For a city with such a massive Argentine population, you’d think Miami would be rich in the art of asado, the beloved Argentine tradition of spending all day drinking wine and grilling meat. But unless you’re friends with a self-proclaimed asador who’s always inviting you over for choripán and an obscene amount of fernet, it’s surprisingly hard to find the real thing here. Luckily, the Asado & Wine Experience in Allapattah fills this void. They’re executing every facet of an asado—slow-grilled meats, plenty of red wine, and a Spanish rock playlist—so well, you’ll think you’re in a Key Biscayne backyard.
It all takes place in something called Zoko Collective, an indoor/outdoor food hall in Allapattah with string lights, swaying palms, and more than enough space for two giant grills. Soon, it’ll be filled with other concepts, but at the time of this writing, they’re just grilling meats at 7pm from Thursday to Saturday for $90 per person (tip excluded).
Communal seating is nonnegotiable to the asado experience. You’ll share your table with strangers who, after three hours of an optional (but encouraged) $38 wine pairing, an egg-cracking competition, and some harmonizing to Los Enanitos Verdes, will become your best friends.
photo credit: Mariana Trabanino
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
The asado is run by a team of men in adorable berets (a traditional gaucho accessory). And they take their job as asado ambassadors seriously. They’re out there well before you arrive, suspending huge flaps of beef over a fire pit in a way that would make an 18th-century Pampa gaucho swell with pride. Throughout each of the seven courses, the grill master—sporting a headset mic a la vintage Brittney Spears—explains each cut, how it’s cooked, and why it’s essential to an asado. You’ll definitely leave full, but not in pain, unless you indulge in third and fourth helpings of mollejas.
It’s getting harder and harder to find a single ribeye under $100 in this city, so consider this a great deal. They’ll offer second helpings if they have any leftover cuts, too. Delicious empanadas and desserts (made by the owner’s wife) are also involved. The meal lasts about three hours, but you’re invited to stay longer, order an extra glass of Malbec, and indulge in another lost art in Miami: sobremesa. As you’ll learn throughout the night, that’s really what asado is all about. That, and seeing just how Argentine you are based on how you pronounce “mollejas.”
Food RundownThe Meat
For $90, you get seven courses of meat, starting with sausages like morcilla and chorizo, then gradually transitioning to just about every part of the cow: mollejas, skirt steak, flank steak, and beef rib. Our favorite cut of the night was the skirt steak. It’s simply seasoned with flaky salt—all a steak this juicy and tender really needs. The mollejas, charred on the outside but tender in the center, are a close second.
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
The Wine
Get the wine flight. It’s only $38 and includes four generous glasses of Argentine wine, like Bonarda and Malbec. The asador is also a sommelier, so he’ll explain a little bit about where each wine comes from and why it pairs great with the beef in front of you.
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
Dessert
It depends on what the grill master’s wife feels like making, but we sure hope they keep the chocolate alfajores around permanently.
photo credit: Mariana Trabanino
Dining and Cooking