La Fogata Reviews

As immigration from Latin countries speeds up and enters the American "melting pot" environment, more and more you are getting Hispanic-fusion restaurants where national identities are increasingly blurred. La Fogata is one of those restaurants. Is it Nicaraguan? How much of it is Salvadorean? Do they serve Cuban coffee? This is not meant as criticism, but rather as a mere observation by one who is very comfortable with diversity within the growing US Hispanic population. That having been said, while "La Fogata" cannot be categorically placed within one ethnicity, it is, nonetheless, a pleasant place with very good food. Sure, they use "Uncle Ben's" white rice in their dishes instead of the traditional Cuban restaurant's use of "Mahatma" rice, but, either one is fine and only slightly different from the other. I had an excellent breaded chicken-breast cutlet (served piping hot from the frying pan) with white rice and sweet plantains and my brother had a churrasco steak with the same two side dishes. Service was fine at a crowded Sunday afternoon late lunch, and, while there was an error in the final bill, it was quickly corrected. Would I recommend it? Yes. Was the atmosphere pleasant? Yes. Was it good for the price? Yes. Will I return? Yes.

I have been to many places that specialize in Nicaraguan food. This place has good food, but it is not cheap, but not expensive There are other places that cook the best Nicaraguan food but they are "Fritangas" meaning you can't sit and eat there, it's to-go. But I like this place because If you want to go on a date or take your family, you can sit and eat here, it serves good food.

The best thing about this place is the food, its delicious Latin food (Nicaragua is the country of specialty). Went with a party of 4 and no one left food on their plate bill was ($80 with appetizer and beers). Churrasco, Fried Cheese, and Soups are a Must-Try! Service is good, but over-worked, they have a “we’re hiring” sign at the door so the waiter didn’t pass by much to check up on us. Location is kinda small, so table conversations can sometimes be over-heard. No Fountain Soda Options, Each Soda Can Is Charged. It’s in the parking lot of a huge commercial center so it’s good to walk off the food afterwards (it’s open-commercial mall so weather permitting).

My family and I went there for dinner and the food was delicious. The churrasco was so tender and flavorful - the best I’ve had in the area. The chicken Milanesa was also very good. The kids had popcorn chicken which came with fried cheese and French fries and they loved it. The service was good and prices very reasonable.

In Miami the meat is always expensive but in la fogata you can eat good meat at good price, but the called natural juices are too fake. Order Soda instead.

We have been to this restaurant in different locations and we always find the best churrasco steaks and the best service here. highly recommended.

Great Nicaraguan food. I had the skirt steak with rice and beans called gallo pinto. Good service overall. I had the fried plantains (Tostones). They were not the best I had but not bad. My dad had one of their specials, chicken fajita meat over rice and beans. It was great.

The food is awesome! They make the best "gallo pinto" (Nicaraguan style rice with beans) I've ever had! The place is nicely kept, and the service is good (the one in Town and Country Mall, Kendall). However, as of lately, they have hired a singer and the noise level is way too uncomfortable for such a small space, making it impossible for anyone to enjoy the food. This is truly a shame. We used to dine here every Friday, but we've had to find other places for our family's night out. :-(

Love this place the fried cheese to start then the Churrasco with rice and beans my favorite. The service is good and quick no complaints!

Good food and of dependable quality. We took a taxi from the airport, went home, took our car and went to eat there. Dependable food in a very clean place. Food is not too greasy either.

Great food awaits you in this establishment! Real down home Nica food at its finest! Wont go wrong dining here! Have to try the Tres Leches desert! GetSome!!

I went to the restaurant on September 1, 2016, when we first walked in we thought the restaurant was closed because the sign on the window stated that they were closed. Someone in front of us walked in and asked if they were open and they said that they apologized for the confusion. We went in and asked if we had to wait to be seated and they told us that we can pick anywhere we would like to sit at. The that approached us seem like he was in a hurry when it came to ordering food and when we asked him a question on some items on the menu he answered with an attitude, like he didn't want to be there. We were able to order, the gallopinto wasn't the best that I have ever had, tasted like a watered down version of rice and beans mixed to make it look like gallopinto. I was disappointed with that. The carne asada had good taste to it. When I asked about drinks from Nicaragua, the waiter said no we don't have that we only offer drinks from here, we don't sell any of the drinks. Again disappointed there. Probably won't visit there again, I'll probably look into another business to remind me of back home, my parents motherland of Nicaragua.

