MIAReview
Dinner at Branja starts strong, before any food touches the table. Almost every seat here is on a big patio covered by a very beautiful glass-painted ceiling, with desert blues and clay reds. The restaurant is filled with hanging vines, and big fans circulate enough air to make it tolerable even on a hot night. It's an oasis compared to the hot pavement and dusty vacant lots along NE 2nd Ave.
And while the actual meal rarely exceeds that first visual impression, dinner here is still good enough to justify picking Branja for a date or dinner on a gorgeous cool night when you feel guilty eating anywhere indoors.
photo credit: Branja
Beyond the decor, the Israeli restaurant does many things right. They have the best pita in Miami. The spreads, dressings, and anything you can scrape off the bottom of your plate with that pita is fantastic.
But no matter how complementary those juices or sauces are, the main ingredients in many dishes are low quality. The fishwarma uses leftover fish scraps, and the tomatoes in the tom n’ tahini are watery and bland. These dishes aren’t inedible, but they could be much better if they improved the quality of their star ingredients. It’s like Queen without Freddie Mercury (no offense to Tim Staffel).
But even though Branja cuts corners with some dishes, the space and food are still interesting enough to recommend to anyone looking for a unique outdoor restaurant during Miami’s “winter” months.
Food Rundown
Pita
Order the pita (it’s not served complimentary with any dish). It’s thick, warm, fluffy, and about the size of a bread plate. And ask for more than one piece so you can thoroughly soak up all the juices and purees from this very saucy menu. For such a small thing, it really changes every dish it touches for the better.
photo credit: Branja
Popeye Pasta
This is a really refreshing pasta. It’s served with spinach, lemon butter, pine nuts, and goat ricotta. The flavors are so wonderful when you manage to get it all together on your fork.
Bloody Bravas
These aren’t your typical patatas bravas. The sauce—a worcestershire aioli—is served on the side of big, crispy jacket potatoes that are dusted in spicy bloody mary powder. It’s a great bar snack option.
photo credit: Branja
Fishwarma
We really like the sauce on the fishwarma. But we equally hate that we’re eating a small bowl filled with discarded fish trim.