The best bars in Miami Beach are not all on Ocean Drive: some of the strongest drinks and the most loyal crowds are on side streets in South Beach, in hotel courtyards in Mid Beach and at an old sports tavern in North Beach. Below are cocktail bars, dives, a rooftop, a beach club and lounges with DJs or bands, with happy hours and music nights taken from each venue’s own listings and a link to our venue directory where we list them.
Sweet Liberty
In Collins Park, a few blocks from the beach on 20th Street, Sweet Liberty is the cocktail bar Miami bartenders send visitors to, and Food and Wine placed it among the top ten bars in the United States for 2026. It opens every day from 4pm to 5am, with happy hour from 4pm to 8pm and brunch on Sundays from noon to 5pm. Go early for happy hour, or late if you want a serious cocktail after other bars have closed (get directions).
Mac’s Club Deuce
Miami Beach’s oldest bar dates to 1926 and marked its 100th year with a block party on Washington Avenue in September. Mac’s Club Deuce on 14th Street is a true dive: dark room, neon, a pool table and a jukebox. It opens every day from 8am to 5am, and the two for one happy hour runs from 8am to 5pm, seven days a week. (get directions).
Kill Your Idol
On Española Way, Kill Your Idol has been the neighborhood’s punk leaning dive since 2012. The bar describes itself as a throwback to the late 1970s No Wave scene, and it books emerging local artists and musicians. It opens every day from 8pm to 4am (get directions).
Twist
Twist on Washington Avenue is South Beach’s best known gay bar, with seven bars and three dance floors under one roof, and Miami New Times readers voted it Best Gay Bar in 2026. There is never a cover, it opens daily from 3pm to 5am, and drinks are two for one from 3pm to 9pm every day. The weekly lineup includes karaoke on Wednesdays, a Latin party with live percussion on Thursdays, resident DJs in the main room on Friday and Saturday, and drag shows at midnight on several nights. Arrive before midnight on weekends to skip the line (get directions).
Bodega South Beach
The flagship Bodega South Beach on 16th Street near West Avenue looks like a taco stand with an Airstream kitchen. Walk through the porta potty door at the back and you reach a lounge that serves margaritas and tequila cocktails, with rotating DJ sets on weekends. Happy hour runs daily from 6pm to 9pm. The lounge opens at 4pm on weekdays and noon on weekends, and stays open until 3am Thursday through Saturday. Reservations are encouraged after 9pm and for groups (get directions).
Serena Rooftop
On top of the Moxy South Beach on Washington Avenue, Serena Rooftop is an open air patio wrapped in bougainvillea, serving Mexican and Latin dishes with Latin inspired cocktails. Happy hour runs from 3pm to 6pm, and DJs play sunset sessions Thursday through Sunday. Brunch runs daily from 10:30am to 3pm (get directions).
Little Torch
Inside the Shelborne South Beach on Collins Avenue at 18th Street, Little Torch is a small, low lit cocktail lounge that opened in late 2025 as a calmer alternative to the hotel bars around it. The hotel describes it as a hidden lounge with curated music; seating is limited, so book a table through the hotel if you are going on a weekend. It suits a date or a drink before dinner (get directions).
Nikki Beach Miami Beach
If you want a drink with sand under your feet, Nikki Beach at 1 Ocean Drive in South of Fifth has been the city’s original beach club since 1998. The beach is open daily from 11am to 6pm, and the restaurant serves until 6pm Monday through Thursday and 7pm Friday through Sunday. Sunday is the big day, with brunch from 11am to 4pm followed by an after brunch menu until 8pm. Book ahead for loungers on weekends (get directions).
Broken Shaker
In the courtyard of the Freehand hotel on Indian Creek Drive, just north of Collins Park Broken Shaker is a poolside patio bar and one of the best known cocktail bars in Miami Beach. It opens Thursday from 5pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 1am and Sunday from 5pm to 11pm, and is closed Monday through Wednesday. Go for a relaxed cocktail by the pool before heading south (get directions).
The Living Room at Faena
The lobby bar of the Faena Hotel on Collins Avenue at 32nd Street is the best dressed room in Mid Beach, with live music every night from local artists, bands and DJs, and vinyl DJ sets on Tuesdays from 8pm. It opens 6pm to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2am Thursday through Saturday. The dress code is smart and elegant: no shorts, beachwear, flip flops or baseball caps (get directions).
Norman’s Tavern
North Beach’s local bar has been on Collins Avenue since 1970. Norman’s Tavern is a sports bar with pool tables, darts, plenty of screens and American bar food, and it also hosts karaoke nights. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3:30pm to 7pm. Come for a neighborhood crowd and a game on, far from the South Beach lines (get directions).
Planning a Night Out in Miami Beach
South Beach is walkable once you are there: Kill Your Idol, Twist, Mac’s Club Deuce and Serena all sit within a few blocks of Washington Avenue, and Sweet Liberty and Little Torch are a short walk north near Collins Park. Mid Beach and North Beach are a rideshare away along Collins Avenue. Parking in South Beach is metered on the street and city garages fill fast on Friday and Saturday nights, so rideshare is the easier choice. Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights everywhere, and many bars here stay open until 4am or 5am. A good route: happy hour at Serena or Sweet Liberty, dinner, then a late round on Washington Avenue. For concerts in North Beach, check the Miami Beach Bandshell calendar and finish at Norman’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best bars in Miami Beach?
For cocktails, Sweet Liberty, Little Torch and Broken Shaker. For dives, Mac’s Club Deuce and Kill Your Idol. For live music, The Living Room at Faena; for DJs and drag, Twist.
Where is the best Miami Beach nightlife outside the clubs?
Washington Avenue and Española Way in South Beach have the highest concentration of late bars, including Twist, Kill Your Idol and Mac’s Club Deuce. Mid Beach is quieter and more upscale, centered on hotel bars like Faena and the Freehand.
Are there beach bars in Miami Beach?
Nikki Beach at 1 Ocean Drive is the main beach club with service on the sand, open daily from 11am to 6pm. For sunset without sand, try Serena Rooftop.
Where can I find happy hour in Miami Beach?
Mac’s Club Deuce runs two for one from 8am to 5pm daily, Twist has two for one from 3pm to 9pm daily, Serena Rooftop runs 3pm to 6pm, Sweet Liberty 4pm to 8pm, Bodega South Beach 6pm to 9pm, and Norman’s Tavern 3:30pm to 7pm on weekdays.
How late do bars stay open in Miami Beach?
Several bars on this list stay open until 4am or 5am, including Mac’s Club Deuce, Sweet Liberty, Twist and Kill Your Idol. Hotel bars close earlier.
Header photo: P. Hughes, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