We were surprised at the cost of our food. We ordered the churasco and the grilled chicken with "gallo pinto" and plantain chips. The taste was good. We were not given any bread prior to dinner. The price was of a restaurant that would have cloth napkins in the table instead of paper napkins. The feel is of a informal restaurant, servers are wearing a "La Fogata" t-shirt, they put a paper placemats, etc. No table cloths on the table. I can go to Los Ranchos for similar price and will get a more formal atmosphere, given bread and salad as part of my meal. Los ranchos serve more quantity on the side items and can get plantain chips, fried plantains and "gallo pinto" instead of just 2 side items. They did have a young lady singing, so it was nice to have the entertainment. She sang very good.

We went to this restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday; we were a party of 11 and they were very prompt to seat us. The food was okay and we had a good time. At the end of the meal, however, the waiter came with a single check, when he never even asked us what checking preference we wanted in the first place. He claimed that we should have specified when he was pouring the drinks, but being that we are college students, it should have been assumed that we were going to pay separately. We spent about half an hour going back and forth with the waiter and the manager about this. The manager said that there was no way to cancel the charge and break the check; that it was already in the computer system. The point is, we ended up paying a gratuity of almost $30 for service that was far from excellent- a claim they have plastered on their back wall. This is a word of caution to anyone dining in a large party: specify before they start serving your food otherwise they'll do what they can for a larger tip.

Great value for your money. Service is great and the churrasco is the main course to order. Its fast, tasty, and a great place to get some great latin meals. Get your steak with gallo pinto(rice and beans). A traditional favorite.

Gallo Pinto (red beans&rice) is a delicious well known dish Nicaraguan people make.And at La Fogata's kitchen they really prepare it well.Its always fresh and tasteful.All our family members love this food.The churrasconis alwayx tender and tastes delicious, so does the chicken fillet.Another tasteful dish is Repocheta....and fried cheese. Enjoy😄

This restaurant is owned by the same people that own the well known chain of Nicaraguan restaurants called Los Ranchos. The difference is that this restaurant is much more casual and so the cuts of beef they serve, while exactly the same as those served at Los Ranchos, are much less expensive. It is great food, at a very reasonable price!

Great food and amazing service. The owner is very professional!!!!!!!

La Fogata located on Flagler and 82nd Avenue is by far the best tasting and freshest Nicaraguense food I have tasted in Miami. As soon as you walk in you are greeted and seated. The place is spotless and has comfortable seating. All of the best Nica foods are served here Carne Asada, Gallo Pinto, Queso Frito, Churassco... I've tried almost everything on the menu and my favorite is the Churassco with Gallo Pinto and Maduros. The Queso Frito with Cabbage Slaw is delicious. The prices are very reasonable and the amount of food filling. If you find yourself in this area stop here to eat you won't regret it.

managent nor server knew how to use groupon so they should not be involved in this system. Management was not customer friendly and charged dinner

Ive been traveling to Miami for years and La Fogata has been my favorite casual restaurant. They have a full menu of Latin BBQ but I always order the churrasco. It is cooked Nicaraguan style and served with chimichurri and chirmol. Both are excellent. There are 3 cuts - baby, regular and el presidente. If you're extra hungry order the hunter platter which includes a big portion of chorizo. You also get a choice of 2 side dishes like plantains, beans, rice and cabbage salad. I noticed that prices had gone up since my last visit there about 2 years ago but it was still a good value.

We went to have dinner at La Fogata in Mills Dr after a couple of years absence, used to be one of my favorites places.It wasn't crowded at all however it took a long time for the waiter to get our order and then 45 minutes!! to get our order, we told the waiter we were ready to leave, in the meantime we watched as the people next table were getting their entrees without even getting their apetizers!! My so called beef and chicken Fajitas were just green peppers and onions. I had to call the waiter and ask where was the meat! He exchanged it for another one with just a few more pieces of meat swimming in a pool of grease!, same for my wife.Never they checked our table for drinks or anything. They will never see us again!

