Don's 5 Star Dive Bar is restaurateur Matt Kuscher's first venture into the lounge arena.
Photo courtesy of Kush Hospitality
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BH Burger Bar
9703 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour305-993-3300
marriott.com
The St. Regis Bal Harbour recently reintroduced BH Burger Bar alongside the resort's other culinary offerings: Atlantikos, its Mediterranean restaurant; La Gourmandise, the French-inspired all-day café; and the St. Regis Bar & Wine Vault. Going beyond the traditional cheese, lettuce, and tomato, the menu offers signature hamburgers such as the "Frenchie,” made with buttered brioche buns, Comté cheese, truffle aioli, frisée and arugula, caramelized onions, pickled shallots, and roasted tomatoes; and the "Imposter,” which includes a Beyond Burger patty, an everything-spiced bun, a goat-cheese spread, basil aioli, avocado, roasted tomatoes, arugula, and sliced red onions. Inspired by classic Americana, the restaurant seats guests in crimson, cushioned booths while a classic jukebox channels an authentic burger-bar feel. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 11 p.m.
Yediel Kadosh has opened Ciao Bella, a pop-up for natural wines, in Wynwood.
Photo courtesy of Ciao Bella Natural Wine Bar
Ciao Bella Natural Wine Bar Pop-Up
172 NW 24th St., Miamiciaobellawinebar.com
Ciao Bella Natural Wine Bar in Wynwood is a temporary pop-up that will take over the Charly’s Vegan Tacos space for the next three months. Owner Yediel Kadosh will feature a selection of natural wines that are exclusively sourced with limited availability. The experience will be counter-service; patrons will select their wine and choose from a small menu of light bites. The rotating selection of 15 to 20 different varieties will include skin-contact wines, whites, reds, rosés, and sparkling selections. The menu of light bites will feature Mediterranean-inspired small plates, such as hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, marinated olives, and truffle fries. Open Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight.
Don's 5 Star Dive Bar is restaurateur Matt Kuscher's first foray into the lounge arena.
Photo courtesy of Kush Hospitality
Don's Five Star Dive Bar
7700 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-985-4764
kushhospitality.com
Enamored of Miami's bygone dive bar era, hospitality mensch Matt Kuscher created his own take on the low-glamour lounge. Don’s 5 Star Dive Bar is a playful homage to Miami’s most beloved “Dons” of the 1970s and '80s, a place where guests can expect to encounter nods to everyone from Don Johnson and Don Shula to Donna Shalala. The bar, located beneath the Selina Miami Gold Dust in the city's MiMo District, is tucked behind a staircase, with an unassuming entranceway that adds to the underground, speakeasy vibe. The 1,000-square-foot space is decorated with nostalgia-inspiring tchotchkes with a transportive, 1980s-basement feel, from the soft red lighting that emanates from a neon sign that reads "Yo amo Miami" to the Don Bailey Carpeting sign — a gift from the man himself — that spans the back wall. The best feature might be the dive bar-inspired drinks themselves, including '80s-inspired classics like screwdrivers and Tom Collins, along with a handful of cheekily named cocktails that directly reference Don's honorees. Open Friday and Saturday 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Margot Natural Wine & Aperitivo Bar
25 SE Second Ave., #700, Miamimargotnaturalwinebar.com
Bar Lab founders Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi have finally debuted their year-in-the-making concept in downtown Miami. Following a summer pop-up at Nikki Beach last year, the bar — named for Ernest Hemingway's feminist fashion-model granddaughter — joins the group's Taqueria Hoja inside the Ingraham Building downtown. The establishment offers one of the area's most extensive lists of natural wines, one that will change on a weekly basis and include exclusive, special-edition releases. For the opening, more than 80 options are available, ranging from sparkling zinfandels and pet-nats to Slavic, German, and Spanish white wines; reds from Austria, Italy, and France; and a wide range of skin-contact varietals. While a small selection is available by the glass, most are meant to be enjoyed upon opening and are priced between $45 to $120 per bottle. A wine-flight selection changes daily; priced at $30, it will get you a tasting of three wines from around the globe. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight.
Wood Tavern
144 NW 23rd St, Miamipizza-beer-beer-garden.business.site
Wood Tavern's owner Cesar Morales closed his popular Wynwood haunt in March, but that wasn't the end of the line for Wood Tavern. Morales transferred most of Wood's staff to his new establishment, Pizza & Beer, and is taking advantage of the new, 7,500-square-foot space to reopen Wood Tavern. On Sunday, July 11, Morales opened the first phase of Wood Tavern at Pizza & Beer. This phase will serve to re-create the outdoor portion of the old Wood, complete with deck and bleachers. The second, indoor phase will open a few months down the line with a sole modernizing touch: a giant LED screen upon which graphics can be displayed alongside the familiar posters and memorabilia Morales salvaged from the old Wood. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight.
