El Novillo Restaurant Reviews

Went with family (party of 6) for Mothers Day, they don't take reservations for super busy holidays, but they were a well oiled pit stop crew. They looked like ants running in all directions, and they got people in and out in a reasonable amount of time, without sacrificing service nor food quality. My go to Nica restaurant when I want a great churrasco, at decent price (12oz $30), including their delicious gallo pinto and sweet and fried plantains. They also have a great lunch menu and it's a beautiful restaurant inside.

Food and service are the best offers of this Nicaraguan Restauran. Also prices are very reasonable La comida y el servicio es lo mejir de estw Restaurant Nicaraguense a precios muy razonables

Sat down opened the menu, saw they had a sharing fee and walked. I would understand if this were a five star restaurant but it seemed kind of money grubby for the family establishment it is. Won't be returning.

Carne Asada is the best! soooo good. The fried cheese is my favorite. Service is friendly and the ambiance if good too.

A friend had been raving about this place for ages so we went recently. I figured it would not be cheap. An appetizer for sharing, three entrees, three beverages were $113 before tip. That would have been fine if we had loved it but we didn't. I ordered a sangria which took a very long time to come. When it did, it was in a small glass that was filled with ice. I probably had about 4 OZ of sangria at most. No fruit in it, and when the server took the glass away he never asked it I wanted another, which for $5.50 I would not have. My husband ordered lemonade. It came in a tiny glass. I saw when i looked at the bill he was charged $2.50 for the initial glass of lemonade as well as the refill he asked for. $5 for a little bit of lemonade. Not cool. Apps were fine. My husband ordered white rice with his meal. No white rice appeared. The vegetables on his shishkebabs were raw, although the meat was good. My steak was a little undercooked but it was good, flavorful. It was the star of the meal. Service as far as the sides is good; they are frequently asking if you would like more. Our actual server was not great, seemed inattentive. Decor is nice. We will not be returning. For that much money we didn't think we got good value.

This was a great date spot for my girlfriend and I. The steak there is delicious and one of the best ones I've had. It's very affordable, and the best part is, the sides are all-you-can eat. The waiters stop by every so often to offer you more rice and beans, plantains, and other delicious foods. It's a wonderful spot to go to, and with the live music, you feel like you're on a little get-away. It's a beautiful restaurant, with a fountain in the middle of the dining room, and there are wonderful palms and plants inside the cozy and comfortable place. When I find the opportunity to go out and have a nice steak dinner, this is the place I go.

The steaks, one of my passions, are amazing and the famous Nica side orders like fried cheese, repochetas, tacos, rice and beans, fried plantains, etc all make for a delicious meal! Service is great and the place inside is like a themes restaurant with facades of Nica style houses.

I have lived in Miami Beach for 7 years and have lots of friends from up north who visit regularly. We like to take them to unique restaurants, like Nicaraguan food, that they can't get up north. While the food at Los Ranchos is good, the servers are very snobby (especially if you don't speak Spanish) and I dread taking visitors there. Then I discovered El Novillo. What a hidden gem! Hiding in a very ordinary shopping center on Bird Road, the decor inside is truly extraordinary...and the food is amazing. But best of all, every time I have been there, the service is outstanding. I will never go to Los Ranchos again, and have been recommending El Novillo to everyone I know.

Been going here for years. Great atmosphere, great service, and the best churrasco steak in Miami.

My husband and I are staying in Miami Lakes for a business trip. My son goes to FIU. So we picked him up and choose EL Novillo to be our restaurant for dinner. The staff was very friendly. We were offered the specials but choose the Wl Novillo Churrasco 12oz Steak. First we had garlic toasted bread with different kinds of dips, which was very tasty. Then we received a small house salad, and not much later (and the restaurant was busy) our steaks arrived at the table which came with a side of sweet fried plantains. An extra server offered gallo pinto (rice and beans) and plantain chips - we were told to say stop if we thought we had enough of the two side items. The steak was delicious, tender and perfectly grilled. The servers were atentative but not in our way. All in all it was a nice family restaurant, and if you are ever in Miami Lakes, make sure to have dinner at El Novillo.

The setting is very colorful, the service is good and friendly. The food was fine, but we have had better Nicaraguan food. The churrasco seemed kind of dry, but the Gallo Pinto and the fried cheese were very good.

We went for lunch yesterday. We took the menu and it was very good. Service was good. Desert are delicious !!!

Having a friend here from Germany, we decided to show her some Nicaraguan food being close to Coral Gables. The service was pretty good, very attentive, water glass was always full. Waiter was funny and pleasant. We ordered the churrasco and the chicken churrasco as well, both were very good, cooked as we ordered. The rice and beans was very good as well as the white rice I ordered. The maduro was excellent and the plantains fresh. I would recoomend you give this place a try, apparently Fridaya nad Saturday nights they have live music, which was nice.

Great food!

We were looking for a good Nicaraguan restaurant in Miami and decided to try El Novillo. We were not disappointed. The food was delicious and the service was fast and courteous. We specially loved their meats. They were tended and juicy and seasoned to perfection. The rice and beans, "gallo pinto", was very good and the portions were very generous. We topped it all with a tres leches for dessert and it was amazing! What a great culinary experience. Can't wait to go back and take some friends and family with us to share the wonderful experience. I Highly recommend it!

Ok here it goes! I am Nicaraguan and I must say i felt at home the food was great but the service is a little slow but i guess if you want it done right it will take time it was a little spendy but it was worth it the portions were good but sometimes I had to ask for the complimentry items. My girlfriend and I were there on Valentines day prepare to wait this place was BUSY! over all it was a great place 2 thumbs up!