Everytime we want good Churrasco and good cooking, we find ourselves at La Fogata. My Favorite is the Baby Churrasco, med/well with sweet plantain and house salad, just a perfect meal! My other half prefers the 12 oz Churrasco or the Presidente m/w with gallo pinto and tostones, and at la Fogata we always come back for more. The restaurant is family, friend, couple or solo oriented. Kept clean and well maintained. The attendants are ok, some are very attentives, others, just doing a good job. And, prices are very reasonable. So we'll be coming back to La Fogata.

Their sign is completely unreadable, making us looking for it and not finding even though we were at the right address. Why writing a sign in a way your costumers cannot find your business ? Service was good and pleasant. We had pork ribs with fried cassava and fried plantains chips - good. Grilled shrimps with steamed vegetables - vegetables were bland. Black beans - not tasty. For dessert we had tres leches - not tasty. Sangria - good.

We went there for lunch. Upon arrival there was a slight misunderstanding as to what time we came in as their lunch ends at 3pm. When we walked in, there was no server in front so we went straight to the bathroom. Then we seated ourselves. After about 5 minutes a server came and handed us a dinner menu. We ordered the lunch special that was posted outside and was told lunch is over. I pointed out that you have a sign outside with the special and that’s why we entered. So I requested to speak to the manager. He never came, but without any fuss our server came back and switched out the menus to a lunch menu. We ordered the fish that was on special and the chicken churasco with chimichuri sauce. The food was very tasteful and cooked to perfection. A little bit on the salty side but that’s a staple with Miami food, no matter where you go. The Sangria on the other hand could use improvement. Our server, was new, but very sweet and helpful. I highly recommend La Fogata at The Palms at Town and Country in Kendall. And can’t wait to go again.

Located behind the Olive Garden)2 hour wait) we landed up trying La Fogata Ribs. The food was really good, the atmosphere was great, and the young singer also added a lot of vibrancy, Would certainly eat there again when I'm back in Miami.

I have been eating Nicaraguan food for over 40 years and this is, by far, the best I have ever had. The cheese is beyond description, the meat is so tender it can be cut with a fork, the typical NICA drinks are fresh, the Gallo pinto is fabulous and the service is uncomparable. The prices are extremely reasonable and the servings are generous. Even in Nicaragua, I haven't had such a wonderful meal! The manager, Dora, is service oriented and she is not happy unless her customers are. When in the Miami area, you would be doing yourself a disfavor by not sampling what this amazing restaurant has to offer.

I had bariatric surgery (sleeve), so I can only eat 2-4 oz. of food. I asked if I can have the child size Churrasco and they said YES! Most place will not allow adults to order from the kids menu. But La Fogata accommodated me and it was wonderful! The steak was soft and juicy and made to order (med-rate). Perfect! Great ambiance, they had a harpist playing wonderful holiday music. It was a great experience after shopping all day. To sit down enjoy the music, drinks, and delicious foods. A must at Town & Country! Although now its called "The Palms." Great for late night dinners.

Great food but personnel will speed you to eat!!! Not a great service but good food, great selection on the menu. Not to repeat. One time visit

Being on vacation in Miami we wanted to dine at Outback but waiting time of 1 hour made us try the next to restaurant. We did not get disappointed. Friendly but stressed waiters made us feel welcome. As no Hispanic European it was a great expectation to eat at what we considered a local restaurant. We had steaks and shrimps both dishes cooked to perfect and with their prices this was a good deal. Only point of critics would be that the waiter forgot my salad due to stress from the many tables he was taking care off. I can would have no problem recommending this restaurant as well as visiting again if ever in the area.

Both my wife and had the churasco with gallo pinto and both plantains and tostones the churasco was one of the best I have ever had the plantain were sweet and perfectly cooked,don’t forget to ask for the chimichuri and sweet and sower souce

Good & Plentiful plates! Live music on the weekends, and friendly staff. A nice place to dine when in kendall. GetSome!!

I tried the sample to get a variety dish, and it was really good, it comes with beef, beans, potatoes, plantains and chips. Great food and its really cheap.

Food is very good, most if not all main curses come with a fantastic white rice done old style, beans. Service has decreased a lot, nothing to compare with the service here a few years back. Prices have doubled year after year. Parking is good since this restaurant is in Las Palmas Town and Country shopping center. For the price you pay for lunch or dinner you can find a better place a 100 yards away. I visited this restaurant often, not anymore. I want to clarify, not for the food or even the service but the actual prices for what you get for.