The Bar Hit List: New Miami Bars To Try Right Now

In order to help you figure out which new restaurants are worth your time, we created The Hit List , our guide to the new spots that we actually like. And we do the same thing for new bars in Miami. All the places we visited are less than a year old, and they range from wine bars with lots of cheese to outdoor spots with live music and frozen drinks. But what do they all have in common? We’ve visited them, really liked them, and felt they were well worth the varying degrees of hangover.

THE SPOTS

Magie

Lagniappe’s monopoly on Miami’s industry of “cute wine bars for big groups” has come to an end with Little River’s Magie. Gold tin ceiling tiles, mismatched velvet sofas, and wooden tables give this place a granny-chic aesthetic. Magie is mostly self-service—you pick out your own bottle of wine and, if you’re hungry, cured meats and cheeses, which they’ll assemble into a charcuterie platter. Wines hover around the $40 to $65 range, making this perfect for a fun, yet financially responsible night out on the town (yes, that means free parking too). Aside from charcuterie, Magie has a small menu of snacks like escargot, tinned fish, and olive tapenade on crispy bread. It’s also across the street from two of our favorite burgers at USBS and Off Site if you’re still hungry.

ViceVersa

ViceVersa is an Italian aperitivo bar where servers have a sixth sense for when you’re on the last three sips of your drink. Given that the team behind Jaguar Sun is involved, the place is unsurprisingly great. Expect fantastic Neapolitan pizzas, crudo, gelato, and a family tree of negroni variations with ice cubes clear enough to read a novel through. The space is versatile enough for pizza dates at a table or a quick round of sbagliatos (served in comically large glasses) before a concert. But it’s probably best not to make concrete plans after—ViceVersa is so fun you’ll just want to cancel them and make this your entire night.

Brother's Keeper

In our ideal world, South Beach would be littered with bars playing an ‘80s rock soundtrack in a neon-lit, heavily mirrored room that makes 5pm feel like 5am. Brother’s Keeper has all of that, plus a functioning fish tank and the best coconut shrimp within a 50-mile radius. This bar is named after the inaugural episode of Miami Vice , and provides a perfect dose of Miami Beach nostalgia while still feeling fresh. You should be eating here too. The team from QP Tapas runs the kitchen, serving tasty raw bar options alongside a slightly indefinable blend of hot dishes that range from fried alligator to a Basque hotdog with txistorra.

Gramps Getaway

Gramps is one of our favorite bars in Miami , and now you don’t have to brave the chaos of Wynwood to satisfy a Gramps craving. You can just go to Gramps Getaway in Key Biscayne. Here, in the former Whiskey Joe’s space, you’ll find pretty much everything we loved about the original Gramps: rare $12 cocktails, DJs playing songs you forgot you knew all the words to, and an old school atmosphere that’ll feel familiar to anyone who’s lived here for more than 10 years. But there’s also a waterfront view and The Lazy Oyster, a pop-up serving oysters, lobster rolls, and other small seafood plates. This is the perfect way to end any Key Biscayne beach day.

Shōjō's Dojo

Shōjō's Dojo looks and feels a lot like that secret layer you always dreamed of having as a kid—complete with a hidden doorway to a converted warehouse with arcade games, a pool table, and foosball. But because this place is for adults, they’ve also got sake flights, Lebanese beer, and wine. Snacks like wasabi peas and kimchi chips are always available, but they also host a rotating list of pop-ups, including the best (and only) Nicaraguan sushi we’ve ever had. And if you show them your rideshare receipt, they’ll take 10% off your check.