-
Abbey Brewery
The only brewpub in South Beach is on the untouristed end of South Beach (near Alton Rd). It's friendly and packed with folks listening to the Grateful Dead and, of course, slinging back some excellent homebrew: give the Abbey Brown or Oatmeal Stout a shot.
-
Atlantic Casino Miami
This gaming cruise offers a plethora of slots, video gambling, poker, roulette and blackjack tables, plus an observation deck and full bars.
-
Automatic Slim's
Rockers and rocker wannabes - tattoos are optional - come together at Automatic Slim's a rockabilly-light bar for theme nights and general 'rowdiness'.
-
Bar
All in a name, right? Probably the best watering hole in the Gables, The Bar is just what the title says (which is ironic in this neighborhood of extravagant embellishment). If you're in the 'hood on Friday come here for happy hour ( to ), when all the young Gables professionals take their ties off and basically let loose long into the night.
-
Bed
You probably know this drill: someone sets a bunch of beds around a DJ booth. House music ensues. People go crazy. Except the music is really loud, and you have to order bottle service to lounge, so come with cash if you want to lay down (which seems opposed to the whole, 'Let's go dance' thing, but hey).
-
Bond Street Lounge
After the sushi eaters head home, a new crowd rolls in - one that prefers litchitinis (lychee martinis) over yellowtail. Throw yourself over a white couch or cylindrical white ottoman, order up, sip and stare at the crowd.
-
Boteca
If you're missing Sao Paolo, come to Boteca on Friday evenings to see the biggest Brazilian expat reunion in Miami. Cariocas (Rio natives) and their countrymen flock here to listen to samba and bossa nova and chat each other up over (obviously) the best capirinhas in town.
-
Boy Bar
The North Beach boys (and just about everyone else) flock to this neighborhood cruise bar, where everyone plays pool, chills on the back porch and basically avoids indulging in too much South Beach-style madness. Which isn't to say they don't engage in a little bad behavior…
-
Café Nostalgia
Come here to drink sangria and watch old-school crooners get melodramatic on a vintage stage. Sure it's cheesy, but that's the point (look at the name of the place).
-
Cameo
This enormous, touristy club, where Gwen Stefani tracks get smooshed into Oakenfold, is where the sexy times are to be had - if by sexy time you mean thumping music, a packed crowd and sweat to slip on. Sunday's gay night (the specific party name frequently changes) is one of the best in town.
-
Advertisement
-
Casa Panza
They might as well hang out flashing 'Ole!' signs at this kitschy cavern of Spanish stereotypes, where the nightly flamenco entertainment is as good as the food, which includes caldo gallego (white-bean soup with pork sausage) and gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce).
-
Casino Princesa
Docked adjacent to the Hard Rock Café in the Bayside, this floating casino has all the slots and gaming tables.
-
Chesterfield Hotel
Perch on some prime Collins people-watching real estate and get crunk on the hip-hop-and-zebra stripe theme they've got going on here. You'd think this would be a pre-funk kinda place, but the setting's so fly, folks end up stationary, sipping on mad martinis 'til they stumble into their rooms.
-
Churchill's
Only in Miami: Churchill's is a Brit-owned East End-style pub in the midst of what could be Port-au-Prince. There's a lot of live music here, mainly punk and indie and more punk. Not insipid modern punk either: think the Ramones meet the Sex Pistols. While everyone's getting their ya-ya's off, Haitian hustlers are lurking outside, waiting to park your car or sidle in and enjoy the gig and a beer with you. Brits, this is the place to watch your sports.
-
Circa 28
Miami can work her magic on anyone, even Wynwood's angst-y artists. Like Cinderella touched by a Fairy Godmother (or very good DJ), they become glamorous club kids in this two-story hepcat hotspot. Circa is as sexy and gorgeous as Miami gets, but with its modish library and (semi)literati clientele, it's also intelligent enough to hold a conversation.
-
Circa 39
Tucked off to the back of Circa's moody front lobby, the designer dream bar has a warm, welcoming feel to it. Definitely stop in for a cosmopolitan if you're up this way, before sauntering across the street and checking out the nighttime ocean.
-
Clevelander Bar
Spring break is alive and well, you can find it here at the poolside, beachside, open-air bar where bikinis are always welcome.
-
Dewey's Tavern
Dewey's the deco dive (really; the exterior is a little gem of the genre), and it's as un-pretentious as the best sordid watering holes get. Come here to get wasted and menace the crowds seeking serenity on quiet Alton Rd (just kidding - behave yourself!).
-
Felt
Having 10 pool tables is one way to stand out from the crowd in these parts, and it seems to be working. Grab a drink and a cue and enjoy this spot's come-one-come-all attitude.
-
Florida Room At The Delano
'Wanna buy me an eight-dollar beer?' asks an out-of-towner, gazing awestruck at the sheer mass of model-types packed into this den of iniquity. The Florida Room is as exclusive as they get, plus a popular dancehall/samba piano lounge for local scenesters who eschew the tourist trap megaclubs further down the beach. Show up before or be on the list (or Lenny Kravitz - who helped design this place) to get in.
-
Advertisement
-
Grass Restaurant & Lounge
With models in the courtyard and mudras on the walls, plus double doors that should front a castle and bouncers working the rope, you gotta be sexy (or know someone who is) to get in. If so, dine under thatch roofs or the stars on fusioned meals such as cumin-encrusted beef tenderloin and strut, daahling.
-
Hotel Chelsea
When you walk into the Chelsea's stylish lobby, you're greeted by a sultry, black and yellow floral pattern that feels like it's been lifted from a lingerie catalogue. The motif carries on into the dimly lit, yet sumptuous vintage rooms - which should really be called boudoirs - where the shaded chandeliers provide just the right glow. Parking costs around US$30 per day.
-
Impromedy
This improvisational comedy troupe formed at Florida International University in 1997, you can catch their shows on weekends at the Roxy west of Coral Gables in Sweetwater.
-
Karu & Y
Karu smacks of an Atlanta hip-hop megaclub in ways good and sundry. Basically a bottle of iced-out Cristal given club form, there's a Dale Chiluly chandelier in the entrance, waterfall out front and restaurant (Karu; Y is the lounge) that serves foie gras lollipops. It's all (literally) smack on the tracks that separate tatty but gentrifying Downtown (bling!) from Overtown's worst projects (bang!). Come here to star in your personal MTV video, and expect to pay for the privilege.
-
Laughing Gas
This long-running, wacky improv and comedy-sketch troupe brings its costumed craziness to venues around town, usually in Coral Gables and nearby Miami Lakes. Check the website for information.
