Every year a few girlfriends and I take a trip together in the fall to celebrate one of their birthdays! We’ve done Denver, Lake Tahoe, Charlotte, etc. This year, we decided to check out Miami! None of us had been there before this trip, so we were going in blind with a lot of excitement! I am a total foodie, so one of my favorite parts of travel is trying out new restaurants and bars. After spending a long weekend in Miami, here are some of my favorite places to eat and drink that we visited that I think you should consider while planning your next trip to the Magic City.
Restaurants
We were super lucky to have a lot of great experiences with the restaurants that we tried in Miami. Now, we did make a rookie mistake and not plan ahead with reservations. If you’re planning a trip to Miami, you definitely want to go ahead and make reservations especially for any dinners or brunches. We got very lucky and never had any extreme waits, but I can guarantee in the peak of tourist season that would have been a different story.
Brunch and Breakfast
For brunch and breakfast we went to three really great places! The first restaurant I recommend for brunch is called Bacon Bitch, and as you can imagine it has quite the atmosphere. It is all open air, has loud fun music playing, and an incredibly delicious menu for you to pick from. We each tried a different breakfast sandwich, and all loved what we got! This is one of the places I would highly recommend having a reservation for. We had a short wait, and thankfully they have a great bar where you can grab a drink in the mean time. The vibe here is perfect to celebrate a birthday or bachelorette party if you’re looking for a party!
After our workout at Gotham gym (be on the lookout for a post coming soon!) we walked around the corner to a place called Delicious Raw Kitchen and Juice Bar. As the name suggests, they had great acai bowl, juice, and smoothie options which was perfect for a post-workout snack. One of the girls tried a breakfast sandwich with brussel sprouts as a side while we were here, and they looked fantastic! This is a great choice for a to-go or sit down experience for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. They have multiple locations around the Miami area making it super convenient no matter where you’re staying!
The third breakfast place we tried was picked in a panic because we needed something quick and closeby. We walked to A Simple Eggstaurant and had another great experience trying different types of breakfast sandwiches! This spot was much more low key with a truly local vibe. We sat at a bar top in front of some large windows facing the street, which felt like such an authentic experience getting to watch the comings and goings of Miami. No reservations needed here as you order at a counter and they bring your breakfast to your table when it’s ready.
Dinner
We ate at 2 really great restaurants while in Miami that I would highly recommend to anyone planning to visit! The first is Sushi Garage, a great spot with a fun, easy vibe. We stumbled across this while looking for something a little lighter for dinner, and made sure to show up right when they opened at 5:30 pm. I’m glad we did, because it was their happy hour and we beat the crowd! Don’t be too late past opening time, though, because there was already a line forming when we arrived. We drove by the next day during peak dinner time, and the place was packed out! I would highly recommend a reservation if you plan on going any time after 6 pm.
The second dinner restaurant is an absolute must, no questions asked! Stiltsville Fish Bar in Miami is around the same area as Sushi Garage and where we did some fun workouts during the day. It is a smaller restaurant, with a cozy Miami vibe. The menu is incredible including things like grilled octopus and caviar deviled eggs. Our drinks were fantastic and our server was absolutely 5 stars! We booked a reservation here last minute on Open Table and it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip. Don’t miss out on dessert here either, it’s to die for!
Bars
Truthfully, this group of girls loves to have a great time but isn’t really interested in being out until 3 am. That being said, we did try out a few really fun bars while we were in Miami! Almost all of these came as recommendations from people we met while being out and about. That’s my favorite way of finding places to check out when traveling to a new place because it’s much more authentic than googling or getting on Trip Advisor.
Irma’s
We came across Irma’s on accident when actually looking for a different bar called The Living Room. I’m so glad we did, though, because it had a beautiful outdoor sitting area perfect for a Miami evening. This is definitely a low-key option with a great late night snack menu. The night we were there a Salsa band was playing which added such a fun vibe. Located in the W Hotel, you get great ambiance with yummy cocktails so you have to love it!
Sweet Liberty
Sweet Liberty is a bar recommended to us by our outstanding server at Stiltsville, and it was so much fun! They had loud, Latin music playing and a crowd that was buzzing with laughter and excitement. There is a huge bar with lots of drink choices, so this is a great place to start off your night with lots of fun! We spent about an hour here before venturing off to our next stop, and really enjoyed the whole experience. This spot was crowded in the evening around 9 o’clock, so just know you might have to stand and wait on a table depending on what time you arrive.
Bodega
Last, but certainly not least, we ended one of our nights out at a speakeasy bar called Bodega. Another recommendation from a local, this place is super cool! The front of Bodega is a local taco shop with a great menu during the day or late night. Past that, there is a blue porta potty door you walk through that takes you to a back room. There you’ll find a big, gorgeous night club! There are tons of comfy couches for you to enjoy as well as an enormous bar that spans almost the entire length of the room. They also have a live DJ on the weekends playing all of the most popular music. This was probably everyone’s favorite bar, so you’ve got to make it a stop while you’re visiting Miami!
Those are my top picks for places to eat and drink on your next trip to Miami! If you have any other great recommendations, please leave them in the comments below!