to die for! Unpretentious. Go with a friend and chill!

Fine Mexican dining. It’s presentation, with presentation, the staff is very good. I had tortilla chips & salsa, short ribs w/​sides peppers, onion, guacamole, and melon. Cost $$

Delicious authentic Mexican Restaurant!
Have been multiple times and will continue to visit. The tacos are awesome, especially on days where they only cost a dollar! Customer service is also on point, friendly and attentive staff and family atmosphere
I recommend the queso fundido with chorizo as an appetizer, so much cheesy goodness!

My favorite Mexican spot in the neighborhood. Gf is Mexican and has approved it as original. Super friendly staff too!

Sooooooo good!
I came here after work to pick up some dinner for myself. I was really craving Mexican food so I decided to give this place a shot. To start off, the location is not so good (right next to a mechanic shop) but don’t let that stop you from checking this place out!
I ordered the chicken and steak fajita… boy was it amazing!!! I mean I honestly can not complain about anything. It’s def a must try! It comes with a side of rice, beans, guacamole and of course tortillas. Everything was delicious! They lady who helped me was very sweet and even mentioned that they have one dollar tacos on Wednesday. I’ll def be back!

Nice spot to grab something hot. tacos are great everything is fresh and the waiter is cool. I leave it up to her when I’m hungry.

This is the real deal. The shrimp cocktail is the best! Makes me feel like im in Mexico. Must try the Micheladas, i had mine with Pacifico– delish. They also have really good tacos and breakfast– try chilaquiles verdes. However– the neighborhood, not so good, the place is a bit creepy but don’t let that scare you-​Thats the only reason for the 4 starts… The food is worth it!

Authentic Mexican
Tacos are great
You know it’s good when all the
Gardeners are here and bring there families
There is a lady in the back that makes a habanero sauce ask for that shit if you like SPICEY

Good tacos for $ 1 in Miami? Never thought I’d see such a thing here. Was a little hesitant at first with such a cheap price for tacos, but I’m glad I took the risk. The campechano (carne asada and chorizo) is hands down their BEST taco. Micheladas are pretty authentic, spicy and crisp. makes my mouth water just typing about them, ha! The fish ceviche tostada is DELICIOUS! Wasn’t even planning on having it, but it’s not something I see very often in menus here, so thought it was worth a try and it did NOT disappoint. The ceviche tasted fresh and spicy (wouln’t have it any other way) and the portion was insane! Will definitely keep coming back to this hidden gem!

For more than 3 months I had wanted to go to this Mexican restaurant. Being a Mexican myself and tried every Mexican joint in Miami I was expecting a little bit more. Some salt could be added to the chips, salsa verde and salsa roja they give you complimentary. I ordered for my appetizer a shrimp cocktail which was amazing, out of this world, just like in Mexico. Then I ordered a combo which included 1 steak taco, 1 shredded beef flauta, 1 enchilada, 1 sope and I also ordered a chile toreado. The steak was missing its tenderness and flavor. The shredded beef had all this fat that I hate. The sope was very good. The chile toreado could use some more time being fried. Over all, I would go back but just for my shrimp cocktail.

As close to Mexico as one can get without leaving Miami. And I mean that in a good way. Particularly enjoy going for lunch on Wednesday’s for their $ 1 taco specials. You can literally feed a family of 4 for well under $ 20. Food is great. Service is good. Beers could be a bit colder but other than that no complaints here.

Excellent meal and service! A very good friend joined a company in the area and loves this place so much that he eats lunch there daily. Today I ate there for the second time and it’s was great again. There were at least a dozen firemen from Miami who eat lunch there each Wednesday because they have special prices for tacos. I have only had the fish and shrimp so far because it’s excellent but next time I will «branch out».

