Miami Beach circa 2000: Midnight wasn’t just the witching hour, it was time to hit whichever mega club was designated the “it” spot for the night. Fast forward 13 years: You’re a little older, somewhat wiser and those nights in club land are becoming fewer and further between. These days, you’d rather grab a drink, chat up some friends, have a few good laughs, have a few more drinks, do a little dancing, hear some great music and stay out a little too late. It’s nightlife with a splash of maturity.

Trust us, you aren’t alone.

Even some of the fixtures in Miami’s nightlife industry have traded in bottle service for brews at the bar, many of them even opening their own bars. But these spaces, given the nightlife history of their owners are more than just your average lager swilling spots. We’re talking bars with edge, super bars, if you will. And here are just a few we feel are changing the face of Miami’s nights out.

Tatanka Guerrero, Paolo Cardoso, & Burton Wilkins

Sweetwater Beer Garden

The members-only pop up is the work of nightlifers Tatanka Guerrero, Paulo Cardoso and Burton Wilkins, who’ve spend nearly a decade promoting some of the best parties in Miami. Today, they are taking a new approach to a night out with Sweetwater, an outdoor beer garden at 318 21st St. in Miami Beach, you’ll have to have a membership to get into. They call it a “social space.” Membership works like so: 150 or so of Miami see and be scenesters were given free entry. These founding members can now extend memberships to friends for $20 and answers to a fill-in-the-blank form that poses questions like, “What’s your favorite drink?” The idea isn’t to be exclusive, but to keep things intimate.

Once you’ve been granted access, you can enjoy the garden bar with pool and outfitted with rustic furniture. “Everything we have is built by us: the bar, the tables. We used a lot of palettes and rustic wood we found in trash and salvage yards,” explains Guerrero. “We wanted to have a place where we could go in the pool and have beers. It was inspired by the Sunday Party at the Standard barbecues we did five years ago. We wanted to bring that back, create a social environment,” Guerrero explains. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Less than a year after opening Radio Bar, the happening bar South of Fifth at 814 First St., the team created Sweetwater. But Sweetwater is just the beginning. Opening on Halloween is OddFellows, the members-only speakeasy at the Plymouth building, located on the south side of Sweetwater. Also upcoming are a juice bar with $5 fresh-squeezed juices daily (feel free to add in libations like vodka and rum for an additional $5), as well as housing for local artists and creatives inside the Ansonia hotel and farmers markets and yoga on 21st street, ranging from Collins Avenue to Washington Avenue. It’s a community movement, kicking off with a beer garden, a place where everyone will know your name. Cheers. “We’re a group of friends who are putting something together that is well-respected. We wanted to create awareness for the neighborhood, organic awareness. At the end of the day it’s a community product. We created the membership so we can know the members’ name, know who they are, understand their favorite things. It’s a way for people to get to know each other,” Guerrero says.

Burton Wilkins, Tatanka Guerrero, & Paolo Cardoso

“We’re a group of friends who are putting something together that is well-respected. We wanted to create awareness for the neighborhood, organic awareness. At the end of the day it’s a community product. We created the membership so we can know the members’ name, know who they are, understand their favorite things. It’s a way for people to get to know each other.” — Tatanka Guerrero

So, given their resumes, why a bar instead of a club? “The whole project was about creating social spaces. I want to get a drink. I want to hang out. I don’t want to be at a club. I want to talk and for you to get to know me. I want to create interaction, you can do that at a bar.” He goes on to explain that these types of bars, where music is as big as the drinks and dancing isn’t off the table (sometimes its even on it), are still chill enough to have a serious conversation without screaming over the speakers. They are becoming the latest trend in older cities like New York and Chicago. “It’s where Miami is headed with places like the Gale, Soho House, The Broken Shaker and Pub Belly. Outdoor is cool now. It’s the time where we can have something more,” he says. And with more and more people who grew up in nightlife creating their own projects, most of which are bars, it’s shows Miami is progressing, evolving. “This is a new generation. Before, the first place you’d end up in was a club, but now you have choices, cool restaurants, cool music playing. There’s an evolution. Things are going more toward Miami becoming a cultural city. It’s time to evolve, to bring people together, to make cool, cultural events. After so many DJs and big parties, you just want to ground yourself.”

