Drink your way around one of Time Out's Coolest Neighborhoods in the World.
After a few glasses of tempranillo at Vinya on Miracle Mile (just “sampling,” of course), I’ve found myself on the verge of lisping. Less because of my consumption, and more because I have convinced myself that I am, in fact, in Spain. In actual fact, I am not in Spain, but in Coral Gables, a neighborhood marked by picturesque Mediterranean Revival-style architecture, open promenades and a certain “chispa” that teases you on the streets, but appears in full force throughout the neighborhood’s many bars.
This is a locals’ neighborhood, and a beautiful one at that, offering a sampler platter of cocktail lounges, beer halls and wine bars, pouring over with power lunchers and brunchers, happy hour regulars and tipsy night owls at any given time. This is especially prevalent around Miracle Mile, one of Time Out’s coolest streets in the world, and just one of 20 things to do in this historic slice of Miami. If you’ve exhausted Coconut Grove’s watering holes and aren’t feeling a rowdy South Beach or Wynwood night, here are the best bars in Coral Gables for both chill and funky nights.
Sevilla or Miami? At Bulla Gastrobar, it’s hard to tell, especially during happy hour and Friday nights, where you’ll have to elbow your way up to a commanding center bar, crowd spilling onto the sidewalk. The fun at this spacious two-story restaurant is as bottomless as its weekend sangria.
Drink this: Bulla's unique take on the margarita with Spanish sherry, or anything from the spritzy selection of low-ABV Spanish classics like vermouth over ice and red wine with Pepsi.
Nightlife does exist in the Gables, starting with Copper 29. This moody, Prohibition-era-esque gastropub on Miracle Mile gets turnt on the weekends with DJs and sparkler-topped bottle service, but you can also consider this a perfect meeting lounge for craft cocktails and conversation before the crowds roll in.
Time Out tip: During happy hour, sink into tufted leather couches as you sip on $7 drinks, and on Wednesdays, ladies enjoy free Champagne and well drinks from 7pm to 11pm.
A lot has changed since 1946, but one thing remains the same: Locals flock to The Bar for affordable drinks, casual vibes and just a damn good time. Though it may be 70 years old, this neighborhood dive keeps up with the times with DJs that draw crowds to the dance floor, karaoke on Tuesday nights, and special events during holidays, big games and more.
Time Out tip: Thursday happy hour is a steal for ladies, who drink free from 9 to 11pm, while weekday happy hour delights patrons with two-for-one drinks.
In a city where Irish pubs are far too few, John Martin’s is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. After changing hands during the pandemic, this 35-year-old restaurant and bar reopened with a stunning facelift that brings in tons of light and modernity without sacrificing the venue’s heart and heritage. With over 500 different types of whisky including rare casks, John Martin’s touts one of the biggest collections in town. Sip your way through all the Irish ones (plus beers) for half off during Lucky Hour, held weekdays from 4 to 7pm. They keep things spritely throughout the week with live music on Thursday nights until 2am.
Don't miss: bottomless brunch on Sundays, featuring tons of “Brunch Grub” like Dublin Hash, JohnMartin’s Hash Brown Cake and much more.
You know that scene in Midnight in Paris where Owen Wilson pops out of a carriage and into the 1920s to swing and dance with the Fitzgeralds? That’s what stepping into The Globe feels like. Though operating since 1996, this French-inspired restaurant and bar still feels like a well-kept secret, the type of place where you might sip an espresso martini while reading a newspaper, engaging in conversations about 20th-century poets and the like.
Time Out tip: The Globe is known for its live music, jazz in particular, typically on Saturday nights starting at 8pm.
Our viticulture scene is growing down here, and one of the places leading the charge is Vinya. Both modernly gorgeous and cozy, this wine bar and restaurant is a great place to expand your palate, whether you take advantage of their daily happy hour (3 to 6pm) or sign up for any one of their events. Case in point, the Vinya Drinking Cru, a casual monthly wine tasting where staff and experts share their favorite things. Each event is $15 and dives into a specific category, be it grapes, regions or styles of wine. Another event we love? Pups and Brunch on the weekends. Because there’s nothing ruff about lazing an afternoon here.
Sometimes, the only way you want to quench your thirst is sprawled out on a lawn or nestled up with your crew on barstools. For that, there’s Bay 13, a spacious brewery in the heart of Coral Gables from the team behind another Aussie-inspired neighborhood favorite, Threefold Café.
Drink this: Sip on some of their standard brews, like an Australian pale ale or a range of IPAs, or sample limited edition offerings that take cues from other places and nationalities.
You can sip a Manhattan or a martini anywhere, but there’s just something about sipping it within a mahogany trimmed bar at an historic hotel that just makes everything more… regal. Case in point, The Biltmore Bar. With marble floors, brocade wallpaper and lounge seating to sink into, this is the perfect spot to catch up over pre-dinner drinks or just enjoy an intimate evening of live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.
A rooftop bar in The City Beautiful? Now that’s what the neighborhood was missing. A perfect spot for sunset happy hours, Cebada is a rooftop restaurant and bar that places right on Giralda Plaza with as much emphasis on its plates as its drinks. Soak in a little Miami sunshine as you soak up cocktails imbued with refreshing tropical ingredients like guava, lychee, passionfruit or figs.
Time Out tip: Note this isn’t your typical Miami rooftop with banging beats and all things party. Tranquilo y tropical is the temperature here, so grab a table and chill out.
Miami’s favorite taco shop turned speakeasy is now open on Miracle Mile, bringing good vibes and tacos to this long sleepy street. The bar is open all day, so you can enjoy tacos and margaritas in the main room for lunch or happy hour (from 4 to 7pm) or dance floor favorites well into the night as local DJs spin.
Time Out tip: Behind the bathroom door, this location touts a Bodega Mezcaleria, where you can sip your way through a wide selection of mezcals and other agave-based spirits. More a place to reserve than to stumble into, the mezcaleria touts lounge seating, leather stools and an overall sultry vibe, so you can spend an evening expanding your palate with craft cocktails and elevated bites.
The World Cup is coming up in 2026. Do you know where you’ll be cheering on your team? Probably Fritz and Franz. This German beer hall is a Gables staple, serving sports-loving patrons large steins of hefeweizen to go along with platters of schnitzel and smoked brat sausages. On any day, during any game—basketball, football, soccer, you name it—find people of all ages camping out along wooden picnic benches or pushing blue and white gingham tables together inside, all congregating to have a wholesome good time.
Dive bars are becoming so rare in this city, they’re basically a luxury. That’s why Se7aS Bar (you can just call it Seven Seas) is such a treasure. Located just across the street from the border of the Gables, this dimly lit nautical-themed bar has all the makings of a perfect no-frills neighborhood joint: wood-paneled walls, a billiards table, topless mermaids and other tchotchkes on the walls, shoes and dollar bills dangling from the ceiling.
Time Out tip: What really puts this place on the map is their thrice-weekly karaoke nights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
It's pretty much always a good time to go drinking in Miami.
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