The 50 Essential Bars in Miami

For your online scrolling pleasure, we present Miami's 50 best institutions of higher imbibing.

By Laine Doss and New Times staff and contributors

March 3, 2020

Image: Julio Cabrera is shaking up some of Miami's best cocktails.

Julio Cabrera is shaking up some of Miami's best cocktails. Photo by Anthony Nader/52 Chefs

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Since ancient times, humans have availed themselves of the convivial spirit of bars. In his classic history The Story of Wine, Hugh Johnson writes that the city of Pompeii was home to about 200 wine bars where citizens gathered to drink the product of the soil made fertile by Mount Vesuvius. Centuries later, revolutions were plotted in colonial taverns and pirates traded spoils and information in the dark bars of their time.

To this day, the corner bar is a community meeting place. We repair to our favorite bars to watch the big game, to celebrate a birthday, or simply to enjoy that most aptly named activity, the "happy hour."

In precisely that spirit (see what we did there?), New Times offers a toast to the 50 best Miami bars. Here, listed in alphabetical order, are the places you'll most likely find us bellied up with a beverage in our hand and a drinking buddy or three at our side.

Read "Bar Exam 2020: Miami's 50best institutions of higher imbibing" here.

Laine Doss is the former food editor of Miami New Times. She has been featured on Cooking Channel's Eat Street and Food Network's Great Food Truck Race. She won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature about what it's like to wait tables.

A message from Food & Drink Editor Nicole Lopez-Alvar: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Miami's evolving dining scene and the latest culinary innovations our community offers.

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