Radio

Guerrero and Cardoso’s first project together (along with Flip Falca), Radio, is a huge success. Says Cardoso, “Radio stands alone. We are positioned South of Fifth, in a quiet residential part of Miami. Away from all the ‘noise’ of nightlife, cheesy tourists and the masses. We are a place for locals and for out of towners who are in-the-know or just want to avoid the chaotic masses and the same old club monotony.”

As for the concept behind the bar, it’s as much about partnership as Sweetwater. Says Cardoso, “Radio’s concept came not from our experience in clubs, but our lack of experience in clubs. It was a way for us to bring back the intimacy and comradery amongst our friends and people. We felt like we were getting a bit lost in clubs and nightlife, so we decided to bring it back to the basics. Good music, an intimate room and a great crowd. In order to do so, we put a bit of each of ourselves in the decorating of the space.  Many of the decorative pieces, furniture and lights are actually taken from our own homes. What better way to make a place feel like it’s ours.”

Foxhole

Another spot where you can get grounded and feel at home is Foxhole at 1218 14th Court. The upscale dive bar, if you will, is the work of Conrad Gomez (LIV), Navin Chatani (WALL), Angel Febres (STORY) and Jaycen Cochran. The space, which opened in December two years ago, has already been dubbed one of the best bars in Miami. And considering it comes from a bevy of nightlife impresarios, it took off with legs before it even opened. So why did these South Beach nightlifers turn to the taps instead? “We were sick of red sole shoes and black cards being what got you in somewhere,” Gomez explains. “We wanted less attitude, a cool vibe, like what South Beach was back in the ‘90s when I moved here. We wanted to bring fun back to the beach.” He describes the spot as a place where surfers, skate rats, actors, locals can all just be together and have a good time. Although Gomez and his partners all still work in the club scene, which he says they do for networking purposes, he says, “It was always my goal to open a bar, to have somewhere to sit, have a cocktail and a cigarette. Something easy.” And like Guerrero, Gomez says he sees South Beach evolving as well. “I think people are tired of being banged up at the door [of clubs], paying $100 to get in. There it’s all about the DJs. It wasn’t always like that. I think opening up spaces like this takes us back to our roots.”

Jaycen Cochran, Angel Febres, Navin Chatani, & Conrad Gomez

And where clubs are flashy and dramatic with lights that rival Fourth of July firework displays and DJ booths that look as high tech as rocket ships, these super bars take a completely different approach. Where Sweetwater uses recycled palettes, Foxhole has an alleyway entrance and no signage. But inside, it’s South Beach chic with beautiful wood, cool art and a lounge-like vibe. “A nice dive bar,” as Gomez calls it.

Music throughout the week is jukebox driven, with locals putting on what they want to hear. And on weekends, a DJ plays music, but nothing past the year 2000. “If you want to hear Lil Wayne, go to Liv or Mansion,” Gomez says. In addition to the music, Gomez chalks up the success of the space thanks to its free flow. “You are allowed to walk, sit anywhere. The staff is friendly. It’s all local-based. We just want people to walk in and feel home and on the Beach.”

And like the team behind Sweetwater, there is more in the works for Foxhole’s team. In late December/ early January, they plan to open Drunken Dragon, a Korean barbecue/ English tavern-style spot with Japanese izakaya tendencies, for several reasons: The first being Miami doesn’t have a Korean barbecue spot and the team saw its patrons were hungry both before and after hitting the bar. And when opportunity knocks, you open up. With the gastro pub movement catching on for the past 10 years, the team decided to give it a spin and offer a lighter take on the fare with vegetarian options and gluten-free alternatives. “We came up with the concept about five or six years ago when we were bring about 3,000 people to that block a week. After they finished here they went across the street to eat, so we knew we needed a late-night spot.” And like it’s counterpart, Drunken Dragon plans on keeping a low-key environment. “Show up in shorts or beachwear. We just want to bring fun back to the beach.”