I recently went to a Bridal Shower in this restaurant. As soon as you go in you are immediately impressed by the decor. Very festive and colorful. Our choice of food was very good. They even had a vegetarian option. Waiters are attentive but not conscious of their surroundings while we were taking pictures. I guess they wanted to be a picture with all women. We tried joking, telling him directly - "we're taking a picture" he still interfered in the pictures. I was amazing. He was in another dimension. Not awake, robotic. They look like they hate their jobs. They are all mostly male waiters. Otherwise, the place is great for large parties.

This is Nicaraguan, not Cuban, though the difference is subtle for me. Everyone raves about the Churrascos, so we had to try, and 8 oz. was enough (the baby size). To our gastronomic delight, the garlic bread and sauteed mushrooms (with perfect sauce to dip the bread) were a great start, and the steaks, followed by a banana flan and cortoditos were all excellent. Want to return next week to try more of the menu.

A little pricey, but the food and service were both great. Don't miss the Nicaraguan desserts. The place was clean, very pretty and very well run. Many meat dishes include large portions. Average bill about $20-25 per person without drinks.

I’ve been going there for years. The food is consistently excellent. The atmosphere is very nice and the service always fantastic. The staff is very welcoming and friendly. If you’re looking for a local Latin restaurant you should try this.

This place will not wow you but out is consistent. You will always get a good Churrasco steak with a nice portion of beans, rice, and plantains. The Miami Lakes establishment is a good one.

Hate it

We ordered their “classic” steak (essentially a skier steak, but cut thicker than you usually see). It was just fabulous. Really tender and tasty. The recommended topping is Chimmichurri sauce, but I’m not a big fan. I asked for their creamy jalapeño sauce, which typically comes with another dish. They brought that on the side. What a great, spicy sauce. The dish comes with as much rice and beans as you’d like. That side dish was fine. It aslo comes with a side of plantain chips. I suggest skipping those calories and just sticking with the *small* portion of their fried plantains. We also ordered a pitcher of their sangria. Ehh.

Have eaten at El Novillo five times in the past year and can't wait to go back. Love the ambiance; outdoor-style cafe decor, fountain, and live music. Wait staff is very attentive and the food is excellent. Especially recommend the mojito and churrasco steak!!

I have eaten here a dozen times over the past 20 yrs when in Miami on business...in this visit I noticed a slight decline in the flavor of the meat though it was very tender. The server was a bit over-attentive almost to the point of anxiety over taking our order....nice fellow but needs to be restrained bait...good for a business lunch...

We dined in El Novillo several times in the past months and the experience has always been perfect. We had churrascos as the main plate and appetizers before the meal, and the food tasted excellent. The service was also first class; our server was very courteous and accomodating. Inside the restaurant fees very inviting and cozy, and the place is nicely maintained. This is a highly recommended restaurant to go for a later dinner.

Great place to have an authentic Nicaraguan meal with great friendly service and the value is tremendous! The Churrasco is the way to go for an entrée and their pickled onions with the jalapeño is spicy delicious! Their wine list is very nicely priced and cocktails are super tasty! Our waiter was great and hostess was friendly! We will return !

We love El Novillo! Of all the many Nicaraguan restaurants in the area, this is our favorite! We used to go eat there every Friday for years, when we didn't have kids and had time to go out. It's a great place for private events and parties, too. The food is guaranteed to be good. Try their garlic bread (complimentary) and their salad (complimentary)...the salad dressing on that salad alone is worth the trip! Oh, they play live music, too!

Food and atmosfere was great and the service was great also (initially). The service turned bad when not only our waiter but multiple staff members rushed us out of our table to accomadate another party even before our bill was paid. The quantity of sides (rice, plantains and chips offered) were far less than we remembered in the past. Also, the seating space in the booths were extremely tight and there was a strong smell of amonia that made us move to a different table.

We came here for a gathering after a first communion. There is parking in the shopping center where El Novillo is located. The parking spaces are on the small side. The restaurant is decorated as if you are entering a Nicaraguan village with even a fountain in the center of the restaurant. The restaurant is able to accommodate large groups. We were seated near the back of the restaurant. We had a party of approximately 18 people. There are special packages that you can select from when you have larger groups that are actually very economical. I was able to select between a glass of sangria or soda, a main entree (I picked the beef tenderloins in mushroom sauce) includes sides of gallo pinto and platanos, and a dessert of flan. Overall the service was good and the food was delicious.

This place has been here since the 80's. It's setting is like a patio. Specially is churrasco. Very good marinated. Prices range from $18-$30. Mojito was $8.99. The mariquitas (fried plantain) were not crispy. They need to fix that. The 3 leches plus had a dulce de leche topping. It was very good.

They always give food to those who donate to the Blood van. It always tastes great and its for a good cause. How can you go wrong? Donate blood and then get a free meal. Good location too.

I first dined at this resturant many years ago when my husband proposed to me.We have dined here many times and the food is delicious.I love their churrasco ,gallo pinto and the accompanied sauces,the chimichuri being a favorite.Everything we tried was delicious and the best fried sweet plantains.Definitely a favorite place to eat.

service was excellent. on the ball. food tasted fresh and my pina colada was delicious and eye catching.

