Lounging in paradise just got a whole lot easier now that you’ve found our guide to the best cocktail lounges in Miami & Miami Beach. From glorious rooftop views to cozy piano bar hideaways, there’s a lounge to suit your every mood. Discover romance, watch sports, meet the locals or simply escape from an unexpected rain shower at some of our favorite watering holes all over town.
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1040 Lincoln Road
Vibe: Alfresco Sidewalk Cafe
One of the most popular European-style sidewalk cocktail bars on South Beach stands at the western end of busy Lincoln Road Mall. After a leisurely stroll through all the shops and galleries, this oasis awaits your tired feet, your myriad shopping bags and your exhausted hubby like a happy dream. Sit next to the fountain on a cozy couch, slip off your new shoes and sip something cool.
Plunge at the Gansevoort Miami Beach Hotel
2377 Collins Avenue
Vibe: Gorgeous Rooftop Lounge
High atop the Gansevoort Hotel, this paradise of a pool bar welcomes you day and night. Providing strong drinks, an eclectic crowd and a dazzling view, Plunge has been featured in many Miami-based reality TV shows and fashion photo shoots. Seeing the city from 18 stories up may make all the difference in your perspective of our very small town.
Magnum Lounge
709 NE 79 Street
Vibe: Gay-friendly Piano Bar
A real throwback to the dimly lit piano bars you’ve seen in noir films, this unlikely hideaway may be surrounded by a desolate stretch of storefronts, but inside it’s a (showtune) party! Appointed in red velvet and a rather boudoir-inspired decor, the diverse patrons are a lively mix of gay & straight, young & old, families & first dates. Expect rousing renditions of “Mac the Knife” in the lounge and a more casual crowd out back at the tiki bar.
Florida Room at the Delano Hotel
1685 Collins Avenue
Vibe: Chic SoBe Speakeasy
A hipster hangout, this lower lobby speakeasy is the perfect destination for travelers who don’t wish to queue up for the nearby techno dance clubs or just want a glamorous escape after dinner and before the night unfolds. Live music by Brendan O’Hara and the Big Bounce attracts an enthusiastic crowd some nights, but for the most part the relaxed atmosphere, pretty people and pricey cocktails are quintessentially South Beach.
Monty’s at the Marina
300 Alton Road
Vibe: Waterfront Tiki Bar
South Beach can be slick and sophisticated or a suburb of Margaritaville depending upon your choice of venue. Monty’s is much closer to Jimmy Buffet than Jimmy Choo so grab a pair of flip flops, a Hawaiian print shirt and belly up to the raw bar for a few beers at sunset overlooking the fishing boats and the glowing Miami skyline.
Bar 721
721 North Lincoln Lane
Vibe: Modern & Mellow “Cheers”
Replacing the Laundry Bar in the hearts of dedicated fans is no easy feat but this gloriously casual cocktail bar pours hours of happy hour cocktails Monday through Friday 2-9pm and Weekends 5-9pm which makes it easily one of the most successful second acts in the history of the bar business. Stop in for a nightcap, play a game of pool and enjoy the charm and chill of the regulars just off Lincoln Road Mall.
Sunset Lounge at the Mondrian Hotel
1100 West Avenue
Vibe: Westside Waterfront Chic
The Mondrian Hotel is sleek and sexy, modern and marvelous. Poolside cocktails in full view of the wide bay are a welcome remedy from the busy workweek so Friday nights belong to the locals and Sundays to the models, moguls and wannabes who flock to the pool deck in search of love in all the wrong places. Dress smart, tip generously and enjoy the scene.
Smith & Wollensky
1 Washington Avenue
Vibe: Business Casual
Tucked away behind South Pointe Park, this popular steakhouse features a full cocktail bar overlooking the Government Cut waterway and the public promenade where gargantuan cruise ships slip slowly by on their way out to sea. Find a bar stool, make a few new friends and wave bon voyage to thousands of giddy passengers as they embark upon their Caribbean adventure.
Morgan’s at the Beach
1787 Purdy Avenue
Vibe: Insider Hideaway
Virtually invisible from the street, this unofficial clubhouse of Miami Beach locals is the go-to spot after work and before the dinner hour nearly every night of the week. An Art Deco-inspired clubhouse, the regulars definitely outnumber the tourists and the waitstaff are some of the most professional—and discrete—in town.
Clevelander
1020 Ocean Drive
Vibe: Sports Bar on Ocean Drive
It is impossible to say you have visited South Beach without stopping by the “Cleve” for a drink by the pool.
Breezy, beachy and casual, this egalitarian refuge serves as the most popular meeting spot for travelers and locals after a day at the beach, a tough stretch at the office or before venturing out into the techno haze of clubland.
