I was the bartender up until January of last year. The employees suck because we weren't paid.

I Absolutely Love This Establishment! So Chic And Upscale! Complete Vibe! I Enjoyed An Industry Mixer Here With The Best Food And Environment Available!!! read more

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I'm the type to explore options even after reading bad reviews, but I have to admit the reviews before mine are absolutely true. The restaurant is beautiful, good music, bar and restrooms are clean. The problem is management and bartenders. The moment we walked in the manager right away asked if we were there for the show. Not a "Welcome, are you dining or just for drinks" my husband ordered a black walnut old fashion, the menu states it's made with Flor de Cana 12 yr Rum instead we watched her make it with Bacardi. We believe the bartenders are not experienced enough to make enjoyable drinks. Although they're friendly. The food is basic nothing to brag about. Watch out for the receipt as it already includes an 18% tip. read more

Very underwhelming for everything they were trying to be. For a speakeasy their cocktail manu seemed extremely basic as pictured here and when I asked to modify a recipe and asking about other liquors they had. The bartender told me it's his first night and wouldn't know where that was on the shelf. With so many speakeasy options in Fort Lauderdale I think this sits near the bottom of the barrel. The venue still looks a lot like unit B with a few risqué touches added. The ambiance seemed a little too bright from the main chandelier for a speakeasy vibe, and roof was leaking on our original table before we moved to the bar. On a positive the host and bartenders were attempting to give great and attentive service just the cocktails left a lot to be desired. If they get a real mixologist to create a new menu I'd give it another shot. read more

El Pama Tavern - Cocktail menu - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I haven't had a chance to eat here yet, but I do enjoy the speakeasy, which hosts a weekly Latin dance night (salsa/bachata) on Thursdays (there aren't many places in FtL with a speakeasy vibe; this is the only one I can think of at the moment). The food menu doesn't appeal to me personally (and I don't like to eat when I'm dancing, anyhow), but they tend bar well, and the couple of cocktails I've tried have been decent. read more

This, I believe, is my only 1 star review. I debated even bothering but because I feel so strongly about truthfulness and getting what you pay for- here it is. First- was excited about the cocktail menu as they describe themselves as an upscale tavern. I saw a cocktail with one of my favorite ingredients, Ancho Reyes Verde, which has a fantastic kick! I ordered the cocktail and then decided to ask about the proportions to determine my kick tolerance. Glad I did because I was then told that they don't have that ingredient and she just squirts in some Sriracha in its place. Big difference in my opinion and first strike. Second, after deciding to order wine instead, we ordered a Cesar Salad Tijuana. The menu clearly states "Charred Romain Heats." What we received resembled nothing more than a premade salad kit from a bag. No char, no grill, none of the anchovies as also stated on the menu. Strike two. Third, we ordered the Steak Fries. What we got was a poor version of Orieda crinkle cut. When I asked about the steak fries I was told they were out and were using the substituted crinkle cuts. Again, no telling us up front and not the same item as the menu. Strike three. Fourth, we ordered the Filet Mignon Sliders. As any foodie knows, filet mignon by its very nature is lean and not gristly. These were so fatty and chewy that I do not believe for one moment they served what was shown on the menu. I am all out of strikes to give. read more

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Where do I begin ? Horrible service . Saw the server once throughout the entire dinner. Ordered mussels that were overcooked and missing half of the mussel in the shell . Ordered sole and was delivered sea bass which was very small no side yet $43 . Ordered scallops which looked like shrimp shumai and were delivered cold . Very expensive for what you get . Sad because it looks beautiful inside but food is horrific . read more

