Bar Exam 2022: The Top 100 Bars in Miami

From quiet lounges where the martinis are impeccable to boisterous sports bars, here are Miami's top 100 institutions of higher imbibing.

By Laine Doss, Amber Love Bond and Nicole Danna

October 20, 2021

Image: Bar Exam 2022: The Top 100 Bars in Miami

Bar Exam 2022: The Top 100 Bars in Miami Illustration by Alexander Flores

What happens on the ground matters — Your support makes it possible.

We’re aiming to raise $6,000 by August 10, so we can deepen our reporting on the critical stories unfolding right now: grassroots protests, immigration, politics and more.

Contribute Now

Progress to goal

$6,000

$1,400

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "22004575",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "22595215",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "17482312",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18711090",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "23181625",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18711090",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17720761",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

For many, the neighborhood bar is a place to meet old friends, new friends, and friends-yet-to-be, to celebrate triumphs large and small, and, yes, to drown our sorrows.

Many memorable films — from Casablanca and Rick’s Café Américain to Star Wars and the Mos Eisley Cantina — feature prominent bar scenes. And it’s likely that some of the best — and worst — decisions in history were made in bars.

Last year, a pandemic dimmed the lights on our favorite taverns, sports bars, and lounges. But, praise Dionysus, we're starting to gather and raise our glass to each other once again.

In early 2020, we published a New Times guide to Miami’s 50 best institutions of higher imbibing. Now, we’re doubling down.

From quiet lounges where the martinis are impeccable to boisterous sports bars and convivial taprooms, click here to read "Bar Exam 2022: Miami's 100 Best Institutions of Higher Imbibing."

— Laine Doss

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.

Support Today

Amber Love Bond is a Miami native whose love of food launched a unexpected writing career. You'll usually find her somewhere delicious with her laptop in tow and a cocktail in hand.

Nicole Danna is a Palm Beach County-based contributor who began covering the South Florida food scene for New Times in 2011. She began covering food and beverage news as the entertainment editor and reporter for the Colorado Daily. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, the New York Post, New York Moves, and her hometown newspaper, Darien Times, among others.