Miami, FL – August 15, 2018 – Two of the newest bars that you’ll soon be hearing buzz about are called Lost Boy and Mama Tried located in the heart of Downtown Miami on Flagler Street. With years of Hospitality and Beverage experience under their belt, industry leaders Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso of Lost Boy, and Dan Binkiewicz of Mama Tried, are putting the old Miami neighborhood back on the map with their ultra-Miami-vibe bars. The recently opened establishments, are their contributions to the area of Downtown Miami’s renaissance. Offering a wide range of beer and specialty cocktails, these two near- by locations will be the next go-to spot for Miami locals.

Downtown Miami is a prime example of Miami’s boom and bust throughout the decades. In the heart of downtown, lies the historic road called Flagler Street, which was once known as Twelfth street. This historic street dates back to the late 1800s, when industrialist Henry Flagler opened Miami’s first hotel, catering to some of the wealthiest families in America. During the Roaring Twenties, Flagler Street played a role as the vibrant hub of Miami, while a land boom more than doubled the city’s population and gave rise to iconic nearby communities, such as Coral Gables, Miami Shores, and Hialeah. By the 1970s, Downtown Miami entered a gloomy period and was vastly sustained by an influx of Cuban refugees, who opened and patronized many businesses on Flagler Street. Although it thrived over many decades, it saw a decline in the 90’s that has been tough to recover from. Over the past couple of years, we have seen neighborhoods in Miami like Wynwood, Brickell to even Calle Ocho quickly spur growth and attract locals and tourists with the Downtown area lagging behind.

Today, that is soon to change with the addition of new businesses, bars, and restaurants popping up in the area. Hudnall, Alonso, and Binkiewicz are at the the forefront of the bar industry on Flagler Street, changing the way Miami spends a typical night out, deviating from the classic Miami club scene; Lost Boy and Mama Tried offers a locals bar feel the historic Downtown Miami area.

Lost Boy

“Straightforward. No Nonsense,” is the motto for business partners, Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso, newest bar Lost Boy. Lost Boy is located at 157 East Flagler Street, the denim retail store of the same name, Lost Boy Dry Goods, turned bar is giving Flagler Street the relaxed English Pub vibes it was missing. Throughout the last decade, Hundall’s passion for cocktails is globally recognized. Hundall has consulted with restaurants and brands such as, Ketel One, Filthy Foods, Mandarine Napoleon, Ron Zacapa Rum, Don Julio Tequila, Alacran Tequila, Zignum Mezcal, Pavan, Grey Goose Vodka, and Blue Nun Wines. Randy Alonso, is the vice-president of La Epoca Properties. He formerly was in the retail industry with his family’s three-generation department store La Epoca, founded 1885 in Havana, Cuba. Hudnall and Alonso, filled the need for a unique neighborhood locals bar in the Downtown area. The rustic inspiration is woven throughout all 2,600 square feet of the two-story space, from the bucket seat bar stools, wooden touches, vintage cow boy boots, and decor. Lost Boy really didn’t lose the flare, but elevated the space making it the perfect destination to grab cocktail, draft beer, while watching a game or playing pool with friends in a cool and affordable social environment.

All over Miami, we have seen these amazing neighborhoods quickly spur growth as of late from Wynwood to Brickell to Calle Ocho, but Downtown still has trailed in that speed. It has this subtle, organic, and often gritty nature to it that we come to love.

Randy Alonso & Chris Hudnall

WRE: What attracted you to open a bar on Flagler?

RA: My family has been a part of the Downtown community for many generations with our department store from Cuba, La Epoca. I grew up going to Downtown and to the Alfred I Dupont Building and to Flagler Street. Chris and I both saw the need for a great neighborhood bar on Flagler. A place where you can watch a game, have a cold pint, a well-made cocktail, and actually have a conversation; a meeting place and home base of sorts.

WRE: What was Lost Boy prior? 

RA: In 2014, my family and I decided to expand our retail presence in Downtown with a smaller, denim-based concept called Lost Boy. The name came from a ski run in Colorado that my brother and I learned how to ski with our father on. Ultimately, we decided to exit the retail industry in 2017 and pivot to other businesses. That’s when I approached Chris with the idea to usher Lost Boy into its next life.

WRE: How did you two become business partners? 

