South Beach Bars & Nightlife

Despite Sweet Liberty's being ranked one of the best bars in the world, locals actually drink here, and tourists, for the most part, do not. The space is a little too big to feel intimate, and the best seats are at the bar. No matter how well-versed you are, you can’t help but be impressed by the selection of premium spirits, and watching the mixologists at work is true theater. Come for happy hour: The drinks are, of course, excellent, and the fresh oysters (under $1 each) go down just as easy. The rest of the bar menu is all tasty, salty bites that pair so well with the drinks—the swordfish tacos with mango pico and Asian-style tater tots with crunchy seaweed and sesame are the standouts.

Juvia is located at the top of the Swiss-designed Herzog & de Meuron Lincoln Road parking garage, which sits at the east end of Miami’s popular pedestrian-only shopping stretch. The kitchen here is run by two stellar chefs: Sunny Oh (who spent a decade at Nobu), and Gregory Gourreau (who worked with Alain Ducasse and François Payard, and now runs the pastry program). It’s a pricier menu—that comes with a fabulous, sweeping view of the city, made for celebratory-feeling cocktails. Try the refreshing Cucumis—tequila with cucumber, lime, and a hibiscus salt rim.

The street-facing half of Bodega is a busy taco joint set up like a tricked-out auto garage with bright graffiti splashes and neon barstools. At the otherwise unassuming back door (which looks like the exterior of a Porta-Potty), you’ll see a bouncer occasionally motioning waiting guests into the speakeasy behind it, which has an entirely different feel. Dark and swanky, the space is set up with a wood bar that stretches the length of the bottom floor and plush couches that create pocket lounge areas for a full, buzzing crowd (that skews young). A winding staircase leads to an upper lounge that's perched above the bar.