Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market

Location: 398 NW N River Dr, Miami
t.305-375-0765
Cuisine type: Seafood
Price: Inexpensive
m-su 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.


I love a lazy Sunday right up to the point where I have the final bite of my lunch and my mind begins to drift in the direction of the impending work week. That’s when I hate Sundays. For as long as I have been working, Sundays after lunch have become, what I affectionately term: negotiations with myself; this is nothing more than an appeasing soliloquy. For as long as I have been working I try to ease the Sunday post-lunch sorrows with the perfect lunch experience at Garcia’s on the Miami River.

If you want fresh, simple, affordable, and expertly orchestrated seafood do your self a favor and pay Garcia’s a visit. I wish I could do myself that favor for dinner every now and again, but Garcia’s closes early, so plan for a lunner during the week, if you don’t work in the area, or a late lunch on the weekend.

It’s hard to go wrong at Garcia’s, though I will caution you on one thing. Resist the urge to order more fish spread and crackers, or at least curtail the desire to eat the crackers while you wait for more of the fish spread. This is their version of bread and butter, so you’re greeted with it, and believe me it’s the perfect oeuvres. Think back to the ‘don’t fill yourself on bread’ phrase you didn’t heed as a kid either, and instead order their ceviche and oysters on the half shell to start. Their ceviche is light and its citrus acidity perfectly balanced, and their oysters on the half shell are, in my opinion, one of the best deals in Miami, I bet a dozen won’t cut it.

Choosing your main course will be a matter having to do with your fish of preference. Though a good variety of the oceans bounty is offered on the menu, with a complement of specials that add color to their selection, the standards at Garcia’s are the dolphin, the snapper, and the grouper, cooked in a variety of ways. However, I would surely succumb to any adventurous inclinations their menu might inspire, and would definitely order their stone crab and/or lobster when in season. All entrees are accompanied with your pick of sides, including, salad, spiced up fries, fried plantains, yellow or white rice, coleslaw, and potatoes, none of which will disappoint.

If you go, and I hope you do, arm yourself with plenty of patience. The place is a popular spot, and the waits will reflect that, but it’s not a true experience unless you sit in the outside dining area. So pass on a seat inside, if offered, for the opportunity to dine by the colorful Miami River. Though beauty does elude this important nautical thoroughfare, it is full of personality and a strange charm that help make the event a memorable one.

Now, all that’s left to do is chuck your Sunday blues in the river (not like one more derelict item on the bottom will hurt), shoot a quick confident wave at the ships idling by on the river as they return the gesture with a hint of envy. Tell the friendly waiter to hold off on the flan and the key lime pie, keeping the work week grind at bay, as you unquestioningly heed this Miamian’s advice to hydrate and hydrate often with plenty of cold beer. Cheers!