Couldn't decide where to go after the football game. Since this was advertised as a Nicaraguan steak house, so the 10 of us chose here. Boy did we choose well !!! The food was absolutely amazing. 4 of us ordered the Sizzling Steak dish. It melted in your mouth!! No one was unhappy with their meal. Wait staff couldn't be more helpful. I definitely would visit this restaurant if I am in Miami Lakes again.

This is the best nicaraguan restaurant I ever been I highly recommend to everybody great attention nice building and decoration

Clean place, good service, delicious food and moderate prices, considering that for the price of just a main entree in any other restaurant, you have here salad, main dish with the famous Galo Pinto rice and beans, plantains fried and sliced. Apart from that you can order dessert or a drink, and still it is a good price for the amount of good food

a minute ago Absolutely horrible experience yesterday 1/4/2019 my birthday. I went there for my birthday with husband, my children and his son at 8pm. His son’s food arrived after we waited and proceeded to eat at his request and finished our meals. My son’s meat was close to burned even when he requested it to be cooked medium term. My daughter in law ordered a meal to go while we were still eating and it was brought to her long after we had paid the check. I requested to speak to the manager Cesar Jimenez. When he arrived at the table I voiced my dissapointment with our dining experience. He did not apologize or cared to say anything at all. When the waiter brought the to go meal the manager walked away and I never saw him again. I will never and encourage others to step foot in this restaurant. Our bill did not merit the service we received. The manager should be fired. I called the restaurant a few minutes ago to find out where I could send a written complaint to the owner and the lady on the phone made up excuses to avoid giving me his contact. She reported that she does not know his phone number nor does she know when he will be in the restaurant. She placed me on hold and came back to the line to give me an email address which she said she was not sure it was correct either. I had to press her to give me a correct address.

Very nice atmosphere, live music, great service but the problem this time was the food.. churrasco came out over cooked and no flavor. They did replace the cut but it still had no taste.. very nice service though

We ate here for the first time with some friends. We had reservations, and one member of the party was about 45 minutes late, but they seated us anyway. They were very patient while we waited for the one member of the party. The food was excellent. The portions were large and the meals included salad, rice with beans, plantains and plantain chips. The prices were reasonable given the amount of food and it was a good value. We were there on a Friday and there was a musician. The musician was enjoyable, but the volume was too loud. We were seated away from the music, but it was still difficult to talk over the music. The only reason for the 4 stars is because of the loud music. They place also has a nice interior ambiance with facades and a water fountain. We enjoyed the meal and we will return. Recommended!

El Novillo is so unusual in its décor as it is attempting to mimic a Nicaraguan village however the food is insanely good! I ordered the classic Carne Asada with Gallo Pinto and Tostones…. wow! Just wow! The Gallo Pinto was never ending and the service was ok.

El Novillo is one of our regular and favorite restaurants. The Nicaraguence/Spanish décor is the perfect environment to enjoy the meal. The steaks are made to perfection, the Gallo Pinto or rice and kidney beans is cooked to perfection every time. The meal starts with a complimentary salad and simple vinaigrette along with garlic toast cant be duplicated. Their Chimicurry is the perfect compliment to the meat, but I also top my rice and beans with it, YUM. Two other sides are served, such as crisp plantain ships and sweet (ripe) fried plantains, diners can choose white rice instead of the Gallo Pinto, but then again they would miss out on one of the best things about this place. There is a variety of Latin appetizers. We have been visiting this restaurant for years and their food and service has remained top notch.

We have been to this restaurant plenty of times and it has always been great. Service is really good, and the food is delicious.

The food is great, we ask for their signature dish (Baby Churrasco), the meat was tastier and well seasoned, same for the side dishes. We enjoy the atmosphere, very family oriented, The owner of the restaurant is very friendly and customer service oriented. We love it all.

We go often to El Novillo of Bird Road and on each visit we receive a very good attention from all and the food is excellent. My special mention to Donald,Oscar,Nelson although all of them including bus boys deserve my best congratulations

We know call this "Our special restaurant". We hadn't been here in a couple of years. Some friends invited to dinner for my Birthday. It was excellent. So much so that we went back to celebrate our anniversary, and just went back again last night to celebrate my sister in law birthday (they're from out of town). Again, So Happy! They were very impressed with the entire experience, from the ambiance, service and of course the food. I plan on taking my son when he comes home for a visit, and he's a food snob. However, I'm very confident that he'll enjoy it as much as we do.

Have been back repeatedly for beef, fish, and pork dishes. Everything has been wonderful. The house made jalapeño sauce (creamy) is cravable!! I'm now a regular!

The prices are very reasonable, but if the waiter trys to sell you on the days special, say no, stick to standard plates if you want a good deal.

I have been going to this restaurant for many years, two weeks ago went for dinner and service was horrible and food was raw, thought to myself maybe one of those days. I revisited a week ago and it was even worse. we had a party of 10 for dinner and I waited to get all of my guests opinion and everyone agreed the waiter only cared about the end of the dinner tip. Food againg raw for chicken and who ever did not get raw was extremely hard. Not going back. Also they are expensive for what they give.

I know today is the 25 of December, but if you are Open or Will be Open in an hour and has your doors Open, do not welcome custumers with "we are close" . She is the hostess & welcome custumers or future custumers like that, you are telling them not to come back. It was 15 minutes to Open, we ask her if we can wait, she did not even acknowledge the question. Good Lucy, we Will never be back.

My colleague and I had a great business lunch at El Novillo recently. The staff was very friendly and took all Covid precautions. The food remains delicious and even during Covid, the full menu is being offered.