I have had the same favorite Mexican restaurant for almost 30 years and it has finally been replaced.
Yes, it’s a tiny hole in the wall, in Little Havana but if you love authentic Mexican food like I do, you will not not miss this little gem!
The staff was friendly, the service was courteous, the food was EXCELLENT and the portions were huge!
Will be back for sure!

Want traditional Mexican food?
Then this is your place, it is so traditional that it actually looks and feels like a family restaurant in Mexico.
Good menu, great selection of traditional dishes (tortas, enchiladas, flautas, sopes, tacos) dishes come served with a tiny Mexican flag!!! Loved the little piece of love on my chilaquiles!!!
They also carry a fantastic selection of goodies to take home. Don’t be shy and try some At home… Those lollipops with some Chile are a treat!
Thirsty? They make Micheladas, cheladas in addition they carry all the amazing mexican sodas «Jarritos», Jumex Juices, and other delightful Mexican crafted beverages.
The food is great, service is quite informal, décor is very Mexican traditional.
It is in a very unexpected location, but you will feel like at home (in Mexico that is)

Maybe we are light weights… but we walked out shortly after walking in. The smell was overwhelming. My girlfriend thinks it’s bar rot, I think it smelled like a urinal candy. Lol. Seriously though it was distracting enough to think we wouldn’t enjoy the experience.
Anyways I hope they fix it soon! We were both so excited to finally go eat there! Their food seems great and the reputation is awesome!
Someone keep me posted please!
I’m looking forward to a 5 star review soon!
Thanks,
Nick

What a great find! We were stuck in traffic and really jonesing for some Mexican food, even though we know that’s not what South Florida is known for. This gem was right off the highway and from the Unilocal reviews we had to try it. We got the last spot in their tiny lot out front and headed in to find no one there spoke any English. No worries, the waitress was extremely accommodating to our poor Spanish and the menu was written in English and Spanish so it was really pretty easy to order, even if we did seem out of place. Possibly the best guac I’ve ever had, and I’m pretty damn picky. It was obviously freshly made, chunky, smooth and a perfect blend of flavors. They give you complimentary chips (tasted homemade) and both a red and green salsa. The red salsa was out of this world. I’m not a fan of really spicy things so I let my partner try the green and he loved it and admitted it was *very* hot. He had a carnitas burrito and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had three tacos, carnitas, steak and pork belly. They were authentic (no cheese, just tortillas, meat, onions and radishes) and full of flavor. The pork belly was my favorite, giving new meaning to «chewing the fat». I would definitely go back!

When you first drive up to this place your instinct will be to turn around (that’s what my wife asked me to do. LOL), but once you enter it’s like crossing the border into Mexico. The dark dingy vibe, the dude drinking a michelada at 9am on a Saturday morning and the mariachi style music blaring all gave the place a true authentic feel. We came here for breakfast, and I left satisfied. I had the Huevos a la Mexicana which are hard to get wrong, but I liked the consistency and the warm corn tortillas that came with it. The refried beans were a little runny, but maybe they were fresh as opposed to the canned junk I am used to? Who knows. They tasted good anyway. And the Chilaquiles were definitely well put together. This is definitely a Mexican joint I can add to my Mexican restaurant rounds. I will be back every so often.

Doing some urbanscape photography in the area, I came to Miami River Café based mostly on Caro D’s review (Happy ROTD BTW!) I agree on the tacos! Straight up, those are some of the best things that can be had for about $ 2. The chicken was light, and I liked the citrus marinade as well as the fresh cut onions. The «rough» tortilla was a new experience but I can say I like it.
Ditto with the chicken burrito! I’m digging the large amounts of red peppers and the spicy sweet salsa. Celery pieces thrown in gave it a different taste as well. The portion was huge as well; I couldn’t finish it!
I guess that balances out the skimpy portion of chips that weren’t the usual flat tortilla from tex mex places. Served with two salsas — again not the usual pico de gallo — I preferred the spicy queso over the guacamole. I’m also taking off one star for parking. As others have commented, it is scarce, risky and I detest putting my Eleanor at risk! The music — while authentic corridos — was a touch loud even for someone of Hispanic descent. Three stars for now.

