Cocktail Lounges, Dives, and Breweries: The 100 Best Bars in Miami

Any attempt at assessing Miami's wide-ranging eclectic bar scene — the sleek new joints, the dives, the wine bars, cocktail lounges, vinyl-listening bars, glitzy rooftop bars... — is a subjective exercise we take extremely seriously. Every bar, after all, attracts its own unique community, tells its own story, plays an integral role in urban (and suburban) life.

Even in a city that seems to grow by the minute, and one in which word of new arrivals spreads seemingly instantaneously on Instagram and TikTok, these establishments offer more than libations. They’re communal spaces where locals and visitors alike converge to unwind, celebrate, and sometimes even partake in meaningful conversations.

The task of narrowing down our favorites to assemble our annual list of the best 100 bars in Miami, "Bar Exam 2024," is a daunting one: How can one be-gin to pick a favorite when olive them all?

OK, enough with the booze puns.
We knew we had to spread the love, from fancy newcomers in Wynwood and old-school haunts in Coral Gables to those crafting fire cocktails in Broward County and everywhere in between.

We welcomed deserving newcomers onto the scene, like ZeyZey, an outdoor venue in Little River, and Medium Cool Cocktail Lounge, a South Beach lounge that's great for dancing. And we had to mention Miami's new wave of listening bars — like Dante's HiFi in Wynwood and Miami Sound Bar in downtown Miami — that draw in those who crave their cocktails accompanied by impeccable acoustics.

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't include Miami's greats: old-school dives, haunts, and watering holes — some of which have been wetting local whistles since the 1950s — that continue to define the bar scene we know today. From the Bar in Coral Gables, a local watering hole that has been serving the community since 1946, and Bougainvillea's Old Florida Tavern, a South Miami staple, to Mac's Club Deuce, one of the few remaining dive bars in Miami Beach (and one of the oldest), and the reconstituted Fox's Lounge, which for seven decades served South Miami as Fox's Sherron Inn before reappearing in 2022.

Our picks aren't limited to the Magic City but span the suburbs to the west and south. Broward County, too, is well represented; from the Wilder, near Las Olas Boulevard, and No Man's Land, a hole-in-the-wall next to a Winn-Dixie in a Victoria Park shopping plaza, to Parrot Lounge, which has been serving thirsty beachgoers since 1970, plenty of institutions are worth braving the northbound traffic.
Whether they opened in 2023 or 1963, Miami’s best bars transcend time and trends. These bars ground the community’s vibrant spirit in tradition while embracing its contemporary pulse. From Wynwood to Coral Gables to Miami Beach to Coconut Grove and beyond, we proudly present "Bar Exam 2024: The Top 100 Bars in Miami."

So raise a glass as we head into another year of delicious cocktails, tequila shots, and craft beer in the Magic City!