What used to be a no brainer for good food, is taking a step in the wrong direction A few weeks ago, went for dinner. Service was slow and in between , the Big Papi of Churasscos's was veiny and dry, but anyone can have a bad day Went back last week, staff at the front was clueless and unprofessional. When I arrived I was placed on a waiting list ( no issue) however restaurant was half empty( assuming lack of staff) When I addressed the young ladies at the front I asked how long wait would be, response was she didn't know Im outta of there Can you say Los Ranchos?

The food is very good and the service is always attentive. Portions are satisfying, and the quality is consistent.

My favorite Nicaraguan food place.The meat is of high quality and always prepared according to your wishes.I have visited two location.

A job well done. First restaurant we go during the pandemic that completely complied with table social distancing. We also noticed the servers completely disinfecting tables and chairs between service. The service was nice and friendly. The food came out nice and hot. I recommend this Safe, tasty and friendly Nicaraguan restaurant.

the only restaurant in miami that ever turned me away for wearing shorts

Very good food and excellent service with very nice servants. We had baby steak thar is served with rice and bananas. Rich flavors. The vanilla ice cream was also excellent. Nice music as well. Very nice!

I like to visit this place frequently Because the restaurant is nice, the service very fast, friendly and all the food have a great taste. the restaurant have a lot of parking space

A place to dine with the family have a good time and most importantly a very healthy meal a very familiar atmosphere is as if on the patio of your home in a spectacular place

Loved the food and the sophisticated service. Had the Churrasco with the chimichurri sauce. Service was very attentive.

I found this place just driving by and thought I would give it a try! I saw the pork cracklings w Yuca on the menu and I couldn't wait to try them... So I sit down by the bar in a great-super confortable louge chair/table and this gorgeous Bartender/Server came to greet me and take my order...first thing I did was to ask her about the pork cracklings i had seen... and she completely changed my mind about them... She told me in simple words that they were from a bag... And that she would recommend something else... Good and Bad! Both at the same time... I then ordered the rib appetizer... Came out super fast...it was ok! It was just food, nothing special about them... Other than a great slaw they serve it with.. Then I asked for a Chicken Skewer Appetizer with some side orders as my main dish... The server had no problems understanding what I wanted...Flavors were ok, again it had to be precooked due to the dryness of the chicken and they were also cold... They came out 4-5 min after I order them... Go figure! My recommendation to their management is the following; I understand that appetizers should come out fast on any restaurant, but searing them ahead and fully cooking a protein is a big difference... I think it could had been delicious if they were cooked to order instead! From there I moved on to try their famous Tres leche, that by the way, we know here in Miami that it first came from Nicaragua! This dessert was amazing... It was definitely made with much love and I would come back just for that! The prices were very reasonable... The décor fits the atmospher that you would expect at a Nicaraguan Restaurant...colorful, fun and happy! The restrooms were very clean and the Service was a 10 out of 10! I would recommend this place to others Intrested in a Nicaraguan Restaurant... After all Miami is a melting Pot of great cultures!

The Restaurant is beautiful , the staff are great , however I was not impressed with the food , the salad was extremely salty and the steak full of grease, we spoke with the waiter before ordering the food regarding the excess of grease in the food due to medical issue, however the food was very grease.

Superb service very tasty skirt steak !! You can order your skirt steak 3 different size. Unlimited rice/beans and plantain chips where awesome. Live music during weekends starts at 7 pm.

I didn't like it much.

Great menu of Latin food !! I will recommend if you are in the area..good portions!! Great desserts!

This place is always consistent! It’s amazing if you ask me!! All I can say it’s hard to find restaurants with good service and good food these days! Top notch! We will be here again and again and again! Big shot out to el NOVILLO! Best meat in town!

Great and warm service. Excellent bar. Wonderful menu of Nicaraguan delicacies and meats. Generous portions, awesome sangria. Wonderful for couples, night out with friends, family, or business. Music during the weekend.

I read all the published earned accolades of over 30 years while waiting for my table. I was not disappointed. The restaurant runs like a well-greased machine. The atmosphere was festive, as many families were celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and the likes. The live music filled the room and the one-man-band, took requests from the patrons.Our churascos arrived cooked to perfection and the rice and beans was flawless. The wine list includes reds from Spain, Argentina, and California. I paired my dinner with a Malbec (2014 Alamos from Catena), which complemented the chimichurri on the churrasco. For dessert, the home-made tres leches was the ideal choice.

I went to El Novillo after a long time. The food was good, one of the best pico de gallo (rice with beans), I've ever had: the rice nice and dry, beans moist and tender. The churrasco was good, tenderloin cut along the grain, still tender. The place was full yet the service was fast and friendly. I had had just enough, not too full and the price was reasonable at about $25,00 a person, including drinks (non alcoholic) and tips, but that excludes appetizer and dessert (we're not big eaters). Also worth mentioning is the interior design: as if you are in a patio of a south american hacienda. If I ever open a restaurant, I'll use this theme :-)

Good traditional spanish food

Excellent food, service was very courteous and very knowledgeable about the menu and all options. Very accesible location. A must visit...

Every time we are in the area and we feel like having a juicy "churrasco" we stop at this restaurant. Good ambiance, good service, clean restaurant with a full bar and always a good "churrasco". The "gallo pinto" is so good too. Another nice dining experience.

This is an excellent restaurant with a diverse menu. I highly recommend any of their churrasco steaks which are all top notch. Make sure to leave room for dessert, especially cheese flan. My only criticism is that in recent years they have become very stingy with the side portions... now they only serve three small fried plantains with each plate.