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Really disappointing experience. Our group of 6 was a reservation on New Year's Eve -- we ordered off the regular menu which we confirmed in advance was ok. There was only one other party at the restaurant. Service was extremely slow, considering there were at least two waiters and possibly a manager (?) and maybe an owner (?) and literally no other customers. Took so long to get menus, put in food, and actually get food/drinks -- we waited 40 minutes to get our dinner. Keep in mind, we were one of two parties dining. The main server taking care of us was very quiet and basically didn't respond to anything we said. Wasn't rude but definitely not a customer service personality which is fine. Half of our group ordered espresso martinis and we all sent them back. I truly have never had a worse cocktail in my life. It tasted like the "espresso" was five days old and had been sitting out next to very low quality liquor. Those were removed from the bill. We switched to a margarita which was definitely an improvement but tasted weird. My friend also found a bug in her drink, but we didn't even say anything because the reaction when we sent back the first drinks was just ... weird. The food was mid to bad. I ordered "steak fries" and they came out crinkle cut. Truly looked like they could have come out of a frozen bag from Publix. When I asked the primary server about it, she didn't really respond. The other server who was helping her bring food out said "we sometimes run out of steak fries so we just had those, it's just what we had today". Ridiculous considering that these fries were $10. My friends burger patty was tiny for a burger that cost well over $20. I had a salad which was completely fine but incredibly basic. No one's food was incredible or even good. All in all, a bill of well over $400 (not counting an included 18% gratuity) was frankly insane. We are not usually complainers but last night was probably the worst restaurant our group has eaten at. I will give points for the ambiance and decor. It was very nicely decorated and the DJ was absolutely throwing down (for the maybe 11 or 12 people there including us lol). Do not recommend at all. read more

Amazing new beautiful sexy and romantic white tablecloth dining ambiance! We loved our food and drinks. Chef Mario is killin it with his gourmet, comfort food menu! The menu has something for everyone! El Pama is new and has a lot to offer! Fine indoor dining, full bar with high end liquors, outdoor cigar lounge, 2nd floor bar and lounge and loved the great music vibe! Our service was impeccable and the chef came out to see how our food was! The bar was managed by Frank who is very experienced and is proud of his high quality service! Many props and Congratulations to Fernando the owner for his creative vision!! Can't wait to go back!! read more

El Pama Tavern - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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Loved the food, great place to meet with people. I enjoyed the lamb and shrimp as well Goor place to smoke a cigar read more

I feel sorry for this place. We went for a quick dinner, no expectations, but unfortunately this place is worse than even my lowest expectations. I honestly don't know how this place is still in business. The staff deserves better! Hope things change soon read more

Very deceptive billing practice at the speakeasy. Show was good, but they add the gratuity on automatically and the. Have a line for a tip. My bad that I fell for this practice. In addition, the drinks were unreasonably priced. Ripoff. read more

I had an incredible dining experience at El Pama Tavern. Great ambiance and Great vibe . Pleasant staff and fast service. The presentation was a 10 out of 10, the flavors complemented each other well. I definitely encourage others to check this restaurant out. read more

El Pama Tavern - Salmon - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Showed up for Latin night as advertised on Instagram for Latin night. There was no Latin night.

Honestly this place sucks! It drew us in with the nice decor and good atmosphere, but to find out that the menu is not actually the menu and there's only 3-5 menu items?? Following that my girlfriend ordered a glass of wine, after which they said was not available and they only had 2 bottles in the restaurant, one of which was 3/4 of the way finished. Finally we managed to order some fried calamari, which came out looking like something straight out of a box; extremely dry and practically tasteless. Do not come here , this place deserves to be out of business read more

Ambiance is excellent. There's live music, an outdoor area with nice lighting, and a beautiful white piano inside. They just opened so it will very likely improve - the impossible white bean chili had no impossible anything in it.. it was white bean puree (the bowl was cup sized at best... hate to see the cup...). The drinks were pretty good. The chicken was also good. The carrots were kinda weird, were raw with some syrup water on them? Overall probably won't be going back BUT this place has potential and maybe one day I'll eat my words. Menus are below. read more

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Saw this menu online and had to check it out. It's a great spot to lounge inside or outside, great music and atmosphere. Has a blend of Sinatra mixed with some upbeat Latin music when the time is right. Nice drink selections and the food is fantastic. Had the Cod and the Roasted chicken for the entree. The prawns app and octopus were the apps. Both fantastic. Service was great and the owner came by to introduce himself. They went above and beyond. Great experience read more

