Ray's Hometown Bar has opened at Freehand Miami, located at 2727 Indian Creek Dr., beside the beloved local watering hole Broken Shaker, during Miami Art Week. Originally opened in 2019 in New York City’s Lower East Side neighborhood, Ray’s takes inspiration from the "warm, welcoming local bars found across America," according to the bar.
The new location marks the bar's third, with the second having opened in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood in 2023.
Ray's Hometown Bar has opened at Freehand Miami and features a second bar on the second floor.
Photo by Diana Todorova
In July, New Times spoke to its new operators, Generator Hostels (which acquired Freehand Hotels) and New York-based hospitality group Authentic Hospitality, to clear the air for concerned regulars who feared Broken Shaker would either close or lose its essence. During this conversation with Alastair Thomann, chief executive officer of Generator and Freehand Hotels, and Matt Kliegman of Authentic Hospitality, both assured worried guests that although there would be some upgrades and changes made to the Broken Shaker, they aimed to keep the spirit intact and the bar open.
However, the fate of 27 Restaurant & Bar was up in the air until late September, when it closed all operations to make way for the new concept that would replace it. The former 27 Restaurant & Bar space has been vacant until now. On Tuesday, November 12, World Red Eye announced via an Instagram post that New York-based bar Ray's would officially open at Freehand Miami alongside the unveiling of the newly updated Broken Shaker. The caption reads, in part, "Miami locals and visitors alike are invited to rediscover the venue [Broken Shaker] that first embodied tropical nostalgia in December 2024."
Ray's Makes Debut During Miami Art Week at Freehand Miami with Burgers, Beer, and Craft Cocktails
According to a spokesperson for Authentic Hospitality, Ray’s will operate separately from Broken Shaker in the space of 27 Restaurant & Bar. Both bars will operate simultaneously. "The team at Ray's at 2727 Indian Creek Dr. will be local to Miami, but as they are two separate concepts, the Broken Shaker mixologists will focus on Broken Shaker," adds the spokesperson.Ray's was founded in 2019 by Carlos Quirarte and Matt Kliegman of Authentic Hospitality, who (along with partner Matt Charles) have taken the Lower East Side bar to new heights (and area codes). Ray's is branded as an upscale dive bar that emulates the neighborhood "watering hole" experience. This means it offers craft cocktails and high-quality bar snacks in a setting that feels familiar and lived in.
Authentic Hospitality tapped longtime culinary partners, Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra to create a food menu that focuses on classic, straightforward bar food done well. Favorites include "Ray’s Style Fries," seasoned and smothered in a spicy Zab’s butter sauce, a "Hometown Cuban Sandwich" with spicy mustard, Swiss cheese, and pickles and, the "Ray’s Burger," a four-ounce smashed beef patty with onion, pickles, lettuce, and special sauce.
Ray’s bar program includes a selection of custom cocktails created by Tim Sweeney, Authentic Hospitality’s head bartender. Inspired by the various lives of the bar’s fictional founder, Ray, Ray’s cocktails are named after specific characters who have added to the American cultural canon over the past century.
While Broken Shaker has remained open, it has undergone changes, and its official debut under Authentic Hospitality's direction is to come this December alongside the arrival of Ray's.
This story was originally published on November 12, 2024.
Ray's Hometown Bar at Freehand Miami. 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach, at Freehand Miami; instagram.com/raysbarmia.
