Miami - Downtown (Part 2)

Bars & Eats (and other stuff)

Tobacco Road (not the original)

This place is a “tribute” to Tobacco Road as the original one that was down the block is no more.  Seems like Mac’s Club Deuce on the beach is the only one left standing of the classic Miami dive bars now that old Tobacco Road and Churchill’s no longer exist.  This area was pretty seedy back in the day but now this is a thriving buzzing area of town day and night.

This new Tobacco Road is done by Kush Hospitality and they seem to do a good job with their bar/restaurant concepts everywhere they go.  They preserved the attitude of the place and the food was excellent.  Some of the best wings I’ve had (and I’m pretty picky about my wings).  I wish I also tried the burger as someone told me that it was excellent as well.

One of the bar managers said that this place might not be around long because of some lease issues but hopefully it’ll stay around until the next time I visit.

Auld Dubliner

Sitting across from the courthouse, this place is run by a real Irishman from Dublin who is quite a character. He opened with the worst timing just before the pandemic but toughed through it and hopefully thrives as they are building a lot of upscale housing in the neighborhood. He took advantage of the pandemic to pick up the next door space to expand and put in pool tables. Fully stocked with a large selection of Irish whiskeys and a full food menu, this is a welcoming environment to hang out any time of day.

Better Days

This bar is really laid out well in terms of promoting a convivial atmosphere. It’s big, has a pool table, and has a decent sized bar. Bartender gave us samples of Liquid Death - which is just water in a can. Good marketing though - I’m sure the kids love it.

Mama Tried

A guy in CA told me that this was his favorite hang so of course I had to check it out. I love the message board that constantly updates. Local regulars hang out here to enjoy the great happy hour and congregate around the pool table. Like a lot of places in that part of town - open until 5 am (not like I’m ever going to verify). I heard that if you want to drink beyond that, there is a bar called The Corner a bit further north that is open until 7 am (WTF!) - an industry hangout I guess for the people that have to work until 5 am.

Lost Boy

Inside this place is actually a pretty large space with lots of seating. They have a proper cocktail menu as well as a food menu. It is an upscale bar with a neighborhood bar feel. Also plenty of TV’s for sports watching.

Over Under

Next door to Lost Boy is a small bar with a much more chill feel. They have their cocktail menu as well as a food menu. We tried their smoked fish dip made with local mahi.

Baby Jane

This spot south of the river is a mix of cocktail bar and ramen shop. From the appearance of it inside and out you would not guess “ramen shop” but they do a great job with the food. Good cocktails and the bowl of noodles hit the spot as I was starving after getting off the plane. Waitress said that during the week it’s more of a quieter date spot and gets clubby on weekends.

Jaguar Sun

You have to walk a bit north of the main downtown area to get to this spot tucked in a alleyway. Very good drinks and oyster happy hour specials. I love how proper cocktail bars like this care about the ice. In this drink the ice is so pure that you don’t see it once it’s in the drink.

Tipsy Flamingo

This was a nice little new bar north of the river we visited since we were stuck in Miami an extra day. Their cocktails skew towards rum and the lighter spirits. Cool decor that exudes the Miami vibe. Bars like these are popping up in downtown and slowly replacing the old empty storefronts.

Blackbird Ordinary

Popular spot south of the river (busy enough to have a bouncer mid-week anyway). Looks like a dive bar from the outside but definitely caters to the younger crowd inside with the music booming, a dance floor and a super dark interior. I can always tell I’m too old for a bar when I can’t read the menu.

Red Bar

This place reminded my of how the Miami Beach clubs used to look in the old days. Simple layout with some theme decor, a long bar, a DJ, and a lot of open space for people to hang out. People were trying to set up quickly on a budget back in the day. I like the sign giving you affirmation that you made the right choice.

Black Market

Popped in here to watch some hockey. Black Market is your typical big modern sports bar and definitely fills that niche in this area of town.

Manolo and Rene Grill

One of the things I wanted to eat while in Miami was the Bistec de Palomilla. This steak is super thin and cooked in garlic, onions, lime and spices. It’s like the White Castle of steaks - it is excellent and usually cheap. Here it is served with rice and fried sweet plantains. This restaurant looks like a place where locals get their coffee and quick food all day. This restaurant is open 24 hours so I assume that cops hang out here because there is not that much else around it to justify those hours. Perhaps they get the people leaving the bars late at night and figure they might as well stay open for the breakfast crowd.

Boat Tour from Bayside Marketplace

Sure it’s cheesy and touristy but the boat tour you can get from Bayside that takes you out to tour the waterfront homes of the rich and famous is worth it. For starters, you can find discounts that gets the ticket down to $10. So if nothing else, it’s a great 90 minute boat ride along the Miami waterfront that costs less than most Uber rides. It’s fun to drift along the homes to see what they look like and the guide gives you an entertaining spiel during the tour while telling you who lives where. I believe the guide said this was David Beckham’s mansion with the boat in the photo above. I asked how many phones have been lost overboard as people lean over to take photos of the mansions and the guide said that it has happened a few times (which would make that $10 boat ride a bit more expensive). I also enjoyed watching these three tug boats working hard to get this massive freighter get turned around along the Port of Miami.