Gekko

Checked out Gekko for their inaugural happy hour. It was pretty tasty--drinks all stood out as very tasty. Several of the appetizers were very good, especially the sliders and hand rolls. Very cool vibe on the inside and surprisingly not too loud, though not super unique (very typical for the area). Service was very slow the evening we went but I'll chalk that up to it being the first day of happy hour. Prices were a little on the expensive side for happy hour. Would go again (and maybe try out dinner).

I checked out Gekko's first official night of their new happy hour menu with a few friends. I had never been to Gekko, so it was a great excuse to finally check it out. In terms of atmosphere, it was very posh - beautiful interior, nice lighting and loved the music (although weirdly, we didn't hear a single Bad Bunny track the whole time we were there!). I really appreciated the volume of the music too - it was loud enough to hear it but not so loud that I had to shout at my friends. Good lounge-style volume. The restaurant was incredibly crowded, possibly because of this new happy hour menu, and maybe for this reason service seemed a little on the slower side. But happy hour goes until 8, so that's really nice to not feel like you're scrambling to get all your orders in. I'd definitely recommend a reservation though and be sure to specify it's for happy hour so you're seated in the right area. We were seated immediately with a reservation, despite it being very crowded. In terms of the happy hour menu, I thought the food was very high quality, although fairly small portions for the price. Really loved the milk bread and slides. Yakitori chicken was also very tasty but this one particularly was a very small portion for the price. The drinks to be honest probably was the most disappointing part of happy hour. While they were beautiful and very ornate, they seemed incredibly weak and that seemed to be consistent feedback from my friends as well. One of my drinks my friends and I tried to figure out if it even had alcohol in it - it just tasted like lychee juice! I'd get if these were heavily discounted that they might skimp on the alcohol a bit but the cocktails were still $12, so not rock bottom prices. Overall, recommend to check out their happy hour for the vibes and to see a nice restaurant but just be mindful that it might not be the best value overall in Brickell. I'd probably give more like 3.5 stars if possible but leaning towards 4 due to the atmosphere and quality of the food.

Food was decent- for price the flavors could have been higher end and stronger. Best dish was by far the Carmel lava cake. The service was good/quick, and the interior is super pleasing for a sultry sexy vibe. This is one of Miamis most well know clubstraunts, so I'd suggest coming here for a later reservation when it turns into a party/ diff atmosphere, rather than an earlier time focused solely on the food.

TLDR: Great place for a date night or a girls night out, but beware of long wait times and expensive pre batched cocktails. We decided to come here for my sister's birthday and made an online reservation. Once we got there though, they told us that the wait was 45 minutes and that seating is not guaranteed, even if you make a reservation. However, if you come late to your reservation, they charge you $35 per person. They took us to the lounge in the back to wait until our table was available and the vibes weren't that bad. The music was great and the drinks were great. We had the Hani Martini and the NA cocktail, which was delicious. After almost an hour and 15 minutes, they finally took us to our table. The service was immaculate and our waitress, Stephanie, was so nice and accommodating. My sister wanted to order one of their signature cocktails, but when she asked if she could change the spirit, they told her they couldn't since the cocktails were prebatched, which at $20 a cocktail was ridiculous. We started off with the Japanese milk bread and the Wagyu crispy rice, and it was delicious and so flavorful. We also got the Wagyu dumplings, the hamachi crudo, the salmon truffle roll, and the lobster fried rice. Everything was delicious and melted in your mouth. The price was well worth it. Skip out on dessert, since there was nothing noteworthy. We ordered the matcha cheesecake and it was more like a grainy mousse. In the end, the vibes were amazing, the music was great, and the food was to die for.

Gekko's main draw is that it's Bad Bunny's restaurant. The food is actually quite good, but pricey. We got the wagyu, the chef's selection of nigiri, and two desserts, all delicious. The wagyu comes with a theatrical presentation where they light it on fire. The servers are very friendly and funny. Good for a special occasion!