CH: Miami’s a small town. Randy and I have been friends for quite some time now. We were introduced through my wife Jordana and quickly realized the common likes and dislikes in our everyday lives. I always said to myself how great it would be to partner up with Randy on a bar, and coincidentally the opportunity arose when Randy was looking for someone with experience in the beverage industry. Through the pre-opening process, those common likes and dislikes were even more solidified and has brought us to what Lost Boy is today. It’s a true reflection of our personalities.

WRE: Tell us about the Downtown Miami area and what we see happening?

RA: Downtown Miami is where the birth of modern Miami began, when Henry Flagler brought down the Florida East Coast Railway to his Royal Palm Hotel in the late 1800’s and incorporated the city. Although it thrived over many decades, it saw a decline in the 90’s that has been tough to bounce back from. All over Miami, we have seen these amazing neighborhoods quickly spur growth as of late from Wynwood to Brickell to Calle Ocho, but Downtown still has trailed in that speed. It has this subtle, organic, and often gritty nature to it that Chris and I have come to love. What was the first frontier of Miami, is really now the last frontier of Miami. The tightly knit community that is currently invested in the district, really has an opportunity to mold the neighborhood as we all envision it.

WRE: You mentioned you wanted to give something to the Miami bar culture and local community, outside of the beautiful space and offering – what details differentiates Lost Boy as neighborhood bar in a city so driven off of travelers & tourism?

CH: There are many details from the comfort of our bucket seat bar stools and cozy living room sets, a pool table and darts, to a board room table, certified 20oz British Imperial Pint glasses and fun music everyone can enjoy… but mainly we wanted to make sure it was affordable for everyone. All of our 20 oz pints are priced at $9, wells and glasses of wine at $8 (which are premium compared to your standard wells) , cocktails at $12. Additionally, our happy hour is the happiest of hours with everything on our menu offered at 50% off. We wanted to make sure that when you leave our bar that not only did you get friendly attentive service and had a great time, but also didn’t break the bank.

WRE: What is the inspiration behind the bar menu?

CH: From the beginning we wanted to keep the offering “straightforward”, simple but significant. We both love draft beer and that English Pub atmosphere. So all of our beers are on draft and served in a traditional British Imperial Pint glass. The beers hit every category – classics like Guinness and Boddingtons (which we have been told over the past week that we have the best Guinness in Miami), locals like u Lost Boy IPA brewed by Veza Sur, and common appreciated brands like Fat Tire and Landshark. Our wine program are the recognizable grapes that everybody drinks every day – but we made sure they were from the winemakers that care about quality. Lastly, our cocktails are classics done perfect. We appreciate the classics and wanted to make sure that every spirits, fresh juice, and recipe was the right way. Our Spanish Style G&T made with Portobello Road Gin, Mancino Secco Vermouth, East Imperial Grapefruit Tonic garnished with a dehydrated lemon wheel and rosemary sprig is just as popular as our 1792 Bourbon Old Fashioned.

WRE: Does Lost Boy offer anything outside of the beer, wine, and cocktail list?

CH: Yes, we made sure that this was just as much a priority. We sourced a local coffee company (Per’la) and some of the best tea in the world from Rare Tea Cellars out of Chicago. Both of these brands represent passion into their product. We also offer the common sodas like Mexican Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and additionally offered a fun offering of Boylan’s flavors like Root Beer, Cream Soda, Orange Soda, and Black Cherry. Drinks like that can make you feel like a kid again.

Mama Tried

If you are from the Miami area, you are most probably familiar with the bars Blackbird Ordinary, Sweet Liberty, or Purdy Lounge. Well, the owner of said bars and award winning industry leader, Dan Binkiewicz, has blessed us with yet another one of his very successful cocktail bars Mama Tried, this time, in the up and coming Downtown Miami on Flagler Street. The bar was once home to Pub One, located across from the iconic Seybold Building at 207 NE 1st St, Miami. Binkiewicz is a Miami, FL native and has been in the hospitality scene since he was just 11 years old. After graduating college from FIU, Binkiewicz was named General Manager of The Bar in Coral Gables. Since then, he has opened and operated more and more cocktail clubs and coffee joints around the Miami area and even in Nashville, Tennessee. With Dan’s 30 years of experience, Mama Tried takes you back to the 70’s with its inspired gold décor, Las Vegas red style carpet, vintage cigarette machine, and twilight ceiling above the wrap-around bar. The upscale “dive bar” offers a simplistic cocktail menu and an intimate bar experience. Mama Tried is a perfect fit in the Downtown area. It is a nod to all the moms out there because well… they tried!

