BARU Urbano

The bf and I dined at BARU Urbano because we wanted local flavor. What's more local than an Latin inspired restaurant? BARU Urbano is a fantastic place to people watch if you sit on the balcony. Who wouldn't want to watch the comings and goings of Miami patrons? They're sexy!

The food was outstanding. I had the Bandeja Paisa, which was a mix of Colombian flavors: grilled steak , chorizo, fried pork rinds, white rice, red beans, sweet plantains, a fried egg, avocado and arepitas. Everything was so flavorful and phenomenal. The Chorizo looked like a sausage. I'm more familiar with chorizo being scrambled with eggs. But this was a definite welcomed twist!

The service was underwhelming. There was no hostess to greeted us when we entered, so we stood around confused for awhile. Our waitress was inattentive, careless, and slow. She splashed some of my cocktail on table and did not apologize or clean it up.

Buru Urbano turns into a bar at night with a line out the door, so come here early if you want food. Overall, an A-Ok experience.

How do you say 'sausage fest' in Spanish? I've never seen so many open collars and uncomfortably tight pants in one place. Relaxed fit, fellas. Let the boys breathe.

As has been mentioned many times over, this is the place to come to get a South American mack on if in Brickell. Guys are on the hunt and the ladies are looking to make the rent. If they like it, I love it. Hmm, I just lied. I don't love it. I 'meh' it... which is too bad because there are some good elements. The patio is a fantastic fall respite from the overbearing heat of the summer. The graffiti is a welcome change from the typical decor in Brickell and gives BU an unexpected vibe. The dance area will lure you in so prepare now to acquiesce and let the rhythm take you over, bailamos.

BUT...

It's uncomfortably crowded (like, this-has-to-be-against-code crowded). The ladies are all about getting that cash and not from a 9 to 5. Guys roll in packs of 4-5 deep and wear b@ll-busting pants that will give you sympathetic pains. The crowd can be pretty cliquish, so if you're not a particular type of South American you may not have the best of times. While I was there, there were a gaggle of large uniformed guard types (further enforcing the South American feel of the place) patrolling about and looking menacing. I didn't think I would ever miss steroided goons in black suits and earpieces. I was wrong. BU may be the perfect place for some people but it doesn't work at all for me. You've been fully informed. Make a wise decision.

Let me just start by saying that this review is only about the food/service at this place. The bar/party side is a whole other story.
I went last weekend for brunch after scouting all the options in brickell carefully and at my colombian best friend's insistence.
The food was great (which is the reason for the 2 starts) but service was TERRIBLE. With all the great options around, I am more than surprised that they would be so horrible and expect customers to return.
We ordered our food and we each got the "all you can drink" sangria, which is advertised as 11am-4pm, again, ALL YOU CAN DRINK. After we were done eating, we wanted to get at least another round of sangrias and get our money's worth. The waiter NEVER came back to our table, not even because we hadn't paid the bill. We had to go and ask for more sangria and eventually go up to him to ask for our check... Ridiculous!!! NEVER coming back here for brunch, or trying it for dinner...