Excellent food, service and ambiance !! I love the restaurant, the food and the people, we were pampered and will come back many times !!!

Enjoyed our visit. The food and service were excellent! The atmosphere could be better but overall the experience was very good.

I love the ambiance of this restaurant which doesn't compare to their other location in Miami Lakes, I feel like i'm inside a hacienda. The churrasco is made to pefection and the endless Gallopinto accompanied with green and ripe plantain tajadas makes you wanna eat forever 10+!

Visited today for lunch with a party of 10. We celebrated a birthday. Outstanding service and great food. We had chicken, steak, and appetizers. Would recommend a visit.

If you never tried a Nicaraguan Steak House - this is a must. Or if you like Los Ranchos, you will love this place. Is it at least as good if not better than Los Ranchos. Great food and great service.

We had a small family reunion at El Novillo. Our dinners came with salads and bread ~ nothing exciting. The entire table ordered Churrascos which is lean butterflied tenderloin. The meat was cooked to perfection. It came with three tasty sauces ~ chimichurri, tomato and onion red sauce, and a white sauce. We were all pleased with our tender meat which came with rice and beans.

Best churrasco in town without breaking the bank. Excellent service and friendly staff. Great new drink menu and a must have tres leches desert!

Very nice place for lunch or dinner. Couples, families and business associates frequent this establishment for its varied Nicaraguan menu, good service and nice decor. Menu has everything from Salads to Seafood but their signature plate is definitely the “Churrasco” it comes in 8 or 12 Ounces and accompanied by Cimichurri sauce! For dessert the “tres leches” is a must! All entres come with all you can eat Gallo Pinto (Beans & Rice), Plantain Chips and Plátanos Maduros. The bread is warm and crisp and comes along with three different sauces, I highly recommend the red sweet sauce with onions and peppers (not hot). They also have another restaurant in Miami Lakes under the same name. You won’t go wrong!

The place smelled moldy and the floors were greasy. Our churroasco was very veiny and the refried beans were very salty. The service was great though

The place has a great atmosphere, the service is excellent, the food has a great and delicious taste, with good portions and the price is moderate. It is surely a place that once you visit it, you will return

Great restaurant, with quality food, and very nice wait staff. Great steak.

We had reservations for a party of 8 place was slammed! Arrived 10 minutes before and was seated 45 minutes later We arrived early 3 of us and we’re Jaír seated rest of my part arrived within 5 minutes This is unfortunate was one place we have been coming to for over 15 years! Food was not the same and service was ah! Won’t be back! So sad!

The Tenderloin Tips with Jalapeño Sauce was really good. Would have been better if it was serve hot vs warm. The whole plate was serve room temperature which is why I rate the service here on the low side. It took too long to order, and we waited a while to get our dinner. Even getting ready to pay for the meal took a while. So if you want a quick and speedy service, this place is not for you. If you have time and patience, then I recommend this place. I just wish my meal was serve hot because then I could have over look the wait time for my meal. I highly recommended the Piña Colada though, taste great 👍🏾.

The food was "just OK" and the service was slow. Very little attention to details, considering that you are paying premium price for food that you can get elsewhere better and for less.

Great Churrasco Tajadita and bean rice Great wine menu Great service. Fair price. Im going to be back Nice place

Nearby restaurant recommended by friends, the restaurant met expectations. Well prepared beef and meat dishes. Typical Central American menu.

After many years being a customer, Yesterday was a really bad day. Bad food, worse service. Really bad experience. My name is Carlos Roig. I will be able to be contact. Thanks.

Nice place, good decoration to make the feel you are an a Nicaraguan patio. Good quality food with good and tender meat. Good place to eat good meat!!!

El Novillo Restaurant offers a really great and complete meal at a good value. This is a good place to go for larger groups as they are able to accommodate everyone very quickly. The food here is very delicious and well prepared as everything is tasty from the bread to the salad to the entrees. Everything that I have had here has been awesome. I like the vibe and design of the restaurant as it has a different feel to it and feels like a different and far away place once you get inside. I liked the fountain in the middle of the restaurant. I have been impressed every time I have been here and they always make a memorable experience for everyone.

My wife and I went with another couple for Saturday evening dinner, looking forward to the Churrasco steak. The meal was good as was the Sangria but the way too loud nonstop mariachi type musical group including trumpets and singer with microphone spoiled the occasion, room too small for the loud group. Will not return, there are other Nicaraguan restaurants which allow patrons to be able to converse without competing with strolling mariachi bands.

I lived in Coral Gables for 12 years until leaving for NYC in 2002. I went to El Novillo weekly in the year before I moved the Northeast. Recently, my partner who is Latino and I went there for lunch. What a happy choice! Although different cuisine, we found our lunch here to surpass our previous day's brunch at the much pricier Casa Juancho in service and quality. If you love steak with chimichurri or pickled onions, this is the place. This place is for people who like meat. As my doctor has me eating low carb food, I found no problem leaving here satisfied. What I love about this place too is the friendly service. I don't get this but rarely in NYC. Although a gringo, they tolerated my bad Spanish with a smile in a clean and accommodating atmosphere. I hope this place remains on Bird Road for a long time.

I went on my first date with my wife 26 years ago and the food and service was excellent. I went there several months ago and found a roach in the French onion soup. Disgusting! I though I would give them another chance as accidents do happen so I went in October of this year and the steak that is normally tender was hard and gummy. The rice was cold. I will never go there again.