WRE: You have a way of seeing things way before they happen i.e. Purdy, Blackbird, etc – What brought you to Downtown Miami?

DB: My first job as a kid was in Downtown Miami working for my uncle and his two clothing stores. I would run from one store to the other with suits shirts and pants that needed to get altered or brought over to whatever store to be sold. Downtown has a special place in my heart. Let’s face it, downtown has been a sore spot for the city for many years because it’s seen as a commercially depressed wasteland, with nothing to offer but a few mega clubs. It isn’t pristine. But it’s beautiful, and I remember it for what it was-a thriving, bustling neighborhood like any other where people worked and did business and had drinks after work. I chose downtown because I felt that it was coming back to life and I wanted to be there when it happened.

WRE: What differentiates Mama Tried from other bars in Miami?

DB: There are a couple of key things we’re doing differently. For one we’re in Downtown Miami which isn’t Wynwood and isn’t South Beach – people are starved for a new neighborhood. In terms of programming we’re doing a country night and a disco night which are both very new for Miami. Also the place looks different, from the gold walls to the red carpet we took risks in design that all pulled together to make a unique cool little place.

WRE: Where did you come up with the name Mama Tried?

DB: Well it’s an incredible merle haggard song that we all love, so we borrowed the name from Merle. The truth is, we wanted a name that would honor the women in our lives, the women who taught us the most and sacrificed the most for us, our mothers. It’s playful, but at heart it’s an ode to women.

WRE: Tell us about the cocktail menu at Mama Tried, is there a signature drink?

DB: The cocktail menu is small and not over done, we wanted to keep it simple. But there are a few gems on the list, I love the raspberry beret. It’s your choice of spirit, fresh lemon, fresh raspberries, fortified Rose, bubbles, and pink peppercorn. Literally any spirit works wonderfully with the combination of ingredients.

WRE: Mama Tried has a vintage 70’s vibe to it, what was your inspiration behind the design?

DB: There are two inspirations to the look of Mama Tried. One is downtown Miami itself, a few blocks down is the long standing Seybold Building where they sell all the gold in Downtown Miami. As a result, I wanted to give Mama Tried a feel that represented what downtown was back in the hey day and very much still is; which is why we incorporated so much gold. I even wanted to maintain the gaudiness of old downtown, which is why we choose the “old Gucci” color theme. The second inspiration is Las Vegas, everything from the crimson red carpet, shooting star ceiling, and gold detailing gives the bar the old Vegas vibe.

Luck and working with great people is the key to success. No bar makes it on one person, you’ve got to have a solid team.

Dan Binkiewicz

WRE: Has “Bar Culture” become part of the new Miami or has Miami always had it? It seems like more and more bars opening making it feel a lot like LA with the bar scene, what is your opinion?

DB: I think Miami has always had it. As for Miami always having a bar scene, hell yeah. Look at a bar like the Deuce where I’ve been going, and still faithfully go, since I was a kid. The history of Miami’s bar scene is why Mama Tried is open today. While I love the exciting scene in LA, each neighborhood is so distinct in what it has to offer. The neighborhoods in LA feel unto themselves, complete and compartmentalized. Miami, on the other hand, is just a big small town. We’re all connected to each other in this industry, there’s a big-family feeling. You can run into a group of friends at 8pm on South Beach and see that same group again at one AM in Wynwood. While I’m inspired by the LA bar scene, Miami definitely has a character that resembles nowhere else.

WRE: What do you see happening in the next few years to the Downtown Miami area? What advice do you have to others wanting to venture into the bar business?    

DB:  It’s already happening, there’s a great amount of development, the Paramount Miami Worldcenter is being built, high rises are here, and more are coming. Great restaurants such as, NIU kitchen, Arson, Alloy, and Sparky’s are making their mark and now the bars are coming too. Besides us, Lost Boy is beautiful and run by great guys. For anyone looking to get in to the bar industry I would say go for it, it’s a great business to be in. The people I’ve met and friends I’ve made over the years has been nothing short of amazing, it’s simply the best industry. Also, you’ve got to be able to wear many hats;  from fixing draught systems, negotiating leases, conceptualizing parties/nights, managing staff, fixing AC units, the list goes on and on. You’ve got to be good at multiple jobs. Lastly, As my late partner John Lermayer would say, Have a great plumber, seriously he was right on.