Out of the Blue Café

When they first opened I had great hopes for this place. But it never really lived up to my expectations. Even after a change in ownership they still haven’t really gotten to a place I can enjoy. Service, bad, food, bad.
Sorry! I want to like it since its so close… but I cant.

I worked next door to this cute coffee shop for 2 years, so I would stop in every now and then to grab a coffee or to have lunch with a friend. Their staff is always friendly and very attentive, so I’ve never had a bad experience at Out of the Blue. Their coffee has your regular Starbucks prices and come in pretty much the same size variations.
For breakfast, I’ve tried their breakfast baguette with egg and cheese, which is absolutely delicious. For lunch, I’ve had the Out of the Blue Burger Trio, which comes with three mini sliders each with a different topping (onions, mushrooms & hummus). People I have gone with have tried their sandwiches and salads and have also raved about them. One time that I went with my boyfriend, our waitress was a sweetheart. We each got a sample of their soup of the day and my boyfriend got free chips with his sandwich, for God knows what reason.
I’ve also tried their mini desserts, but at almost $ 6 a pop, they’re hardly worth it.
They have inside and outside seating, but are located in a pretty random spot on NE 2^nd Ave. Inside, they have some nice art and there is always an old movie playing, so it as a homey feel to it. There’s street parking in front of the restaurant, which can sometimes be a pain, yet pretty convenient if you’re there at a good time.
Next time I go, I’m definitely going for breakfast and trying one of their Belgian waffles — yum!

When I lived at Cite down the road, I used to escape to the Out of the Blue 1.0 to do some work away from home. The coffee was good, the service was excellent and there was always some nice local art on the walls.
Sometime in between then and now, as the business obviously transitioned to new management, they started targeting the out of work happy hour crowd and lost anything that made me like them in the first place.
I walked in earlier this afternoon to a ghost town blasting bad music (even by dismal coffee shop music standards.) I walk up to the counter with my laptop bag in tow and order a single coffee. Now if I enter your establishment with a laptop bag and state that my intention is to only drink coffee, this is probably a good time to tell me that your internet is broken.
I chug down my coffee, proceed to pay my bill and am met with another unadvertised obstacle, a $ 5 credit card minimum. Yes, I realize that I’m white whining, but having to overpay for getting absolutely nothing I wanted isn’t exactly the way to encourage repeat business.
Not that I stayed long enough to have any, but I think it’s worth noting that they were charging double price for $ 10 bottles of wine (like Vivir, Vivir) and still had the guff to charge an $ 8 corking fee on top of that.
So what I’m really trying to say is, does anyone know of another independent coffee shop in the area that has free wi-​fi?

I actually hesitated between one and two stars. I was very very disappointed after all the great reviews I read on Unilocal,but I have to agree with the more tepid ones. I gave 2 stars because I didn’t try the brunch items they seem known for.
My girlfriends and I go to brunch every Sunday, and e decided to try OBC. Service here was slower than dial up, although the server was friendly. But friendly only goes so far.
I requested the Euro Baguette with a fried egg. I received a scrambled egg, and it was cold. My friend ordered a bagel with smoked salmon, and she reported that the salmon was not fresh, it was mushy and disgusting. My other friend had a croissant (she’d had better) sandwich with egg and ham — she was said it wasn’t bad.
I was unsatisfied, so I decided to try a crêpe — chocolate and banana. It was cold, you could tell the crêpe had been in the fridge, and there was condensation on it. It was slimy. I didn’t eat it.
I was hoping to find a new delicious brunch spot. Sadly, I will probably not be returning.

