This is the review I have been dreading to write.  I’ve honestly put it off all week.  The reason is because it’s not going to be a great review where I tell you to go out of your way to go to.  But after much thought I figured that bar should know it’s flaws and hear it’s criticism in order to try to become better.  So with that said, here we go.

I’m going to start with the problems I have with the place and just get those out of the way.  I’ll leave the good things for last so that I can try to redeem it some.  I’m just going to throw it out there.  The service here was atrocious.  While the owner, Diego, is a great guy and very open to the beer loving crowd because he is a beer lover.  But that is where it ends.  His bartending staff just don’t seem to know how to tend a bar.

My first time there it was very crowded, as it was the bar’s anniversary, so I marked up bad service to being just crowded.  Three friends and myself waited at the bar for close to 20 minutes without being asked what we would like.  A few of the bartenders even looked at us but just went on their merry way.  We moved to a different spot along the bar where it took probably 10 minutes before we were asked what we would like.  A couple of us ordered Flying Dog Gonzo on tap as we saw the handle.  The tender taking our order said they didn’t have it.  When pointed to it he replied that it was out.  We settled for bottles of it but were pissed to then see drafts being poured of Gonzo not to long later.  Then later on in the night when I wanted something else I played the whole waiting game again.  I probably would not have been served if it wasn’t for a friend who was a regular that called someone over.

So like I said I thought it was just a bad night for as crowded as it was.  Last Friday I headed back there for South Florida Beer Blog’s 1st Anniversary party.  Not nearly as crowded it as it was my previous time there so I expected better service.  It was seemingly no where to be found.  I stood at the bar for 10 minutes before I was even asked what I would like.  All this time new people were walking up and getting taken care of while I was still standing there.  Finally I placed an order.  Another 10 minutes went by and I had no beer.  More new people came up and received their beers before I did.  After about 15 minutes I gave up and walked away.

Now maybe to you I’m complaining and maybe I was a rare occasion but I have seen a few other reviews online that seem to have had problems with the service here.  It seems like unless you are a regular you are on the bottom rung of the priority ladder.  So I hope maybe Diego will see these problems and make the decisions needed to improve because other than that it is a nice place.

The bar itself is a converted house, the bathroom has a shower in it.  It has a nice ambiance to it that make things feel really relaxed.  The bottle lineups were very nicely laid out on a big chalk boards that were easy to read and broken down by style.  And for being in South Beach we have never had a problem finding a place to park close to the bar.

The prices are a tad high but it is South Beach so I guess that is to be expected.  They did have $5 pints of Cigar City brews on tap (Jai Alai, Patio Tools, Humidor IPA) the last time I was there and that is a good deal for any of those.

They do not serve food but allow you to bring in your own food.  Many people order pizzas from local joints and have it delivered to the bar.

And like I said, Diego is a great guy.  He allows beer geeks to bring in some outside and rare beers to share.  Not many bar owners are that cool (We know Chung is).  Guys from Fresh Beer are always seemingly there as well and I have never had a bad time talking and hanging out with those guys.

My hope is that something is done about the service.  I’m not saying bring in new people but try training your current staff a little more.  Being a business owner you have to learn to take criticism and try to improve off of it.  I’ve told Chung at the Coffee District of little things that have bugged me before and he takes them and tries to do something about it.

In the end if you are in South Beach and want craft beer you should stop by Abraxas but maybe if it is a weekday night or something.  God knows you probably have a hard enough time getting good beer in South Beach.

Abraxas Lounge
407 Meridian Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-534-9005