The team plans has yet another project in the works. Details, though, are yet to be released.

Angel Febres, Jaycen Cochran, Conrad Gomez, & Navin Chatani

“We were sick of red sole shoes and black cards being what got you in somewhere. We wanted less attitude, a cool vibe, like what South Beach was back in the ‘90s when I moved here. We wanted to bring fun back to the beach.” — Conrad Gomez

Shane Battier & Mike Miller

Chris Nunez & Jeremy Shockey

Blackbird Ordinary

One of the innovators of bar fun on the beach, Dan Binkiewicz, knows how to draw in a crowd and keep them coming back for more than a decade. The brains behind Purdy Lounge, now in its 13th year, Binkiewicz opened Blackbird Ordinary two years ago near Basel, alongside Richard Bispeniveri, John Donovan and Lou Petrillo. The spot, located at 729 S.W. First Ave. in Brickell, is another example of Miami’s burgeoning bar culture. “It’s a really simple idea: great cocktails and great music. You can order any drink you could ever want to have made by someone trained really well. Plus, one of our partners is DJ Contra and he books all the music and DJs and does all the art. We wanted to make it comfy, too: big booths and seating, dark mid-century, with an L.A. vibe.

As for the name, blackbird is a songbird and ordinary, as Binkiewicz schools us, used to be what taverns were called in the 15, 16 and 1700s in England. “They were one-stop shops: Grab a meal, get a drink, get laid.” He admits calling your own establishment “ordinary” may seem weird, but it fits. “It’s where you go to get everything done at once and that’s what I feel Blackbird Ordinary is.” While you’re there, grab a vodka soda or old fashioned and listen to everywhere from rock to hop-hop, to electro to indie or just chill and have a drink, play Jenga or Connect 4.

Dan Binkiewicz

So what is it that’s drawing the locals to bars more so than mega clubs? For Binkiewicz it’s this: “It’s a combo of things. We are getting older and want to go to a bar and listen to good music and the people we are with. Plus, the trend in the country is toward cocktails and handcrafted cocktails. It’s not just Miami, if you go around there are more bars than clubs. But, yes, people still come to Miami to go to the clubs. And people come to the Blackbird because they also want to dance, but you can always find areas to sit and talk. We don’t blast the speakers at the bar so you can stand and talk.”

Dan Binkiewicz

 

“It’s a combo of things. We are getting older and want to go to a bar and listen to good music and the people we are with. Plus, the trend in the country is toward cocktails and handcrafted cocktails. … People come to the Blackbird because they also want to dance, but you can always find areas to sit and talk. We don’t blast the speakers at the bar so you can stand and talk.”—Dan Binkiewicz

As for Binkiewicz’s take on Miami’s transformation from club land to barstool haven, he says this, “There are places that are opening, but it is still dominated by clubs. A lot of people still want to go to Story and Liv, but the locals have evolved, and now there are more places to go and listen to the person that you are talking to. It never used to be that way.”

So what is it that’s drawing the locals to bars more so than mega clubs? For Binkiewicz it’s this: “It’s a combo of things. We are getting older and want to go to a bar and listen to good music and the people we are with. Plus, the trend in the country is toward cocktails and handcrafted cocktails. It’s not just Miami, if you go around there are more bars than clubs. But, yes, people still come to Miami to go to the clubs. And people come to the Blackbird because they also want to dance, but you can always find areas to sit and talk. We don’t blast the speakers at the bar so you can stand and talk.”