Hello Sunday morning overindulgence. With a $ 20 all-​you-​can-​eat brunch, this place is just begging you to stuff your face. And stuff my face I did.
Note: This is really 3.5 stars — I was torn between 3 and 4, but I rounded up, since I would consider myself a fan.
The BF and I sought this place out after reading all the rave reviews of a Brunch Club we recently missed. The neighborhood is sketchy, but the café itself is really adorable. Nice outside seating, comfy little benches, canopies of trees.
I’m really at a loss to explain how they make any money off this brunch. $ 20, all you can eat from a specific menu, mimosa included. The menu has lots of tempting options, and they ENCOURAGE you to order more than one dish. Our server was very sweet.
The BF and I tried the chocolate & banana crêpe (chocolate was a little too dark for my taste), the chocolate & banana waffle (delicious), the specialty salad (more basic than it sounded on the menu), egg & cheese on a baguette (HUGE and really enjoyable), and the BF had an omelette, to boot. Everything was good, some items better than others, but overall, an impressive selection & good quality given it’s all you can eat.
I’m sure we’ll be back — hopefully they’ll change up the menu items from time to time, since if you return, you don’t want to have to order all the same things over again. But all in all, I enjoyed my Out of the Blue brunch very much.

It looks so cute sitting perched and painted on this otherwise lousy block of a lousy part of town, but the cuteness of the approach is definitely the highlight of the experience. The food was fine, but substantially worse than what I demand in a brunch restaurant. The service was downright inattentive. The music was too loud too, although they did turn that down upon request (for a while). Don’t bother.

Out of the blue was not so out of the blue, since I work down the street. It was one some other Unilocaler’s lists for good downtown lunch spots, and I trust my fellow Unilocalers so I had to give it a try. I took Elyse (see below review) with me since she owed me one.
The setting is adorable, cute café to protect you from the weary world of downtown Miami. The service left something to be desired, that something was speed. The food however, I found to be slightly creative. I had the Midnight Blue (gotta love food with puns for names) whish was «Pulled Pork marinated in special herbs, caramelized onions, pepper jack cheese and cornichon pickles with garlic mustard aioloi dressing. It was filling and tasty.
I think it is a little over priced for the location, and poor service. But the place is cute and a good place to chat over lunch.

I went to Out of the Blue two years ago because I work nearby and was turned off by a bunch of things. I remember the owner being a pretty unpleasant human being and I felt the price for a sandwich was pretty absurd — it was like $ 12 for one on a tiny baguette. I felt like I was paying for the ambiance rather than the food. And no doubt this place is visually appealing, especially considering it’s in a pretty skanky neighborhood and on a stretch of NE 2^nd that probably has the most pot holes in all of Miami-​Dade. It has a pastel, powder blue house exterior with trendy looking assholes sipping coffee on the outside porch complete with a funky, plush, artsy interior — a nod to the Wynwood Art District, I suppose. But, it felt like one of those places that was way more about style than any kind of substance.
I swung by yesterday solely because I was starving and all the Art Basel traffic prevented me from going anywhere else.
I was slightly less offended by the place.
I had a Paramount panini which in print sounded awesome — grilled chicken, marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, jalapenos, and a balsamic reduction. I thought: yum x 5! And it was good BUT tasted an aeful lot like the $ 12 sandwich I recall ordering a few times in the past, which had very different ingredients. Yet, to be fair, the baguette on this panini had gotten a little fatter and the price had gone down ($ 8.75) and they even threw in a bag of Dirty brand potato chips, so I suppose it was an improvement. Plus I noticed you can make your own salad, which is kind of cute and would be a truly original concept if they didn’t blatantly steal the idea from The Daily down the street.
Our server was nice, but really slow. I remember waiting about 45 minutes for a sandwich and the place wasn’t all that busy.
I find this place very, «eh-​ish» and transparent. But, some people may really like it.

