At Toro Toro, the year-old, pan-Latin restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel, guests can enjoy a lunch buffet during the week and a bottomless brunch during the weekend.
But which option offers a better deal? To find out, Short Order recently visited Toro Toro for both meals. Pictures of the smack down after the jump.
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Lunch at Toro Toro will set you back $25 plus tax and tip. The price includes a soda, coffee or tea, and a churro after your meal.
"Downtown Miami residents and workers are always on the run and we wanted to be sure to offer a quick, affordable and delicious lunch option for our guests while still incorporating that pan-Latin Toro Toro flair," explains executive chef Eric Do.
During our visit, the buffet included a tower of delicious deviled eggs. This was our favorite part of the whole buffet. There was also tortilla española.
We craved more protein, so we wandered over to to the meat station, where you'll find unlimited offerings of picanha, chorizo, achiote chicken, and the meat of the day.
On Thursdays, Toro Toro serves glazed pork ribs. We recommend going on Wednesdays, when the restaurant proffers a tasty leg of lamb.
During our visit, side dish options included papa a la huancaína, patatas bravas, saffron rice, and kale.
Toro Toro's bottomless brunch costs $38. The meal features unlimited mimosas or any other brunch cocktail. In between drinks, you can choose from a variety of small plates.
Is there a catch? Yup, you guessed it. The price buys you only two hours at the restaurant.
So our advice is to try everything you can. We sampled dips, such as smoked swordfish and the guacamole. This was followed by a hamachi tiradito.
The set-up also includes classic greens like wedge salad, three bean salad, Caesar salad, avocado, and heirloom tomato salad. There are seafood options, such as the daily ceviche or the shrimp cocktail. Toro Toro also proffers a variety of hummus flavors -- in case plain garbanzo doesn't do it for you.
Besides their pan de bono, the highlight of Toro Toro's menu is their arepa. During brunch, it's offered benedict-style with braised short ribs. There's also cachapas and a picadillo empanada, which add to the latin flair.
Other offerings include: a Mexico City-style hot dog with bacon and black bean; ham croquettes; chilaquiles verdes with chicken, bacon and egg fried rice; huevos rancheros; and Mexican chocolate waffles with nutella.
Toro Toro's brunch is pricier than lunch. And it seems like a better option because of the the copious amount of booze involved. So if that's your thing, brunch might be your ideal meal.
We'll stick to lunch, preferably one packed with endless deviled eggs and lamb. There's no two hour limit on that -- although you do have to go back to work at some point.
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