Six of the Hottest Miami Happy Hours Under the Sun

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One of the best things about a South Florida getaway is being outside. Combine sunshine, lush garden settings, and cocktails, and a romantic weekend is guaranteed. Plan your weekend stay in Miami.

The perfect excuse to explore Miami’s vibrant neighborhoods, these six outdoor happy hours sizzle, combining fab drinks with inviting alfresco settings and farm-to-bar ingredients.

Happy Hour Cocktails

The Scapegoat

Industry insiders already know about this compact cocktail gem in the South of Fifth neighborhood of South Beach but there’s no reason you shouldn’t discover it too. There’s no better place for cocktails than The Scapegoat, the neighborhood’s favorite craft cocktail hideaway.

Just enough out of the fray to avoid the crowds on Ocean Drive, The Scapegoat offers happy hour every day from 5-7 pm, with $5 draft beers and a rotating list of $10 specials, which might range from a sherry cobbler made with fresh juices and Fino sherry to a riff on an old fashioned. Enjoy the expanded patio but definitely ogle the retro backlit bar with its mirrored ceiling.

Abba

Although it doesn’t technically have a happy hour, the newly opened Abba Telavivian Kitchen in South of Fifth offers a fab sunset menu until expanded dinner hours kick in. Served from 4-7 pm and best enjoyed on the restaurant’s inviting plant-filled patio, the menu from chef and co-owner Sam Gorenstein includes a selection of salatim (little salads) and nisnushims (snacks) perfect for pairing with wines from boutique producers and local craft beers. Don’t miss the Holy Grail—a swirl of tahini, grated tomato, and green harissa served with house-made pita.

Gorenstein’s heritage includes Syrian and Romanian roots and a childhood spent in Colombia, a perfect storm for unexpected flavors served in a Miami Beach meets Tel Aviv café setting.

Le Jardinier

After spending an afternoon shopping at the swanky Design District with its haute couture fashion houses and contemporary art galleries, relax at Le Jardinier, just around the corner from Gucci and across the street from the sexy perfume boutique Bond No. 9.  Offering happy hour Tuesday through Saturday, 3-6 pm, Le Jardinier’s menu features $9 signature cocktails—try the Mai, made with Lillet Blanc, citrus, bubbles, and bitters—and wines by the glass, all designed to complement chef Alain Verzeroli’s modern, vegetable-driven menu. The patio, with its covered pergola and leafy palette, is an ideal oasis.

More good news, Frohzen, with eye-popping ice cream creations from pastry chef Salvatore Martone, is just steps away.

Cervecería La Tropical

Cervecería La Tropical was Cuba’s first brewery, opened in 1888 in Havana. More than 60 years since the family business was seized by the Cuban government, the iconic brand is back in its new home in Miami’s mural-filled Wynwood Arts District. Order a La Original lager or Nativo Key IPA, perfect with chef Cindy Hutson’s Latin-Caribbean snack menu (warm chicharrones, plantains, bacalao fritters, tacos). La Tropical offers happy hour Wednesday through Friday, 4-6 pm. Check the tank-to-glass beer service that skips the keg, a menu of fun beer cocktails as well as classic drinks.

Sip one or several in the 10,000 sq. ft. tropical garden bursting with trees, orchids, and exotic plants from Fairchild Tropical Garden. There’s live music on the weekends.

Café La Trova

A must stop in the colorful Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Café La Trova offers a spectacular cocktail program and a daily happy hour from 4 to 7 pm, with live Latin music daily starting at 7. Loosen up for some hot salsa moves with $7 pisco sours, margaritas, and daiquiris shaken by an army of old-school bartenders.

The snack menu from James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein exceeds expectations—her chicken and corn empanadas are a must, same goes for the Mezcal marinated fried calamari.

Pisco Sour Cocktail

R House

Although most famous for its all-you-can-drink weekend drag brunches, R House in the Wynwood Arts District is also a super spot for a funky happy hour, served 4 to 6:30 pm, Wednesday through Friday. Nibble on chef Rocco Carulli’s Latin-inspired bites (croquetastostón de lechón asado, mojo pork Cuban sandwich) washed down with bargain-priced mojitos, sangria, house wine, and craft beer.

Squarely at the intersection of food, art, and music, R House is the perfect spot after a stroll through this vibrant neighborhood, which includes Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum showcasing large-scale works by some of the world’s best-known street artists.

Book a stay at IHG® Hotels & Resorts the next time you’re in Miami and explore the city’s vibrant neighborhoods.

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