Finally. A place to hang out in downtown Miami that's not a club or a "lounge" or a restaurant or a venue of any kind, just a bar, and one that's cheap but not depressing and full of bros. Okay, okay, so we loved PS14 and everything as a late-night hangout, but let's face it -- it wasn't cheap, and paying $8 for a well drink in a no-frills bar on the fringes of Overtown still seemed silly. (Well, before 3 a.m.; after that, prices seem to magically matter less).
When the pop-up Max Fish bar opened in the space during Art Basel, everyone secretly hoped it would stick around, and New Yorkers patronizingly congratulated our city on having the place in such an edgy neighborhood. (Ugh.) Those of us used to NE 14th Street, though, just wished it would stay open for a no-bullshit place with a good vibe and few douchebags -- well, few fratty douchebags.
So, it is staying open, kinda -- the O.H.W.O.W. team is still behind it, only it's now called, simply, Bar. (No more Max Fish affiliation). Since cool arbiter A-ron Bondaroff is still behind it, expect a similar sort of gallery-bar experience, with artists redoing the inside every two months.
The first is local guy Freegums, whose vision for the space will kick
off at Bar's grand opening next Monday, January 18. The date also marks
the first edition of the, uh, bar's weekly centerpiece party, the
Monday-night Locals Only, perfect for industry types, the
underemployed, and the irresponsible. Each week, expect a free barbecue
from a caja china, and bands or DJs.
Expect those cheap drink prices too. They'll stay at pretty much their Art
Basel levels: $5 or $6 for a well drink, and $2 or $3 for a beer. That goes for all seven nights of the week when Bar is open, from 8 p.m. all the way to 5 a.m.
No official phone number or web site yet; until then for info call O.H.W.O.W. at 305-633-9345, or visit oh-wow.com. Bar is at 28 NE 14th St., Miami.
