The best bars in Miami are nothing like the clubs on Ocean Drive that tourists photograph and immediately regret entering. The city's real drinking culture lives in Brickell rooftop lounges, Wynwood cocktail rooms, and a handful of Coconut Grove institutions that have been doing this longer than most of their patrons have been of legal age. We've spent considerable time across all of it. Here's where our editors actually go.
The Best Bars in Miami for Craft Cocktails
Miami's cocktail scene matured quickly over the past decade, driven by a generation of bartenders who trained in New York and Chicago before relocating for the weather. The result is a city where a serious drink is never more than a few blocks away, regardless of neighbourhood.
01
The Regent Cocktail Club
Mid-Beach$$$Classic / Retro
Tucked inside the Shelbourne Hotel, the Regent is a throwback to the era when Miami Beach actually had sophistication. Leather banquettes, a piano player Tuesday through Saturday, and a bar programme that takes pre-Prohibition cocktails as seriously as any specialist room in Manhattan. The daiquiri here is a benchmark — three ingredients, no theatrics, entirely correct.
Order: The House Daiquiri — fresh lime, Barbancourt rum, a precise measure of sugar syrup
02
Broken Shaker
South Beach$$Garden / Craft
The bar that put Miami cocktails on the national map hasn't coasted on its reputation. The Freehand Hotel's courtyard bar still delivers inventive, produce-driven cocktails that feel like they belong to the neighbourhood rather than a design brief. Come before 9pm on weekdays to actually hold a conversation. Come after midnight on weekends if you want something else entirely.
Order: Whatever the seasonal shrub cocktail is — they change monthly and are consistently excellent
03
Trade
Brickell$$$Modern / Dark
A low-lit room in the heart of Brickell that attracts the finance crowd at 6pm and the cocktail obsessives by 10. The menu rotates around a tight selection of house-built spirits and ferments. Not a place for casual drinking — come with a purpose and leave having discovered something new. The bar team here knows their provenance and will talk to you about it if you ask the right questions.
Rooftop Bars and View Spots Worth the Elevator Ride
Miami's skyline has grown fast enough that the rooftop bar scene is genuinely competitive now. A few years ago you had two or three options. Today there are a dozen worth visiting, and another dozen that are worth avoiding. We've done the work.
04
Sugar Bar
Brickell Key$$$$Rooftop / Panoramic
On the 40th floor of the EAST Hotel on Brickell Key, Sugar delivers the kind of view that makes the price point feel justifiable. The bar programme leans heavily on Asian-inspired cocktails and a spirits list with genuine depth. Arrive before sunset for the full effect — watching downtown Miami's towers catch the last light while holding a lychee martini is one of the city's better experiences.
Order: The Jade Garden — gin, elderflower, fresh cucumber, yuzu
05
Bar Collins
South Beach$$$Terrace / Social
The rooftop at the Marriott on Collins Avenue is better than it has any right to be. The crowd skews younger than Sugar, the music is louder, and the cocktails are executed with more care than the setting suggests. The terrace wraps around the building's upper floor, giving you partial ocean views and a direct line of sight across the Art Deco district. Book a table for Friday or Saturday — walk-ins after 8pm are difficult.
Order: The Biscayne Spritz — aperol, Chandon, grapefruit, sea salt
06
Kiki on the River
Wynwood$$$Waterfront / Greek
Kiki sits on the Miami River in Wynwood and combines a Greek-Mediterranean dining programme with one of the best outdoor bar experiences in the city. The cocktail list borrows from the Aegean — ouzo makes several appearances, and the fresh herb work is exceptional. The outdoor terraces fill fast; the upstairs bar is slightly more relaxed and nearly as good a view.
Order: The Santorini Mule — ouzo, ginger beer, lemon, fresh mint
Miami rooftop bars — ranked
Our editors' complete ranking of Miami's rooftop bars, from Brickell to Coconut Grove.
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Neighbourhood Locals and Hidden Gems
The most interesting drinking in Miami often happens away from the hotel bars and rooftop terraces. These are the places that Miamians actually frequent — spots where you're unlikely to see a bottle service table or a DJ who needs his own security.
07
Ball & Chain
Little Havana$$Live Music / Cuban
One of the oldest bars in Miami, Ball & Chain on Calle Ocho has been a Little Havana institution since 1935. The live Cuban music — salsa, mambo, son — runs six nights a week. The mojitos are made properly with fresh mint from their own garden. Go on a Tuesday for the quieter version, or Thursday when the dance floor heats up around 9pm and doesn't cool down until 2am.
The anti-Brickell bar in Brickell. While its neighbours fill with office workers on expense accounts, Blackbird Ordinary runs on a different frequency — one that prioritises good cocktails, a genuinely diverse crowd, and none of the pretension that usually accompanies a menu with this level of quality. The back patio is open most nights and tends to attract the kind of regulars who tip well and ask for things off-menu.
Order: The Paper Plane — equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, lemon
09
Lost Boy Dry Goods
South Beach$$$Speakeasy / Intimate
Hidden behind a retail store front on Washington Avenue, Lost Boy is the closest thing Miami has to a proper speakeasy. The room seats fewer than 40 people, the bartenders are among the city's best, and the menu changes weekly based on what they're working on. Reservations are taken but often unnecessary if you arrive before 7pm on a weekday. After that, you're taking your chances.
Order: Whatever is on the hand-written specials card — those are always the most interesting things going
10
Monkey Bar
Coconut Grove$$Patio / Casual
Coconut Grove's bar scene is overlooked by most visitors who haven't gotten past South Beach, and Monkey Bar is the reason to make the trip south. A covered patio bar with fairy lights, a genuinely good selection of local craft beers, and a cocktail list that punches above its price point. The crowd is neighbourhood rather than tourist, and it shows in the atmosphere — relaxed, unpretentious, and reliably fun.
Order: The Grove Mule — local ginger beer, Tito's, fresh lime, coconut water
Miami cocktail bars — the full guide
Our complete ranking of cocktail-focused bars across every Miami neighbourhood, from Coral Gables to Wynwood.
Miami rewards the drinker who is willing to move between neighbourhoods. The single biggest mistake visitors make is staying on the beach — the city's best bars are almost all west of Collins Avenue. Our recommendation: start in Brickell for cocktails, move to Wynwood for the scene, and end the night in Little Havana if you want a genuinely Miami experience that money can't manufacture.
The Best Bars in Los Angeles Right Now
Our editors' guide to LA's best bars — from Silver Lake craft cocktail rooms to Beverly Hills hotel lounges.
