Miami Beach (Part 3)

Bars & Eats (and other stuff)

Mac’s Club Deuce

Mac’s is probably the only place that can be deemed an institution in South Beach (or probably in all of Miami for that matter). Been here forever and unrepentant in its attitude. It is so eternally dark inside that vampires should make this their hangout. It always has that dark and dangerous look any time of day or night and a sign next to the windows reminds you to not touch the blinds so that it stays that way.

The Miami Vice style neon fits in accordingly with the classic yet seedy nature of Mac’s. I also love how they have a long winding bar space so a lot more people can belly up to the bar vs having more table seating because when you are at a dive bar, you should sit at the bar. I love how the place doesn’t change (at least as far as I can recall but those days long ago when I was last here were probably at 2 am in an inebriated state so who knows - maybe it did change and I don’t remember). This is the classic must go to dive bar on South Beach and everyone should pay their respects with a shot and a beer here.

Stubborn Seed

So this was my one higher end meal on South Beach (I probably would have also gone to Joe’s but the stone crab season ended literally the day before I got into town). Stubborn Seed is located in South Pointe and has a Michelin star. Fine attention to detail for their cocktails and food as you would expect from a place like this. I just bellied up to the bar without reservations and had excellent food as the dishes were creative and flavorful. It’s places like this that keep upping the game in the South Pointe area. If you had to have just one fine dining meal on South Beach - I would recommend this place.

The Abbey

Another place that has survived for 20+ years is the Abbey. I always loved how it always has just had a neon green sign stating “BAR” for the entrance. In the old days it was a small hallway with a bar and some pew seating. It has expanded some since the then. It has doubled in size and now has a liquor license. Talking to the owner, Ray, he said that selling whiskey was what made the revenue boom and made it possible for him to buy a house. He has done a nice job with the whiskey selection there. They just used to be more of a micro-brew place. It was established in 1995 when I still lived here and I was one of the original customers back then. It has remained as many places have come and gone. It has been here long enough to be call a fixture on the west side of the beach.

Scapegoat

This place wound up being a great find since I was staying in the South Pointe area. High quality cocktails. Since there are a lot of high end restaurants around, this place seems to be a popular pre-dinner drink bar as well as a place the service staff from the nearby restaurants go after their shifts. Small bar with great atmosphere and great bartenders.

Swizzle

This bar tries to provide a speakeasy type feel with the entrance thing but probably unnecessary as the great cocktails with an upscale environment stands up well on its own. The bar has a rum theme and definitely fills the niche for the cocktail scene in the middle part of South Beach.

Ted’s Hideaway

Another South Pointe bar but this one is a sports dive. As with a lot of South Beach - they are open later than you want to be awake so you can always reliably get a drink here. Set up great for sports and full bar food menu with pool tables. They also have that lovely pink exterior that gives off the strip club feel on the outside but it is pure sports dive bar on the inside.

Minibar

Minibar is located in a little bar located just off of 5th Street that’s a bit of a bar desert for South Beach - not many other drinking establishments in that area. Seems like it’s mostly locals who fill up the seats in this tiny place. Small bar with solid cocktail offerings in an out of the way spot.

Sweet Liberty Drinks and Supply

Located on the north side of South Beach, this place served up on of the better burgers I’ve had. Good food and good drinks in a great space. They have some outdoor seating on the sidewalk and a pretty big comfortable indoor space. Extensive bar menu with upscale pub grub. With a good happy hour offering drink specials and oyster deals, this place is definitely worth venturing up past Lincoln Road.

Zeke’s Roadhouse

Off all the places that come and go on South Beach, I was surprised that this place is still here. Zeke’s is a small unassuming storefront located on Lincoln Road Mall that serves up a bunch of international beers at $4 a pop. The formula works well enough as the place has lasted for many years in an area where most storefronts are like revolving turnstiles for businesses that open and close. They also have an outside patio area now which is nicely shaded for cooling off with some cold ones.

South Pointe Tavern

I wandered into this place in South Pointe while walking around the path to the marina. They had a very good whiskey selection and while I didn’t eat anything here, other people’s food looked pretty good.

Espanola Cigar Bar

There used to be more cigar bars and smoking lounges sprinkled around Miami but they are mostly concentrated in Little Havana now. This place is the one place on the beach that’s a true cigar lounge. Located on the lively Espanola Way, it provides an upscale environment along with pretty good service so you can puff away at your leisure. It has an outside patio that is good for people watching and also has a food menu.

Finnegan’s Way

I usually wouldn’t go to a place right on Ocean Drive as they are usually overcrowded with tourists but this place stands out for a couple of reasons. First - I have only seen a bar with the refrigeration strip on the bar in one other place in the world (Gardino’s in Los Gatos, CA) and here it’s actually useful since it is butt hot most of the time. Second - they actually have great happy hour prices for drinks along with prime people watching seats that give you a view right on Ocean Drive.

Bodega

This is a trendy place on the west side of the beach that has the speakeasy vibe only in the sense that you go through a hidden doorway on the side the popular taco shop. You enter through a hallway with urinals and toilets on the walls and once you are inside the space is actually pretty huge. The place gets more clubby with music than what you would expect for your more typical laid back speakeasy place.

Los Olas Cafe

Some guy in California recommended this place to me and he was right in that it had the best Cuban sandwich on South Beach. I usually get the Media Noche instead of the regular Cuban sandwich because I like the sweet bread vs the regular Cuban bread. I think it gets a bunch more butter than usual here while grilling and that made it better. I also tried to get the Palomilla steak but they were out at the time so I settled for the chicken - bistec de pollo. Plenty of locals eat here - especially workers on lunch break - so you know it’s good food at a good price.

Charlotte Bakery

Another place I just stumbled onto was this bakery. I just popped in to get out of the afternoon sun and get a pick me up colada coffee. I discovered that they had a large and excellent Venezuelan pastry selection so of course I had to sample some for quality control purposes - especially the meat empanadas.

Time Out Market

Time Out Market is a concept they’ve brought to many cities where basically it’s a food court that has stalls from popular places in the area. It works as it makes it convenient for people to try different foods all in one place. For a tourist on the beach it’s nice because you get a nice air conditioned spot with clean bathrooms where you can relax and have some snacks. They have a bar in the middle where you can get drinks for your meals. The bar also has self serve free water which is also nice on a hot day.

Dulce Vida Tacos

Sitting next to Las Olas Cafe, this place offers up good tacos at a decent price. No real seating in there (not that the AC was strong enough to make it welcoming) but it was nice to have a taco option on the beach.

Mickey Burke’s

This is a newer looking bar on South Beach and fills the niche of the higher end sports bar. Comfy seating and lots of TV’s. I popped in here so I could watch some Stanley Cup playoffs.

Monty’s

I actually forgot to take pictures so here is a screenshot from their website. This is the second location as the original location is in Coconut Grove. The place is pretty popular as it is right on the water overlooking the marina. They have an outdoor area by the pool under a palapa and an upscale indoor restaurant. The marina area is popular in general as people gather to watch the sunset or walk their dogs once the temperature cools off.

Holocaust Memorial

Located next to the Botanical Gardens by the convention center, the Holocaust Memorial was a place I had never been to when I lived in Miami, but had a chance now that I am a tourist. It is actually very powerful and I highly recommend a visit. Visually stunning from afar but you can walk into the ring where there are additional standing sculptures along with names on the wall. A very well done and moving memorial.