Don’t Miss: The Surf Club Cosmo modernizes the classic Grey Goose and Cointreau blend by replacing the traditional orange twist with a tableside mist of proprietary citrus spritz.
801 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131
@komodomiami
One of the early pioneers of the craft cocktail in Downtown Miami, Komodo is the definitive “nightclub-restaurant” hybrid. Conceptualized by hospitality mogul David Grutman, whose fingerprints are all over Miami, the space is a multi-level playground featuring “bird’s nest” floating seating and luscious, tropical decor. The Brickell restaurant just celebrated a decade, a feat in the fickle Miami bar scene. The vibe here is electric and communal—a mix of locals who come here for after-hours drinks at the bar and celebrity-hunting tourists. Ten years in, the quality and pageantry remain high, signaled by the spectacle of the roasted Peking ducks hanging in the entryway. The cocktail menu leans into bright Southeast Asian flavors—think lychee, yuzu, and ginger—designed to be sipped while navigating a room full of Miami’s most stylish denizens.
Don’t miss: A potent, fruity blend of Grey Goose vodka, ginger, sparkling sake, passion fruit, and yuzu, the Ginger Passion Fruit Mule is as bold as the lounge’s red-lit interior.
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In BA’s 2023 Food City of the Year, you’ll find vibrant neighborhoods, buzzy new restaurants, and rich history wherever you go.
788 Brickell Plaza, Miami, FL 33131
@tearoom.mia
Perched on the 40th floor of the EAST Miami hotel in Brickell, Tea Room is a Hong Kong-inspired speakeasy. Following the success of the Sugar, the hotel’s lush rooftop lounge, Tea Room provides a more sultry experience. The design features dark woods, moody plush seating, and floor-to-ceiling windows that transform the sprawling view of Downtown Miami into a cinematic backdrop. The brooding vibe leans heavily into nightclub territory, with a nightly DJ spinning deep house to a sophisticated crowd. The bar’s five-course “Asian Night Brunch” journeys through hamachi crudo and wagyu gyoza, but the cocktail program is the true draw, focused on bright, fresh flavors.
Don’t miss: The Yuja-Cha is a sleek, minimalist hit, blending lemon curd vodka, bergamot, and yuzu into a carbonated cocktail served over a single ice block.
8300 NE 2nd Ave, 2nd floor, Miami, FL 33138
@bar_kaiju
Venture past the first-floor vintage thrift store and ascend to the second-floor hideaway in The Citadel food hall in Little River to Bar Kaiju, a quirky, high-concept masterpiece. What was meant to be a six-month pop-up bar has turned into a three-year residency with a fierce cult following. Dedicated to vintage Asian cinema, the interior is brimming with Godzilla figurines and anime posters under the glow of Japanese paper lanterns. “Kaiju” translates to “strange creature” or “monster” in Japanese, and the bar’s offerings indeed lean mythological. The drink menu is presented as a deck of Pokémon-like trading cards, each featuring a cocktail styled after a different folkloric beast from around the world. While the rest of the food hall closes around midnight, Bar Kaiju stays bumping until 2 a.m on the weekends, a haven for those who want to geek out over obscure fermentations in a space that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