This is the worst place you can go to. They only had 1 waiter for the entire restaurant. They filled the drinks with nothing but ice so you only get 2 sips out of it. And they charge you $60 for a steak that look like it belong on the kids meal. Plus the food came out cold.. and it's supposed to be a cigar lounge but the only cigars they sale in their SMALL cigar cabinets is theirs. This place is a 1 star if that. They won't be open for long read more

Had extremely high expectations for this place was recommended drove almost 2 hours only to get absolutely Terrible FOOD they pride themselves on steaks however the cook dropped the ball big time on the steak and there tomahawk pork chop the steak was very COLD AND WAY UNDERCOOKED THE PORK CHOP was over seasoned and over cooked nothing like their pictures be aware on this place looks good but that's all ... No manager ever came by to talk to us or anything definitely won't be going back... however the drinks were good read more

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I am very disappointed with the show. The advertisement was about erotic bondage like sexual burlesque. Instead what we got was just singing (which was very good) and more singing and only three actors. Not one of them tried to interact as they advertised with the crowd. This was not a sexy show at all. Not what I expected. I have been to many shows, and many burlesque's, I am very very dissatisfied with the way this was misrepresented. I spoke to many people who went, all stated similar opinion. They expected more. For the price we paid this could have easily been spent on a much sexier evening elsewhere in Miami, or FLL. This was advertised as arousing, many surprises, & mysterious. The only part that we actually enjoyed was the signer & the girl in the hoolahoop hanging upside down. But it was not arousing at all. Best take the money & spend it at another place like Milas in Miami which has sexy fire dancers that interact, or QUEENS which has a very sexy show & money definitely with it to go. The place was advertised that it's in a fifty shades of grey style lounge, and this definitely was not it at all. The bar at top was gorgeous, the only focal point, but where we sat was very basic with the black couches. The drinks were very delicious & well made. I would definitely add "dungeon look" to the place. And add much sexier actors. I think based on how many people showed up, the budget would have definitely allowed for that. I am upset because I was really looking forward to always coming back. Unfortunately I can't, because I rather go to Miami & get a real show & get a bottle of wine at Marion and have a VERY SEXY show at MARION my favorite place of them all. I really wish this was as advertised. I was so excited, but expectation vs reality was very disappointing. read more

Franck and the staff were exceptional. Full recommendation for this place. Really enjoyed it. KUDOS

horrible service hostess says she's the manager and if thats the case she should be removed as I will not be back and will also tell everyone what a horrible place this is don't waste your time or money, so many amazing places a few blocks away with better parking read more

Beautiful restaurant. Some hiccups but room for improvement. Parking was easy in the garage behind. Ordered the Steak & Eggs for brunch. Steak was well seasoned but ice cold when I got it, so were the eggs. Breakfast potatoes were not done unfortunately, and sadly when I ordered, I asked if I could get fries instead and was told no substitutions. For brunch, no toast accompanied the meal. No separate checks allowed and if you have multiple diners with you, there system can only take equal payments to close out tab. This is an unfair practice as in my opinion. Server was very inattentive to drinks etc. Will say, management did inquire at the end but we were just ready to leave at this point. read more

Came to to this place because of the "El Pama Red Room Speakeasy previously Unit B Speakeasy " which is inside the El Pama Tavern behind the hostess station. Walking up to the El Pama restaurant and the first warning was that the restaurant was completely empty at 8:30pm on a Saturday. Anyways greeted by a hostesses with a massive attitude. We were not allowed in the speakeasy because you needed to wear "business casual attire". Business casual on a Saturday are you serious in Florida in the middle of the summer. Good luck with that!!! What makes it worse was the very arrogant lady at the hostess station who was not dressed business casual telling us to dress business casual. Lol!!! Anyway we went to No Man's Land. Much better experience and no rude hostesses. read more

Awful service, however the food is delicious. If you want to spend money, order everything upon sitting, and want to see your server once every 45 minutes to an hour dine here. read more

Had a very enjoyable brunch here on Sunday. Great ambience and great vibe. The food was delicious. Especially loved the lobster mashed potatoes. Very friendly and attentive service. Wonderful new addition to the Fort Lauderdale dining scene. Will definitely be returning again! read more

The hostess this evening was incredibly rude and condescending. Not a good start to the opening.