Pubbelly

• Cuisine(s): Asian, Gastro Pub, Small Plates
  Price: $$$
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly
• Reservations: Not Accepted
  Parking: Meters

Description

The quiet block of 20th Street between Purdy and West Avenues in South Beach has given aspiring restaurateurs nothing but headaches. Nowadays folks are gathering beneath Pubbelly's high loft ceilings, leaning against the exposed brick walls, and waiting for one of the three-dozen seats or dozen bar stools to open up. So how did the Asian-accented gastropubs's three young owners succeed where others could not? By offering fresh, creative, flavor-packed cuisine in a cozy urban-tavern setting, with attentive service and the one thing those failed ventures did not: value. Of course, it helps that Pubbelly embraces popular dining trends such as Asian food, small plates, gastropubs, and pork belly. The small menu manages to encompass 30-plus items, and half a dozen of them contain belly meat from the pig. On the low end, the $6 McBelly packs a lot of flavor into a small bun via pickles, shaved onions, and kim chee barbecue sauce atop meaty slaps of fatty pork. It's just one of a dozen "small plates" that anchor the bill of fare. Belly beckons in the Pubbelly ramen - lemongrass broth bolstered by bean sprouts, ramen noodles, moistly poached pork belly, and a runny poached egg. Other modes of making a meal here include raw bar items, plates of imported hams such as jamon serrano, ravioli-like dumplings (try the ones with duck and pumpkin butter), side vegetables, and choice of a few entrée-size plates ($25 to $29). On the pub side: more than a dozen bottled beers, 14-ounce draughts, two dozen boutique red and white wines($30 to $79), and a rotating list of sakes. Service is personable and attentive, and the vibe is friendly in a neighborly sort of way.