Photo by The Louis Collection
Audio By Carbonatix
Just months after upscale steakhouse Maple & Ash made a splash at Miami Worldcenter, the restaurant group is doubling down. Acclaimed two-Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant is bringing the next chapter of his culinary domain to downtown Miami with Eight Bar, set to open on October 24 at Miami Worldcenter.
Originally located on the first floor of Maple & Ash in Chicago’s Gold Coast, Eight Bar was reimagined and relaunched in the summer of 2024 with a refreshed look, new menu items, and late-night offerings. The bar blends Maple & Ash’s signature over-the-top hospitality and luxe vibe with a more relaxed atmosphere, offering elevated sushi, modern steakhouse favorites, juicy burgers, and unique cocktails crafted by the restaurant’s award-winning bar team.
After successfully debuting Maple & Ash in Miami earlier this year, Maple Hospitality Group is now reintroducing Eight Bar with a distinctly Miami energy, bringing one of Chicago’s hottest lounges to the city’s buzzy downtown dining scene.
Photo by The Louis Collection
From Elevated Sushi to Late-Night Bites
Eight Bar will first launch its dinner and happy hour service, featuring dishes made for sharing with a touch of refinement. “Eight Bar has always been about serving incredible food and drinks with equally genuine service without the pretense,” says chef Danny Grant. “With Miami, we wanted to create a place that fits the way this city eats and gathers, somewhere you can swing by for sushi after work, a burger with friends, or a bottle of wine late at night and feel like it’s your spot.”
Menu highlights include the crispy fried whole red snapper, a Miami essential reimagined, served sizzling with Szechuan-spiced sauce and bouquet garnish, which, according to the group, is perfect for the table. Another dish made to share is the “Plateau du Mar,” featuring lobster, prawns, scallops, oysters, and fettuccine in a Calabrian chili sauce.
On the comfort yet refined side of the menu, guests will find choices like the “Eight Bar Burger” made with a Wagyu beef patty and classic fixings on a toasted milk bread bun; hand-cut french fries offered classic, with truffle, or “Get ’Em Dirty” with blue cheese dust and a dirty martini; and a choice of miso-butter chicken or glazed Wagyu beef skewers. Sushi lovers can also get their fix with the “Chef’s Golden Nigiri” selection, the hamachi “pizza,” and signature sushi rolls like the king crab or the spicy tuna.
Maple Hospitality Group photo
$8 Happy Hour and Craft Cocktails
Eight Bar’s cocktail program will feature signatures and timeless favorites like “Vice City,” which is tropical yet smoky, featuring 400 Conejos mezcal, papaya, hot honey, mango limonada, caged heat, and mint; and “Electric Flamingo,” described as a whimsical sip made with Grey Goose, Lillet Rosé, and bubble gum. In contrast, the “Good Trouble” is a bolder flavor choice made with ghost tequila and spiced watermelon.
During happy hour, from 4 to 6 p.m., guests can enjoy a curated menu of $8, featuring mini martinis and select handrolls.
Studio K designed the Miami outpost, focusing on the contrast between a garden-inspired retreat flooded with natural light during the day and a dimly lit lounge under a trimmed lattice dome by night. The 97-seat downstairs bistro and bar aims to be a seamless extension of the brand’s signature steakhouse, located just one floor above.
Eight Bar Miami. 699 NE First Ave., Miami, on the first floor of Maple & Ash at Miami Worldcenter; eightbarrestaurants.com.
