Bars and nightlife in Miami
Miami's Bars and Nightclubs Take You on an All-Night Whirlwind of Strong Drinks and Beautiful PeopleMiami's reputation for glimmering nightclubs full of beautiful people is well-deserved, but the city's nightlife goes far beyond that, with world-class cocktail bars, elevated rooftops, and low-lying dives.
The bright lights of South Beach have become synonymous with chic, see-and-be-seen nightclubs. And sure, if you want high-end dance clubs and ultralounges, Miami will exceed your expectations. But what if you're not into the club scene? The rest of Miami's bars and nightlife venues are equally as spectacular as its legendary clubs, boasting bartenders who have been named the best in America and spaces that take full advantage of Miami's warm weather and tropical scenery. Exploring Miami after dark will have you sipping rare rums in a downstairs speakeasy, then plopping down next to colorful characters in a landmark dive. Or it can have you leaving a club long after the sun goes up, thinking about how different your life might be if you lived here. Whatever you do, nights out in Miami are always adventures. Here are the best places to seek them out.
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E11even
E11even makes you lose all sense of time, or sense in general. It's the best time of your life that you never want to end. But sometimes it's best if you go home before you're ready.
E11even is a multi-story megaclub where topless dancers perform acrobatic stunts under a constant flurry of falling dollar bills. It doesn’t close from Wednesday night to Monday morning, making it Miami’s top after-hours destination, even when those hours spill over into the next afternoon. It’s a frequent venue for live performances from top rappers like Travis Scott and Snoop Dogg and hosts A-list DJs on some weekends too. Just be careful if you go; E11even has a way of making you lose track of time and spending a lot more money than you planned.
Address: 29 NE 11th St, Miami, FL 33132
LIV
Miami’s most iconic club sits inside the storied Fontainebleau hotel, where the line of chic patrons stretches back to the lobby’s famous Bleau Bar. Inside, a state-of-the-art sound system draws some of the biggest electronic music acts in the world, and every weekend you’re likely to find someone like Afrojack or Calvin Harris headlining. Getting in, especially for groups of guys, is no easy feat. But splurge for a table, and you’ll find yourself immersed in the bright lights and beautiful people of your Miami clubland fantasies.
Address: 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
Swizzle Rum Bar and Drinkery
Hidden downstairs in the Stiles Hotel you’ll find a dark hallway leading to a nondescript door. Knock a few times and you’ll enter a map-lined drinking den filled with rare rums from around the world. Swizzle’s mixologists are among the best in the city, crafting strong tropical drinks with rums you’ve likely never tried. It’s the perfect spot to cozy up with someone in a dark corner and hide from the world over spicy, exotic cocktails.
Address: 1120 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
Broken Shaker
Lounging under a banyan tree at the Broken Shaker’s cool patio, you may find that perfect moment where you fully absorb the fact that you’re in Miami. As you enjoy a cool blackberry lemonade made with lavender right on site, it’ll dawn on you that you are very much IN Miami. A feeling driven home when you hear conversations among the Freehand hostel guests around you in several different languages.
Address: 2727 Indian Creek Dr, Miami Beach
Café La Trova
Award-winning bartender Julio Cabrera opened this old-Havana-style bar in the heart of Little Havana, bringing with him a menu of creative drinks like the chancleta, a daiquiri-like cocktail appropriately served in a slipper. He and his team of tuxedoed bartenders shake and pour while a live Cuban band provides the soundtrack, and guests feast on food from James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein. Go on a weekend, and you’ll find the back bar has been transformed into a tribute to Miami in the 1980s.
Address: 971 SW 8th St, Miami
Sweet Liberty
The late John Lermayer founded this locals’-favorite bar in South Beach, where inventive drinks and dollar-oyster happy hours have endeared Sweet Liberty to locals. But this bar is more than just a place to drink, it also boasts one of the city’s best hamburgers, which is a late-night favorite for soaking up bad decisions. It also offers a booth behind the bar, sort of a VIP seat for the evening’s action. And frequently hosts pop-up bars from famous cocktail lounges like Barcelona’s Two Shmucks.
Address: 237 20th St suite b, Miami Beach
Sugar
Sugar may have spectacular views, but it can get crowded. And expensive. Head here when it opens and order a single drink, savor it and the view as long as you can.
The best view from any bar in Miami sits atop the East Hotel, in the Asian garden around the bar at Sugar. The view spans 270 degrees around the city, offering sightlines from the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean, with the modern city and Miami Beach in between. At twilight, you can watch Miami transform from a sun-soaked paradise to a neon-lit metropolis, all with a smooth lychee martini in hand.
Address: 788 Brickell Plaza #40, Miami
Sipsip
The top floor of the Mayfair Hotel is home to this Bahamian-themed bar, where you can try a rum punch or other rum-based cocktail while gazing out at the calming waters of Biscayne Bay. Sipsip’s food offerings are an equally-alluring taste of the islands, with stuff like conch fritters and jerk chicken sandwiches complementing a fresh raw bar.
Address: 3000 Florida Ave, Miami
Rosa Sky
Rosa Sky surrounds you in the Brickell skyline, creating one of the most photogenic drink decks in the city. Set on AC Hotel’s rooftop, Rosa Sky’s outdoor patio drops right out into the glass and steel towers of Miami’s financial district, offering colorful drinks like its namesake Rosa Sky with strawberry and lemongrass vodka. Be sure to try the Cuban Cigar rolls, which are a little like taquitos filled with the elements of a Cuban sandwich.
Address: 115 SW 8th St 22nd Floor, Miami
Mac’s Club Deuce
“The Deuce,” as it is lovingly known to locals, is Miami’s landmark dive bar, a South Beach stalwart who’s been serving cheap drinks and no judgments since 1933. Its happy hour starts at 8am, but you’ll never really know what time it is while you’re inside as the only light comes from the strips of neon above the bar. You’ll find a cross-section of Miami inside the Deuce, from real estate magnates to off-duty service industry types. Its neon signs, pool table, and unmistakable smoky aroma are as much a part of the Miami experience as warm air and salsa music.
Address: 222 14th St, Miami Beach
Better Days
Brickell’s end-of-the-night bar of last resort is this low-slung space just off Brickell Ave. It’s a popular spot forbartenders and servers to come after their shifts but has also become a haven for locals escaping the high-dollar bars that fill the neighborhood. Vintage furniture lines the walls, and a pool table sits by the DJ booth, creating social spaces for like-minded patrons to enjoy the anonymity Better Days’ darkness provides.
Address: 75 SE 6th St, Miami