After spending a month in Nicoragua, my daughter was "jonesing" (dying for) for some Nicoraguan food. She was elated to find fried cheese and awesome churrasco in a traditional atmosphere. It's a must stop every time we head into Miami. Don't miss the blessing!!!

El Novillo has been a staple in Miami Florida for over two decades. It was one of two Miami Nicaraguan Restaurants that I visited often, the other being the defunct El Establo. This restaurant has beautiful décor inside. It has entertainment on weekends and the food is excellent. My favorite dish is the Churrasco with pico de gallo and mariquitas. They have very good appetizers and they were one of the first to bring the tres leches dessert which now everyone sells. They are known for all their steaks but also offer seafood including lobster.

Great Steaks make sure you try the gallo pinto (rice with red beans) and the plantains ripe and fried

Excellent service, wonderful rancho ambiance, a menu nostalgic of the best years of Nicaraguan food in Miami. But while the quality has not plummeted, it has dimished somewhat.

My family has come to this restaurant for 20 yrs since its even been around. On occasions when we visit family in Miami we venture to this restaurant. This time around it was very different. The meat was awful! We ordered 3 different types and cuts of meats between all of us and each one tasted uniquely awful. The meat tasted old, rotting, not marinated correctly, and hormone injected. The appetizers were awful. We had some sort of pork rib and some semblance of a chorizo that tasted awful. The worst part is that not only 300 dollars later, but the night spent was very unpleasant with the heartburn. The restaurant is supposed to be Nicaraguan, but the decoration is Mexican style. They should update that, The only positive thing was the ambiance, lighting, and live music. Avoid this place at all costs!

If you're in the mood for some good Nicaraguan food, stop by El Novillo Restaurant and try a sampler of Nicaraguan bites. If you order any meat entree, make sure to order a side of "salsa jalapeno", just the right amount of heat...trust me, it will not disappoint.

After a few months of not going there, we went yesterday to El Novillo. I have to say that the business is going down.The service was bad. The waiter only came to get the order but never came back to refill drinks or ask how was our dinner. The steak was raw eventhough I asked for medium rare. Second time was not cook right either. The server of the rice and chips was not trained and put the whole tray on top of my clothes so I had to stand up while he served afraid he will spill the rice on me. My husband's steak was mushy. The quality is going down but not the price

Lovely decor and fountain. Ample parking. Server was slow (bus lady however was excellent). Medium well ribeye came out rare, parts were inedible. Medium well churrasco came out dry. Entrees were supposed to include a salad but learned at time of bill that it was only house salad and not caesar, was charged 6.99 for each caesar. Response from waiter when we told him he should have let us know when we ordered was that no restaurants include caesar salads. I guess he doesn’t dine out much. We paid the bill but did not include the salads in our tip calculation. Had gone before but we won’t be back.

Excellent meal we loved the steak as well as the beans and rice. The atmosphere was great and the staff friendly. We would go again.

I have been to several steak houses in Miami, and this one was about in the middle of the pack. There was nothing that made it stand out, but there was certainly nothing to complain about either. Prices are decent, food and service were good. We would go back without hesitation if the situation presented itself.

This restaurant is beautiful...It looks like the interior courtyard of a South American hacienda. It has a fountain in the middle, and potted plants everywhere...However, the highlight here is the steak. My mother is not a big meat eater, and she said their baby churrasco is the best steak she has ever had. It was tender, juicy and totally flavorful. Thei service is efficient, but not overbearing. It is awesome. Visit El Novillo!

Wow, I always eat here. They have excellent steak and their side dishes (rice and plantans) are soooooo delicious. You must go. Price is reasonable, not what I would consider expensive at all. Romantic is about a 7. For families about a 7. It is not loud nor too quite. Service has always been good and food VERY fresh and tasty!!!

Great churrasco (skirt steak) accompanied by great side dishes like "gallo pinto" (red beans and rice), sweet plaintains and fried green plantains ("mariquitas"). The side dishes are served family-style which means that a server dishes out as much or as little as you'd like and you can ask for seconds, if you have room! The desserts are OK, but the churrasco is the reason to come here.

This place always has the juiciest churascos around. The plantain chips are crispy and I think are the best things to put the chimichurri on. Been going there for years and it's always been great. The service is right on.

Only gets an average rating from me due to such a negative experience with the service. The food was very good and I can not complain about that. We had six people in our party and we all tried to order something different so we could taste a bunch of different things. For starters we had the fried cheese (really really salty), black beans (very good) and the pork crackling (very good too). For mains we had the beef, chicken and pork Churrascos, again, all very good. Meals come with a salad, and lots of beans and rice. Where the whole experience was awful was the service. It began the minute we walked through the door, we were greeted with a surly woman who just looked at us as if we were not welcomed. I will admit that we were a party of six out on a Saturday night, but having worked in the restaurant industry for a very long time I know that a party of six is not that difficult to manage. We were told we really should have made reservations and they couldn't sit us. After a few exchanges, we were then told it would be 45 minutes. When we asked if we could go to the bar we were told "there isn't enough room for you there". I want to make it clear that I was ready to walk out the door the minute we were greeted but I was part of a group and a few of our friends wanted to stay. After we were seated our service continued to be rotten. Our server was clearly not happy to have us and made sure he gave as little service as possible. To the point of only taking our starter order! We kept trying to get his attention to let him know we were ready to order our dinner and it was not until after our starter plates were cleared that we finally got him to come over to us to order our dinner. Again, I was ready to walk! Service continued to be nonexistent and even when we left we had no acknowledgment from front of house. It was such a missed opportunity on this restaurant's part to make a great impression on the Miami dining experience. It was missed and we came away thinking that had we been Spanish speaking we would have been welcomed. No matter how good the food is, this is not a place I would ever care to go back nor would I recommend a place that clearly does not want my kind of business.

ok.. for latin food

We've eaten here a few times, but last time was a big let down, so we will never come back. The meat quality was bad, the pork was greasy, the steak was tough. The rice & beans was bland. Service was bad. The Cuban waiter was rude and ignorant, knew nothing about the food he served. His English was terrible. He served deserts w/o taking away the old meat dishes. Disgusting. This restaurant has become a badly run place with bad food and bad service. We paid $80, but what we received felt like $20. We would have been better off at a simple fritanga.

