Pubbelly Goes Nice in Anyone's Belly

If you don't live in South Florida, you have no reason to know about Pubbelly. However, if for some reason you do live in South Florida and haven't heard about Pubbelly, I'd like to know what rock you're living under! It's all I have been reading about on blogs and hearing about from co workers and friends for the last three months, so I finally made the trek to South Beach to try it out.

A cozy gastropub with minimal seating, Pubbelly has food that even James Beard would award worthy of repeat dining! It's at the cutting edge of Miami's burgeoning gastropub scene, playing off of the tasty delights of Asian cuisine. They serve up creative menu items with Asian themes that are relatable to Americans. If you are looking for classic bar fare, you are in the wrong place. However, if you're looking for a stellar eating experience with extremely knowledgable and friendly service and food that is knock-your-tastebuds-off good, Pubbelly is the place to go! Just get there early or else you will be waiting...for a very long time.

Pubbelly's dishes are small, and meant to be shared with friends, so we dove right in and ordered several different dishes. A few of the highlights:

We started with the McSliders, which I was told are a Pubbelly must! These little guys were absolutely delicious. The bread was soft and chewy and the Kimchee BBQ and pickles stuffed inside were marinated to perfection.  The meat was succulent and tender, falling to pieces the moment it reached the mouth. Unfortunately, with only three on the plate I was limited to just one but I very easily could have polished off the entire plate on my own. As a matter of fact, for dessert, we opted for a second order of these little guys (yes, they are that good)!

Next up was a round of dumplings. We ordered two different plates of dumplings and the dumplings pictured here are the pork belly dumplings. A popular theme at this restaurant is the creative usage of pork belly (an ingredient that I have found to be making a huge comeback over the last several years). A huge fan of pork belly's silky texture and explosive flavor, these dumplings did not disappoint. The sauce they were served with complimented the rich flavor of the pork belly but did not overpower the simplicity of the dumpling. 

We also ordered some short ribs with a side of coleslaw. I thought the presentation of these was adorable, with a small accompaniment of zesty barbecue sauce. As per the theme of this restaurant, the short ribs alone were perfect and did not need the addition of the barbecue sauce. Yet, I felt that the sauce added to the presentation.

We ordered several other dishes that were all better than their successors, and we of course fawned over the delights they were delivering to our neighboring tables. I cannot wait to come back to Pubbelly to try even more gastronomic delights. I have also heard phenomenal reviews of the neighboring restaurant, Pubbelly Sushi. A huge sushi fan, I'm ready to go check out what they are serving up raw next door! The next time you are in South Beach looking for a stellar meal, I highly recommend pulling out Siri and asking her to give you the directions to Pubbelly. I personally guarantee it's a decision you will not soon forget!