Kiki on the River – Aquatic Romantic Dining

The Pretty Photos are by ChatChow

Heralding a new dining experience on the Miami River, Kiki on the River, is Miami’s newest indoor/outdoor new dining destination. Romantic and contemporary, the riverside restaurant embraces the hospitality and spirit of the Greek islands with the service and style of a romantic island garden restaurant & lounge. We swooped in for a late lunch and were tremendously impressed. The aquatic setting and exquisite decor profoundly enchants your dining experience. 

The gorgeous design was envisioned and executed by Mark Lehmkuhl’s Ghosthouse Creative Group in collaboration with Jay Wall of Thirlwall Design. This is a serene setting where the Mediterranean meets Miami and its River. Kiki is lush, exotic, tropical and refined. Walking into the restaurant elevates you. 

The interior dining room features ceiling to floor windows and luxurious drapes wrapped around steel and concrete original beams and columns that frame a glass-enclosed olive tree. A royal blue wall is outfitted with toffee-leather banquette seating while the lounge or “living room” features rich leather chesterfield sofas, a bookcase lined with leather-bound tomes, vintage lounge chairs, seashell chandeliers and Ikat patterned stools for a cozy cocktail spot. You will not want to depart from this supple setting.

The kitchen at Kiki is helmed by Executive Chef Steve Rhee, an industry veteran who opened Estiatorio Milos in Miami Beach in addition to three years serving as sous chef at Estiatorio Milos in Las Vegas. Rhee’s creative, yet approachable, dishes reflect the bounty of seafood that comes from the Mediterranean as well as an array of meats prepared simply on the grill.  Everything is made in-house and many of the fresh ingredients come directly from Greece, including the spices, herbs and olive oil.  Plates stay true to their ingredients, allowing flavors to shine without heavy sauces and creams.

Serving lunch and dinner daily, and a ridiculously festive Sunday weekend brunch, Kiki offers a selection of time-honored Greek favorites and innovative dishes, all made from scratch in-house. For this restaurant, Roman Jones wants to honor the life of the Miami River, with that sense of meticulously-scuffed elegance that only a windswept island can provide. We came in for their generous $25 prix-fixe set menu of three courses and were hugaefans of everything!

The journey at Kiki begins with an array of delightful Pikilia (Greek spreads) that include tzatziki, homemade hummus and a roasted baby eggplant spread. Homemade pitas made daily accompany the platter. The warm pita was on point and we can never get enough sauces and spreads. 

The Classic Greek salad made with tomatoes and topped with a plank of creamy feta was fresh and superb. The special feta was remarkable and the tomatoes so plump and juicy. A perfect salad to open up your palate.

The Grilled whole Mediterranean sea bass with fine herbs, lemon and olive oil was perfectly cooked and insanely fresh. We can never get enough capers to complement a sultry Branzino.

For dessert we loved both the Baklava (not available on the $25 prix-fixe, but so worth paying extra for) and the Greek yogurt with fantastic special imported Greek Honey. I do not like yogurt, but really enjoyed this dish. The honey was very special.  

We adored our Kiki experience. The cuisine was fresh and tasty, the decor is like a vortex where you will seriously not want to leave the place and the service was sweet and impeccable. This is definitely a MUST visit for Miami.

 

During Miami Spice Kiki on the River shall have the following menu:

 

MIAMI SPICE MENU 

Salads and Cold Apps:

Classic Greek Tomato Salad
Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onions, Green Peppers, Greek Oregano, Feta Cheese, Olive Oil

Watermelon Salad
Compressed Watermelon, Grape Tomato, Baby Arugula, Kalamata Olives, Cucumber, Mint, Lime Vinaigrette

Dakos
Grated Tomato, Torn barley bread, Garlic, Olive Oil, Feta Cheese, Greek Oregano

Horta Salad
Baby Kale, Marinated Cucumber, Red Onions dressed with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette, topped with Marinated Anchovies

Grilled Halloumi Cheese Platter
Grilled Halloumi cheese, white balsamic marinated grape tomato, grilled zucchini, eggplant, onions, topped with basil, parsley, and olive oil

Hot Apps:

Grilled Octopus
Olive oil braised Octopus, Red Onions, Greek Oregano, Fried Capers, Fava Puree

Shrimp Saganaki
Shrimp, Grated Tomato, Garlic, Greek Oregano, Parsley, Feta Cheese, Olive Oil

Barbouni
Crispy Fried Red Mullet, Lemon, Olive Oil, Served with Skordaila Spread

Entrée:

Pan Seared Scallops
Served with Asparagus pureed Orzo Pasta

Organic Chicken
Lemon, Jalapeno, Rosemary Marinated and served with a Summer Medley of Vegetables and Bomba Rice

Lamb T-Bone
Lamb Marinated in garlic and herbs served with Bacon, Herbed, Roasted Purple Potato

Pasta Avgotaraho
Angel Hair Pasta, English Peas, served with a Lemon Butter Sauce, topped with Shaved Avgotaraho

Dessert:

Baklava
Traditional Baklava, served with Assorted Berries

Fruit platter
Selection of fruit, served with frozen grapes

Gelato
Assorted gelato flavors, topped with baklava crumble, chocolate straws