Great Nicaraguan food. Not Spanish. Dear Trip Advisor, Spanish food is strictly food from the Iberian peninsula, Latin American food is a different category.

Nothing has changed. The decorations are old, Dust on the many , many plastic flowers 🌸. Service was very good. The ambiance is Happy family with children and older Relatives. There was live pleasant music. The food was average, the Gallo Pinto Rice Was good but the meat not so good. These People need to update to 2019.

It's not the best restaurant in Miami but the place is nice and it's great for family time. The food is good, i don't remember the name of the plate i order but it was meat and you can have it with rice and/with plantain. The service is excellent, we didn't have to do any reservations and we had a table right away.

The food was good, but the sauces were great! I can understand why they charge for each sauce. I will be back.

Went with some coworkers for lunch and we all ordered the same - the churrasco steak, with one person ordering the french onion soup (she says it is one of the best she has had). We were a party of six and it seemed to take longer than expected for our food to be served. The plate came with the steak and fried green plantains chips and fried sweet plantains - the rice is served separately from a large bowl. In the center of the table are three bowls with sauces - I only tried the chimichurri sauce- it was very good. The steak was cooked perfectly - the only thing I was not crazy about was the rice. We sat a bit waiting for our server- he just kind of disappeared. We ordered coffee and dessert and again - seemed to take just a bit long to get those served. I ordered flan and it was okay - a little too thick, but the flavor was good. Overall food was pretty good. The actual restaurant is a little kitschy, music a little loud and the fountain in the middle of the restaurant just felt a little too much for me.

Outstanding venue and location to honor one of your employees upon retirement. The restaurant was more than large enough to handle the approximately 65 attendees at this employees farewell. The site offered a wonderful setting where we could gather and speak in his honor and present him his retirement plaque. Food was Nicaraguan flare with a choice of Chrrasco, chicken steak or Fish a la Plancha, which is what. Had and it was superb. Plenty of rice and beans and mariquitas for the asking, unlimited. Came with one cocktail at start. Plus excellent Flan for desert. Centrally locates minutes from the Palmetto on Bird road. Definitely was a success.

It was a year ago when we visited this restaurant for lunch; the Churrasco was really good and we were happy with the service. So, when Saturday night we thought of Churrasco we decided to go to El Novillo - Bad Choice!!! One of the Churrascos' temperature was ordered as medium and it came "raw" - literally dripping water - it looked like boiled meat. Another Churrasco's temperature was suppose to be medium well and it was also under cooked. Did I mention NO FLAVOR? I hate to send food back because "things" happen!!! What it came back was not much better; and I guess we were penalized and the 16-ounce Churrasco shrunk to a thin strip of meat. Service was not outstanding by any mean - but I should mention that the guy that was assisting the waiter tried his best to make us feel better about the whole situation. We just saw the waiter when we placed the order and when he came with the ticket after we had to wait a Looong time for it. Did I mention that the place was LOUD, LOUD, LOUD? We couldn't get out of there fast enough. I guess this means that I will be getting my Churrasco somewhere else from now on.

A huge group (60+) descended, with reservations of course, for a 98th birthday celebration. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The food was hot and tasty, the service appropriate (not too much hovering - none in fact). The Sangria delicious!

Great service with a smile. Awesome busboys as well. The food was very flavorful and cooked just righ. I have been back and I will be back when in Miami

When visiting Miami don't miss your chance to peek into a new Latin American country (restaurant) every evening. This one is Nicaragua. Live music, superb rice and beans with churrasco steaks. The 'grande' steak easily serves two. Rice and beans Nicaraguan style is really tasty. It gets even better when you add chimichuri to the churrasco, and order salad, maduros (fried sweet plantains) and freshly made banana chips to go with it. End your meal with cafe con leche.

We chose el novillo for our family reunions and celebrations. Very friendly staff , great food , excellent steaks , awesome deserts. The decorations remind us of a Country hacienda. The experience is unforgettable. Highly recommend for lunch and dinner anytime. Reservations are needed for busy weekend hours.

We had been to the Novillo Restaurant 5 years ago as part of a graduation party, liked it and planned to go back but never did. Two weeks ago we were looking for a restaurant near our grand children's house and remembered the Novillo; went there with our grand children and every body liked their meal. The grand children especially liked the fountain in the middle of the dining room. We liked it so much that we went back 5 days ago. Again we had excellent meals. I had a broiled fish fillet, my wife had a chicken Caesar salad, my son had their vegan alternative the Portobello churrasco, one grand child had chicken fingers and the other one had shrimp kabob; all meals were excellent. With a bottle of wine the bill only came to $115, which I found very reasonable. The meals come with a side salad, rice & beans, sweet fried plantains, garlic bread and 3 really great sauces (chimichuri, tomato & onions red sauce and pickled onions).. We were full so didn't have space to try the desserts. Service was excellent. We will go back!