It’s like a little Key West cottage in the middle of a crack zone. So Miami it hurts. As I sat outside one Wednesday morning with a friend, we watched as the local rock monsters carried on about their business.
I sipped coffee and enjoyed a toasted baguette with egg, caramelized onions and brie. But I didn’t just have breakfast. I was proposed to. By a nice gentleman with a shopping cart who insisted he would be a good husband. You know, that just doesn’t happen every day.
Out of the Blue — true to your name. The little bar looks amazing, though I might be weary of visiting late at night. The menu was simple and delicious with a smattering of unexpected ingredients and combinations for the adventurous of palate.
The parking on the street right in front of the café is legal and less shady than the side streets. The service was great, the coffee was good, and the inside was really cute. But why would you sit inside when you can take in the views from the porch? This place has personality, for sure.

Grabbing a coffee here is always a treat.
Out of the Blue reminds me of an ocean-​front café, without the ocean. I prefer to sit outside on their porch and pretend I’m looking at something nice instead of the downtown ghetto.
Regardless of the location, it’s a homey place to order some coffee and read the newspaper. The service is relatively fast and friendly. I’ve only had a salad here, and it was good. Not great, but as good as a salad can be.

Had a great sandwich for lunch today, order it to-​go and it came out in a few minutes. Ordered the Midnight Blue Pulled pork sandwich… yum! Great flavor in the meat, lots of pulled pork and great flavor combo with the garlic mayo and french cornichons and onions (on fresh baguette).
Service was helpful and fast and the space is very comfy yet contemporary. Great for take out or eat in. They deliver with a $ 10 minimum order.
Chocolate croissants looked great!
Most sandwiches/​wraps/​panini range from $ 7.50-$ 10.
They also have soups and salads and desserts and lots of drink options (all coffees and sodas, juice…)

I’m so hesitant to update my review of Out of the Blue, but after my lunch experience there today, I can’t wait any longer. Things have truly fallen by the wayside here. I don’t know if it can be attributed to a change in management or other staff, or what, but it’s definitely for the worse.
A friend and I came here for lunch, and were pretty much the only table there (there was a couple getting drinks on the patio, but that was it). We ordered right away, and our waiter neglected to write down our order. That should’ve been our first sign.
About 25 minutes go by without any food being brought to us. Hmm… Then our waiter brings out a sandwich. Hmm, again. We both ordered salads. Maybe he should’ve written our order down. About 10 minutes later, my salad arrives, followed another 5+ minutes later by my friend’s salad. Neither was out of this world, and for $ 12-​ish a piece, we definitely expected better.
A lady manager was there, and on her way out, she asked my friend if her salad «was delicious.» Okay, not exactly the best way to phrase the question unless you know the response you’ll receive. When my friend responded, «eh,» the manager jack-​knifed and said something to our waiter. Then our waiter came over to ask about the salad, and how they had problems in the kitchen, etc. My friend explained that the steak on her salad was tough, burnt, and barely even there among the greens. Despite all of that, no discounts were offered, no comped drinks or dessert. What a shame.
Now for the kicker. My friend and I wanted to split the check on our cards. The waiter took the bills and our cards without a second thought. After about 10 minutes, he returned the cigar-​box-​check-​holder to us, and explained that he couldn’t split the check because some machine was broken (what, your calculator?!). Rather than return to us with that information and allow us to decide whose card to put the entire bill on, Mr. Waiter decided just to pick one and run it. As luck would have it, he picked my friend’s debit card rather than my credit card. That was a HUGE negative on Out of the Blue’s part. What if the account only had enough funds to cover her half of the bill, and this carelessness on our waiter’s part caused her to be charged ridiculous overdraft fees? Not cool, Out of the Blue, not cool.
Since this place used to be soooo amazing, I’m giving them 2 stars over the 1 they truly deserve. Here’s hoping they get things figured out soon. But I don’t think things could get much worse. I just know that I won’t be returning anytime soon.

…
Bummer.
It really slipped.
Outside seats were dirty. I felt better sitting inside.
2−4−1 Bud Light for happy hour is a little lame for any happy hour. Might as well not have any.
The cappuccino was watery and bitter… it even tasted worse than what a cappuccino would taste like from Starbucks — and I’m not sure how this this is even possible.
I didn’t order the food, so there was no saving grace. At least the service was good and the indoor atmosphere was cozy.

