Going to a restaurant that you have wanted to go to for months and being disappointed is one of the worst feelings. The Sugar Factory in Miami Beach was completely different than I had expected. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t the worst restaurant I have ever been to, but it wasn’t anything to write home about.
The Sugar Factory has many locations across the nation from New York to Las Vegas. I made a reservation at the Miami location to make sure I had a spot. To my surprise, plenty of times were open a week in advance, which confused me considering the popularity the restaurant has gained. When I arrived right on Ocean Drive in the middle of all the lights and thousands of people, multiple tables were available. The excited gentleman who greeted us seemed like he was in a rush. He didn’t even ask my name or cared that I made a reservation.
My party and I sat outside because the greeter said no one really sits inside because it’s not a great atmosphere. Luckily, I sat by a heater because it was not a warm night. The view was wonderful though. Across the street were palm trees and you could see all the action going on along Ocean Drive. But even though I was in beautiful Miami, I did not appreciate how the waiters and owners chased after people to sit down and eat at their restaurant. Women were selling cigars and hookah along the street and people were being obnoxious.
Once I got past that, I could finally look at the menu. What bothered me was the lack of prices on the menu and the fact that the waiter did not offer me the prices. The Sugar Factory is known for their sugary drinks with different kinds of fruit and candy that come with or without alcohol. The drinks are served in a tall, 60-ounce goblet that looks like a fishbowl. It is plenty to share with a few people. I just assumed that drinks would be about $25 and treated myself to their Lollipop Passion. To my surprise, I did not enjoy the drink at all and would have rather just had a soda. Maybe the other flavors are better, as they also make chocolate and other specialty drinks that I would have liked to try as well, but they are too expensive. Along with their overpriced drinks the Sugar Factory is also known for its couture candy shop, which I didn’t get to see because I wasn’t told they had one at this location — yet another big disappointment for me.
Their dinner menu is relatively small but includes appetizers and salads, burgers, pasta, steak, and even breakfast food. The meals range from $10 to $40. For an appetizer, my friend and I ordered Fried Macaroni and Cheese Pops with a dipping sauce. For dinner, I ordered fettuccini alfredo with chicken that came with garlic bread. My friend ordered what was called the Pizza Burger, a regular burger with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce on it, which came with fries.
The appetizer was delicious. The Macaroni and Cheese Pops looked like giant cake pops, but I wish they were bigger as the serving was only three pops. Fried macaroni and cheese is one of my favorites so I would definitely recommend this dish.
I wasn’t very surprised that the dinners weren’t the biggest portions, but for the money I would have expected a slightly larger dish. The fettuccini alfredo was very good. Though, it was not like a dish from an authentic Italian restaurant but it was better than I expected. However, what I found odd was the small piece of garlic bread that came with the meal. It was the size of the small bread bruschetta is made with. I honestly could have done without it. The pizza burger wasn’t very good either. The sauce did not taste how tomato sauce should and the idea of the burger was not executed very well. The waiter did not ask how we wanted the burger cooked and it was almost burnt to a crisp. It was definitely not the best burger I have ever eaten, but the fries were yummy.
Once we finished dinner, we decided to look at the dessert menu. They have pages and pages of desserts. (Those are not cheap either.) We were so turned off by the food and the not-so-great service that we decided not to order dessert. I believe they give you less food so you have more room for drinks and desserts.
I knew the check was not going to be cheap but I did not expect it to be what it actually was: more than $100 for dinner for two people. The drink was $39. Yes, $39 with no alcohol. If I’m not getting alcohol in the drink, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous because it was just 60 ounces of juice. The bill included a tip, which I understand, but then I saw that they put two service charges on the bill. I don’t even know what they were for and why I was charged for them. One charge was for about $20 and another for around $2. I felt I was taken advantage of and I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I did not ask any questions about the check and just paid the price.
I’m glad I got to experience The Sugar Factory once to see what all the hype was about but I don’t need to go back. It may be a good spot to have some drinks or dessert, but I would not recommend it for a nice meal with your family or a date with your significant other. Other locations may be different, but I don’t have the urge to find out any time soon. It definitely gave off the celebrity Hollywood vibe that they are going for and the prices match, so this restaurant may be the place to go for a fancy night out. But for college students on a low budget, this is not the place you want to spend all of your money.