I divide my life into two eras: pre-​California and post. If you have ever spent a significant time in the Golden State, you might be able to relate. In my pre-​California life, my understanding of Mexican food was limited to Taco Bell and El Paso Salsa — this was the context under which I approached a hole-​in-​the-​wall burrito haven for the first time as wide-​eyed, impressionable and naïve freshman.
That first burrito at Patty’s, it changed me. Hot sauce wasn’t something to be afraid of any more, Carne Asada, cheese and refried beans rocketed to the top of my cravings list and hungover Friday mornings were never the same again.
My post-​California life has been punctuated by the discerning lack of decent Mexican food. I’ve been to Homestead, I’ve been to Taco Rico, I’ve hit all of those heavily recommended hot spots, and still, I remain on a relentless search for a perfect burrito.
It’s my Everest.
Miami River Mexican is getting me one step closer to the summit.
Let’s be clear, I did not order the burrito, so the summit might still be in local grasp. After a recommendation from a stranger, failed Unilocal search and a single Google location listing and a nervous car ride up 8^th avenue where (I swear this is a true story) I donned my yach-​cap navigator’s hat I directed my dining companions to this neon-​orange mexican haven nestled between two auto-​repair shops. Yes, we got hassled to buy used cars. Yes, one of them had bullet holes in it. Yes, they had been repaired with caulk. Yes, these three girls from Brickell were sketched out — but hey, you have to make sacrifices for good food, right?
Walking inside you find there’s a bar, a sit-​down portion AND some pool tables in the back, a couple TV’s hanging from the roof playing soccer and a bunch of wall-​mounted clay vases (well, I think they were vases, the jury’s still out on the décor. Will update after a second visit).
Our waitress, picking up on our fish-​out-​of-​water situation, was very patient and accommodating and answered all of our questions with a smile. Well, the ones that were asked in Spanish, at least.
We ordered some fresh home made guacamole to complement the chips and salsa on the table, which was a solid choice, and one I will continue to make in the future. There are varying degrees of salsa, but they start at «hot» and escalate to «hellfire» pretty quickly, so heed your waitresses warnings and order a milky horchata to balance out the burn. The mildest salsa was of a mango-​passion fruit variety and we loved it. The green salsa was a little hotter so we approached it with care, but the hellfire orange salsa was a chipotle based sauce which meant I had to weather the heat and pour it over everything. It was delicious! BUT my throat, mouth and nasal passages were on fire.
The horchata was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. Horchata in Miami is generally grainier and thinner than what I would drink in California. The search for the perfect rice drink is still on.
We each ordered three tacos, at the wallet-​shattering price of $ 1.75 a piece. After all, we did splurge, opting for the «Tacos Especial» which come topped with avocado, radishes, grilled onion and radishes (yes, radishes).
On a regular day, these tacos would set you back $ 2.25 (or $ 2.00 if you’re not feeling especial), but on Wednesdays all tacos are $ 1.00.
The Mexican 100 Montaditos, if you will.
We ordered al pastor, carne asada, grilled chicken, and steak tacos– but have no idea who ate what because we’re fairly certain our orders were interchanged at some point, but it’s fine because everything I put in my mouth was delicious. (By the way, meat options range from straight pork, steak, chicken, al pastor or barbacoa to chorizo, tongue or chicharon).
The tacos are not only delicious and PACKED with flavor, but are also PACKED, period. Keeping all of that meat inside the small home-​made flour tortilla proved impossible and required some wipies for post-​meal clean up. Not to mention that I couldn’t even fit the third taco in my belly I was already so full after two.
Glad to have made the trek into uncharted territory, I put my yacht-​cap back on and steered our group back to the safe confines of our Brickell high-​rises.
But we will be back. And we will eat burritos.