Very good sandwiches, a little pricey, good atmosphere.
Had the Wynwood last time which was pretty amazing. Nice outdoor seating which is a must for me. Expansive collection of free publications for Saturday reading alone.
I want to go when it gets poppin’ cuz I hear it happens.
I get nervous parking around there, though, but I’m a bit of a pansy.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THURSDAY NIGHT KARAOKE at Out of the Blue
Be forewarned, I’m writing this review with a wee bit of a mojito hangover. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Those aforementioned mojitos were imbibed at home in the company of friends. Out of the Blue has wine and beer only. Pack your flask.)
Last night a small group of us went to Out of the Blue to try our slightly buzzed hand at singing up a storm. We showed up at about 9:30, and were the only folks there. Now, that didn’t deter us. Any die-​hard karaōke-​er knows that this is an opportunity to do your warm up number. (Mine was Bill Wither’s ‘Use Me’.) The ‘menu’ of songs had the usuals, and much more. This was a thick menu with lots to choose from.
At about 10:30, the place had a nice, friendly crowd and a few kickass singers. One woman in particular sang the heck (Yes, the heck!) out of Whitney Houston and Alicia Keyes. Not easy to do. While there were some great singers last night, the crowd was also appreciative of the karaōke ‘performer’ who can’t sing at all, but makes up for it in enthusiasm. (We had one of those in our group, and his stirring rendition of Barbra Streisand’s ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ was met with applause versus dirty looks.)
The emcee and crowd were primarily speaking and singing in Spanish (and mine is limited), but that didn’t stop the fun. As a matter of fact, it actually added something cool to the night.
So, would I go again? Yup!
Would I bring my flask? Sure!
Will I see you there? Hope so.
(Oh, just to be clear, I put dibs on Bill Withers, Van Morrison, Billy Joel, Elton John, and The Commitments. The rest is all yours.)

I thought the staff was pretty nice. They were passing samples of wine they were featuring. I ended up ordering a bottle.
The portions are a little on the small side for a full meal, but most of us don’t need to overindulge anyway.
I like the outdoor seating, and I dug their desserts too! I’ll be sure to revisit.

The management has changed and the staff isn’t as friendly as before but still a cool place.
Starting November 18^th they will be serving breakfast.

I’m a recent Miami transplant, and when I first got here I nearly cried for lack of a REAL coffeehouse — I just wish I had found Out of the Blue then. The atmosphere is comfortable and charming, everything a real neighborhood place should be. The food was very good, if not perfect, and the soup is actually made in house, not by heating up the contents of a plastic bag or can. And the coffee — the coffee is perfect. Ask for Isabelle — her foamy cappucino and latte creations are outstanding. Extra points for having plenty of seating, both indoors and out, for being open until 10PM and free wireless too.

I’d been looking to try this place for a while. I drive by it on 2^nd Ave quite a bit on my way to and from downtown.
I had the chicken curry soup and the Out of the Blue Chicken Sandwich. After tax and tip it came to about $ 16. The soup was just ok, but you don’t get chicken curry soup at every restaurant so I was happy to have the opportunity to order it. The sandwich was very good, served in a basket with a side of green and made with a great baugette, but it was pretty small. I could have used a little bit more sandwich for my money.
The place itself is pretty cool. Kind of laid back, funky with color photographs covering that walls that seem to have been taken by a local photographer. The Wynwood influence is certainly there.

I’m torn! Because the more people that know about this amazing little place is a direct correlation to the time I may have to wait to get a table in the future.
Nevertheless, I can’t help myself.
I love the laid back atmosphere and sincerity from the wait staff. Some friends and I went for Brunch and what a wonderful time and great food! $ 19.95 for all you can order off of their brunch menu!
My favorite was the Venedictiney (Eggs Benedict and with prosciutto).
And they were so nice! One of those places you are so happy you found after you went.