If you've never been you must try the High Heeled Steak. Don't remember the official latin name but it is not to be missed. Have eaten here for years and while it used to be incredible, it is still good and has decent service. Must admit that latin customers seem to get "more attentive" service than the gringos. Sangria is hit or miss but the beans and rice and maduros are usually spot on. Have never had enough room to make it to dessert. Won't say it's the best, but you can definitely do worse.

We had tried this restaurant when it first opened and were not impressed. We decided to have dinner there because traffic was bad. We were not impressed. We like Nicaraguan food but were disappointed. The pork tenderloin was over spiced for our tastes and dry. The salad was nondescript.

The ambience and the service was excellent as well as the food. Try the carne asada which comes with gallo pinto and plantain chips. The meat is tender and well seasoned. They have interesting drinks and a good selection of wines.

This restaurant has withstood the test of time by selling good portions of delicious Nicaraguan food for over 20 years. Although located in a busy strip mall on one of the busiest streets in Miami this restaurant gives visitors the feel of being transported into a Central American small town square. The restaurant is well known for their "baby" churrasco steak which is a pretty decent size for the average eater. All churrasco steaks and main dishes are served with a hefty portion of gallo pinto (rice and red beans), maduros (fried ripe plantains), and mariquitas (plantain chips). I also recommend that you try one of their ceviches to start off with. Every time we have ordered their ceviche it has been fresh and well marinated. Many years ago I held my bridal shower in this restaurant and tonight I took my husband for this birthday. It is nice to know that I have a local restaurant where I can go to for special occasions or for just a good meal to share with family.

After 30 Years and three Generationa of my family going there, I am very disappointent of the service and attention at El Novillo. Last couple of instances of attempting dinner there, the personbel treats you more like a number not a peeson, a abnouscious smell of cooking gas is prevolent around the place, and the existing customers dress more like bums, with shorts and t shirts, as no dress code is enforced. The have lost an old customer. My wife and I Left and went to Graziano's Asador not far from there and had a wonderful time dinner. If you are looking for a decent place to have a family dinner don't waste your time and money going there.

Great food (appetizers. churrasco, gallo pinto etc). Very nice ambiance with live music on the weekend.

Our family enjoyed a variety of meals, including steaks, and seafood. Mixed Ceviche was excellent. Being there by 5 assured no waiting, good service and no crowd.

Established since 1994, this is the best location of all the “El Novillo” restaurants. I particularly recommend the fried cheese, the beef taquitos and the churrasco. Don t forget the rice with red beans!!! And for dessert tres leches plus is a must

I came with a group of six and we all loved the food. It tasted like a real home cooked meal and we were all raving about it. We had assorted appetizers to get to taste as many as possible. It's my brother's favorite restaurant in Miami. He lives there and brought us all there. I loved the spices they used and also the good-sized portions, so we all got to taste each other's dishes. I had seafood but two of the males had the churrasco steak and they kept saying repeatedly just how good it was. We were all satisfied and since I fly often to Miami I definitely will return.

Best Gallo Pinto ever. Churrasco is always Excellent, Fresh, and .juicy . Gotta try their "Tres Leches" Dessert. It's the Best I have ever tried... and I have tried many

Went with friends because my husband wanted steak for dinner. We all had the "Baby" Churrasco steak dinner which is an 8oz steak (delish!) which comes with a salad, rice and red bean (delish!), plantain chips (which I love), tostones (meh for me), garlic bread and 3 types of sauces. Mind you, everything except the meat they keep coming around serving. The atmosphere is cute with a large fountain and it's decorated like an outdoor courtyard. There was also live music when we were there. The food was excellent and we really enjoyed it.

The service was not great. The lady in the front was very unprofessional and hardly even spoke to us. She seemed to not want to be there. The waiter had a difficult time dividing the check into two. He seemed annoyed at the request to pay with two separate credit cards. Too bad for the mediocre service because the food is still good.

This was our third visit and we drove from Key West (4hrs) with this place in mind as we come up once a year. The service and food has gone down hill in the past year. Took 20 min to get our drinks, my "well done" steak was literally bleeding and the appetizer came at the same time as our food. Coming from the customer service field myself one bad visit is enough to turn me away. Won't be revising.

Sizable portions, although the food was a bit lukewarm. Prehaps it was because the restaurant was like an icebox.

The place is huge, like a plaza surrounded by niches and walls, nice and scenic but tries to be upscale. The service also tries to be upscale, nothing wrong w/ that, but they try to up-sell. The issue is the food. We were there twice, had steaks, and the quality of the meats simply did not come up to the standards of an upscale place or the price they were charging for them - neither in texture nor in flavor. Sorry, but I cannot recommend them.

This used to be my favorite restaurant in Miami Lakes and I love Nicaraguan food. However, I went there with a friend several months ago and the quality seemed to have declined. Thought we would give it another shot recently and it was even worse. Meat was overcooked and rice and beans tasted like someone dropped a garlic bottle in it. Neither of us could eat the rice and beans. The best part of the meal was the fried bananas. Service was pretty average also. No way did the experience live up to the $40+ lunch bill for two.

Food was pretty good. Service was constantly trying to "up-sell" and was pretty inattentive for a restaurant that was fairly empty.

"Great service and food is delicious"

This place has the most delicious food. Great steaks, and typical food from Nicaragua. But this is not your neighborhood Nicaragua place this is fine dinning. The staff go out of there way to make you feel special.