Paella Night at Tequila Chicas

Tequila Chicas is strategically located at the very end of the Ocean Drive there is no way you can miss it.

I remember when I just moved to Miami and we would come to drive around Miami Beach and Ocean drive. I always saw this place that looked so inviting and so happy place to be, but I was assuming it was a very expensive (because it looks like it) and never stopped by, but I made a mental note to someday come and spend some time there.

And so I did!

I should tell you that their happy hour is pretty affordable and the drinks are so tasty! so many Margaritas that you will struggle to make a decision (just take Uber) since you probably will have several.

We visited on Saturday and what a surprise! Thursdays and Saturdays are the paella days.

I mean if you are craving paella on Monday they’ll still serve it to you, but get there on Thursday or Saturday around 6 pm (just right after the beach and an afternoon nap) and you will experience the whole paella preparation event. Additionally, it comes at the special price of $9.95, what else can you ask for?

They really take the “special paella day” term seriously as they install the paella bowl and the kitchen outside (unfortunately it all get cancelled if it is raining because of the obvious reasons).

Starting from scratch right in front of your eyes, the chef will be adding ingredients in a specific order to extract the best and the most of the flavors from the ingredients and let them all mix together in a delicious dish.

While the paella is cooking you have plenty of appetizers to bite on and share while sipping those carefully crafted margaritas. Appetizers are divided to Italians and Mexicans (a perfect marriage of tastes there) We got Shrimp ceviche as we wanted to leave the most of our stomach space to the paella. I am a big lover of the ceviche and have eaten it with Peruvians and made by Peruvians (Peru is where it comes originally) so I can be pretty picky with my ceviche and this one was SO GOOD!

Shrimp was fresh and very well cooked, it was not chewy and was very well macerated in the lemon juice so it took in all the needed flavors. It is served with chips and avocado. They had me at avocado, I mean, don’t know about you but for me avocado on everything, please.

In the meanwhile, the paella was cooking right in front of us.

Did you know the making of paella is a specialty skill that not all chefs would have? Our chef in Tequila Chicas has been training in a special (paella only) place as a sous chef for 3 years until they allowed him to become a chef. Then he still was perfecting his craft for 2 more years before coming to Tequila Chicas.

By the time the paella was done it was already sold out. My friends, get your order in as soon as you arrive, you don’t want to wait until the last minute. There was a gentleman who came just to pick up a paella (4 portions) to take it home for his get together with friends.

When I started writing this post I thought about mentioning all the ingredients of this paella but I don’t think I can. There were chicken and calamari, shrimp (huge) and clams and much more good stuff. And that takes me to the portion size…..

It is HUGE!!!

Now lets shut up and eat…. yes there was a silence at hour table for some moments maybe with occasional “yummmm” sounds going on.

The service was also spectacular. I know in Miami service is something what we usually miss on but here you will be treated as a king or a queen.

Should I mention this restaurant is local and family owned for almost 20 years. So this is not some big corporation. The owner herself is an 80-ish years old sweetest lady, comes to the restaurant and oversees everything almost every day.

If you happen to meet her you will fall in love with this sweetest lady who can also tell you some stories about passed days of South Beach so if you get to meet her you are there for a culinary and also cultural treat.

Besides the paella, Tequila Chicas offers specials every day. Check them on Tuesday taco special with $2 tacos or Burger Wednesday with $10 burgers and beer and did I mention monster Fridays? oh yes, those legendary huge 45oz Strawberry margaritas at only $25!!!

Don’t think twice, get to the beach, enjoy the sun and when you are ready, get to tequila chicas and end your day with perfection at all levels.