Binkiewicz’s who also own The Bar in Coral Gables, a 15 year-strong spot, is unlike his bar brethren. “I was never a club person. I hated all the pretension. I grew up in South Beach and I hated walking up to a door guy and having him check everyone out and waiting to see if he was going to let them in. I though it was the worst in the world. It’s more Euro and it never appealed to me. Right at the door you have a bad experience and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, so I made sure that never happened in any of the bars I’ve ever owned.”

As a bartender in the industry for a handful of years, Binkiewicz says he’s seen enough interiors to pull inspiration from. And for him, a big influencer was Mac’s Club Deuce (aka The Deuce) on 14^th Street. “I feel like it’s a part of me. When I grew up and we were in doubt on where to go, we could always go to The Deuce.” But he’s also equally impressed with the new options in Miami Beach. “I love the Broken Shaker, too. It makes me feel like I’m in Florida.”

And as for his prime real estate in the new burgeoning Subset Harbor area he feels like it’s been a long-time coming. “When we opened Purdy Lounge, we didn’t think it was going to be what it is now. I was trying to emulate The Deuce in certain ways. I was playing rock and listening to jazz and people were coming. Girls would come up to me and ask for dance music, something they could dance too. I said, ‘fine,’ and then it just blew up in our face. And here we are 13 years later and Purdy is still going super strong.”

Maybe the reason behind that is Binkiewicz’s mantra. “The important thing for me is the customer experience, not overcharging, not gouging the customer, making sure the customer is always happy. I don’t see that enough in Miami. It’s starting to happen. The Shaker just gets it, I love those guys. That’s what I want my bars to be. I preach to every staff member we are never here for ourselves, we are always here for them, that’s what’s the most important: customers.”

Ready for Another Round? Here are a few other spots we love in Miami:

Wood Tavern

Parked in the heart of Wynwood, this bar, which inside is just a shoebox of a bar, is the perfect spot to stop in after taking in a little graffiti. Outdoors, you’ll find even more bars, picnic tables, even stadium seating. It’s a hipster hang, but the drinks are good and the music is even better at Wood Tavern. Just be sure to wear something from American Apparel and some bedhead so you’ll fit right in with the locals.

The Broken Shaker

The outdoor bar at The Freehand set Miami’s outdoor bar craze in motion. Situated around a pool and comprised of mismatched lawn furniture, the vibe is quirky and the drinks, courtesy of Bar Lab’s Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta,are second to none. Served in grandma-esque punch bowls, ask for the recipe of the day, as they change as quickly as the weather here in South Florida. It’s where bohemian meets mixology for a perfect blend.

 

The Corner

The spot in downtown Miami, is just a corner of a bar, but what the locals love about it is the no-frills attitude and the drinks. Order an Elder Statesmen, take in tunes that range from the Joy Division to The Kilers and order the cheese fries at The Corner. You can thank us later.

Gramps

Yet another spot in Wynwood, Gramps is a bar where you can have a seriously delicious old fashioned and play a little bocce ball. A DJ booth at the front of the space keeps things pumpin’, but you’ll most likely hear Indie stuff and throwbacks to the ‘80s. Leave your Louboutins at home, as the gravel out back is less than kind, but still the perfect place to just chill with a craft cocktail.

The Room

Just walking by, you’d never know The Room was there. It doesn’t pride itself on fancy this and that, though it’s intimate enough to take a date, especially one who has a thing for wine and one of the largest selections of beer we’ve ever seen. Grab a seat, take in the candlelight and have a deep conversation.

Miami Beach Institutions

Yes, bars are a new trend in Miami Beach, but long before these newbies popped up there were the innovators, the bars that have been here almost as long as Miami Beach has been around itself. We’re talking about none other than Ted’s Hideaway and Mac’s Club Deuce. Frilly? No. Fancy? Hell no. But the perfect place to sit down and have one too many? Hell yes. This is bar culture at its best. And, as you’ve read here today, the inspiration for some of the places you can’t get through a weekend without visiting. If you haven’t been in awhile, we suggest slipping into one of at these watering holes to see what the fuss is all about.