The 10 Best Rooftop Bars in Miami
Courtesy EAST MiamiSugar at East, Miami
It’s hardly a secret that we’re (really) into Sugar, the rooftop bar and garden at East, Miami, a hotel that crowns downtown Miami’s billion-dollar Brickell City Centre complex. Forty floors up, Sugar has a bit of a wild side with its jungle-themed decor, and the menu reflects more of the same. Expect Asian-style tapas and cocktails like the Lychee Blossom, a mix of vodka, sake, and lychee, and a lineup of beertails. The space also hosts regular tasting events, like a five-course sake lab.
Courtesy Fontainebleau Miami BeachLa Côte at Fontainebleau
While it doesn’t sit atop the Fontainebleau itself, La Côte—a bilevel beach club and restaurant that evokes the French Riviera—has its own rooftop lounge space that adds a bit of intimacy to the iconic (and rather imposing) hotel. With views of both the pool and the ocean, it offers some prime people-watching, and is a great spot for thirsty groups: La Côte’s signature drinks are available by the pitcher. (Try the rum punch, which is full of fresh mango and strawberry juice, with an extra float of Bacardi on top.) If you need some food to go with that pitcher, there’s an impressive menu of locally sourced but Med-inspired dishes like mussels provençal, perfect for sharing.
Courtesy Passion Restaurant GroupDolores But You Can Call Me Lolita
If the nod to Nabokov isn’t enough to draw you into the street-side cafe (Dolores), the garden-like rooftop lounge (Lolita) one flight up should do the job. Grab a table beneath the palm fronds and tuck into a plate of seared Ahi tuna tacos, or sink into one of the space’s loveseats while the always-moving waitstaff makes sure you're never without a Brazilian Lemonade (Leblon Cachaça, acai liqueur, lemonade, fresh strawberries, and mint leaves) in hand. Take a moment to look around the place before you go. Though the restaurant and bar have been buzzing since 2007 (a lifetime in Miami years), the building itself went up in 1923—as a Mediterranean Revival-style firehouse. (It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.)
Courtesy 1 Hotel South BeachWatr at the 1 Rooftop
At Watr, 1 Hotel South Beach's buzzy rooftop bar, the name doesn’t lie: There’s H2O everywhere you look. If you’re not gazing out at the ocean, there’s also a 30,000-square-foot infinity pool some 18 stories above Miami Beach, which offers 360-degree views of South Beach, the Miami skyline, and the sea. It’s the kind of place that screams “beach club” without the stuffy attitude. And the hotel takes its wellness ethos seriously; even the cocktails are organic. Most importantly: There’s frosé on tap!
Courtesy Kimpton Hotels & RestaurantsArea 31
If you think the only Instagrams worth taking in Miami have a stretch of sand or Wynwood’s street art as a backdrop, you haven’t been to Area 31, the restaurant and bar on the 16th floor of the Kimpton EPIC Hotel. We’ve sung the praises of Area 31 before, but it’s hard not to gush with views this gorgeous: Look down and you’ll see the Miami River meet Biscayne Bay; look up and you’ll come face to face with a collection of downtown’s towering skyscrapers. There are also some great happy hour deals during the week, including a “Chase the Clock” deal on Friday nights from 5–midnight (where the cost of your cocktail matches the hour hand on the lock, i.e. $5 at 5 p.m., $6 at 6 p.m., etc.).
Courtesy Conrad MiamiThe Bar at LVL 25
On the 25th floor of Brickell’s Conrad Miami hotel is the aptly named Bar at LVL 25, an indoor/outdoor space (which is a good thing, given how quickly a clear sky can give way to storm clouds in South Florida) that offers panoramic views of Biscayne Bay. Take it all in over a bottle of bubbly. Yes, we said bottle: Wednesday through Friday, you can pop a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label for as little as $50 if you get there early enough. At 5 p.m. the cost is $50; it goes up $10 by the hour until closing. At 6 p.m. a Veuve Cliquot Rosé is added for $60, with the same inflation deal.
Courtesy Juvia MiamiJuvia
Though it’s located more on the Bayside of South Beach—on the roof of 1111 Lincoln Road, the now-famous Herzog & de Meuron-designed parking garage/party space—Juvia delivers some of Miami Beach’s best views. Both its restaurant and bar focus on a fusion of French, Japanese, and Peruvian flavors and styles—right down to the cocktails. (We’re fans of the Ketel One Elderflower Mule, a refreshing riff on the Moscow mule with St. Germain, lime, ginger beer, lemongrass, and grapefruit.)
Courtesy Dream HotelsHighbar at Dream South Beach
Smack in the middle of South Beach’s famed Art Deco District, Highbar—the ’70s-inspired rooftop pool lounge at the Dream South Beach—offers views of the Atlantic and local landmarks like the former Versace Mansion, which abuts the Dream on the ocean side. Turn your back on it all for the poolside cocktails and freshly made guacamole or watermelon and queso fresco salad courtesy of Naked Taco Miami. A daily happy hour, which runs from 5–8, makes heading out early worth it—especially for those sunset views.
Photo by Juan Fernando AyoraPawn Broker
The “Pubbelly Boys”—proprietors of some of Miami’s favorite restaurants, including Pubbelly, an Asian-inspired gastropub—have struck again with Pawn Broker, the rooftop hideaway at the top of the 1920s bank-turned-boutique Langford Hotel. Though it’s hardly hidden away in some dark basement space, the bar maintains a fun speakeasy vibe with throwback cocktails. We recommend the bathtub gin-inspired Giggle Water cocktail, which comes served in a mini-bathtub. The atmosphere, clearly, is anything but stuffy: DJs spin from Wednesday through Sunday, while the rest of the week brings happy hours and live music.
Courtesy E11EVENRooftop at E11EVEN
If you want to go all in on your night out, the best place to begin and/or end is at the Rooftop at E11EVEN, the sky-high portion of E11EVEN, a 24/7 day-to-nightclub in downtown Miami. The scene can get wild, what with the trapeze act, burlesque, well-known DJs, LED screens, and stage with a retractable pole. But in many ways, The Rooftop exists as its own space—you can reserve a table for dinner, show up early, hang by the fire pits or the bandshell when the band starts up and skip out before the pole descends. But if you change your mind...the Rooftop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. until “late” (code for at least 2 a.m.) and the nightclub is always going.
