Garcia's: The Family, The Business, and... the Dolphins?

Photo by Riki Altman

Luis Garcia has his claws deep in the family business.

​Garcia's is more than just a quarter-of-a-century old restaurant. It's a multifaceted story incorporating a family legacy, a wholesale business, a market, and occasionally, Suite 343 at Sun Life Stadium. Huh? Yep, feeding the hoity-toity box at the Dolphin home games is a new leap of faith for the Garcia family, but one they are hoping will pay off.

If you've never been to the restaurant, you're in for a treat. Sure it smells a bit fishy, but that's comforting since the seats are right on the river and the market downstairs is loaded with a stunning selection of shiny claws and colorful creatures with fins. Family pictures are found on nearly every wall, too, reminding guests that they are more than just diners once they walk through the door. The downstairs seating area, just behind the fish market, is loaded with basic wooden picnic tables, while upstairs is more jovial. Garcia said the long bar, ornate flooring, and lofty seating offering views for miles were built as a tribute to his father who passed away five years ago.

So here's how we'll divide this interview up: Today and tomorrow we'll talk with co-owner Luis Garcia about the restaurant and all its related businesses. Then Monday, we'll focus more on executive chef Claudio Bravo. Tuesday we'll give you reason to run to the store when we share Bravo's recipe for stuffed lobster with crabmeat, shrimp, and scallops. Is your mouth watering yet? It should be. That dish is freakin' dreamy, FYI.

Anyhow, let's start with Luis, the guy who attempted to be the family's black sheep, studying communications at LSU and stating the fish biz just wasn't in his cards, but eventually worked his way into Garcia's.