It’s not only golden days of sun, sand and bare skin that draw crowds to South Florida.
Our corner of paradise sizzles after dark when bars and clubs come alive and cocktails flow long into the wee hours. Miami may be the top destination for a hip nightlife experience – its renowned nightclubs lure celebs from across the globe – but party people know good times can be found across Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. We’re here to tell you how to find the nightlife that suits your vibe and your tribe. So, get your motor running – you’re going out tonight.
Best Brunch Party
Salt7 Modern Eatery and Social Lounge
Go for the food, stay for the party at trendy Salt7 in Delray Beach. Brunch on Sundays at 11 a.m. morphs into a hip party scene at 2 p.m., when the shades close and the music pumps up. Receive “Sunday Communion” via premium cocktail “bowls,” or opt for bottomless mimosas or Stoli Bloody Marys (with the purchase of an entrée).
Chef Paul Niedermann, winner of the cooking show “Hell’s Kitchen,” serves up more than your typical brunch fare, including the I Like Where This is Going, a 22-ounce bone-in prime Cowboy Ribeye, crab-stuffed butter-poached lobster, potato hash and two eggs any style.
Reservations are required, and a minimum per person applies. Be sure to impress your friends with this tidbit: The restaurant’s name was inspired by the blend of seven salts used to season its prime steaks.
Info: salt7.com
Best Disco
Platforms Dance Club
Catch Saturday night fever at Platforms in Boca Raton, with a sprawling dance floor, groovy décor from the era, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. Shake your groove thing to old school disco all night long, provided by a DJ or live band.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, DJs also spin the hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. For special occasions, an elevated VIP lounge with bottle service is available by reservation and can accommodate 100. The crowd is 45 and older.
Info: platformsnightclub.com
Best Whiskey Bar
Stache
Get a taste of the good life at Stache, downtown Fort Lauderdale’s cocktail lounge, coffee bar, nightclub and concert hall. This venue raises mixology to a high art, making classic cocktails with a collection of more than 600 spirits – including single-malt scotches, American whiskeys, bourbons and ryes – to satisfy any fine liquor aficionado. Bottle service is also available.
Need a pick-me-up? Stache serves Miami-based Panther Coffee, Seven Seas Teas and local Gran Forno Bakery pastries Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The two-level, three-bar, 5,000-square-foot spot provides an escape from the everyday with a swanky speakeasy vibe. The diverse music lineup – which ranges from classic rock, soul and R&B to indie, electronic and house – includes live entertainment, DJs, and burlesque and cabaret shows.
Info: stacheftl.com
Best Brews And Views
Roxy’s Pub and Rooftop Restaurant Lounge
On West Palm Beach’s Clematis Street, Roxy’s Pub is a lively, Irish-themed establishment known for its St. Patrick’s Day celebration and other block party happenings. Grab one of 64 brews on tap, order a plate of award-winning wings and watch a game on one of 22 TVs.
When the spirit moves you, go upstairs to the chill rooftop bar, Sky 309, where the millennials get loud on weekends. Check out the panoramic downtown views, and then dance to live music and guest DJs until 4 a.m. on the weekends. The rooftop also offers VIP tables, cocktail service and three full bars. Sundays are “fundays” with a mix of music, entertainment, games, food and drink specials.
Info: roxyspub.com
Best Restaurant Bar
Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar and Pizzeria
Louie Bossi’s, which opened in 2017 adjacent to the Hyatt Place Boca Raton/Downtown, has been a popular addition to the local restaurant and nightlife scene. The 8,000-square-foot interior feels cozy thanks to a fireplace, lots of carved wood, brick and Italianate décor. However, a firepit and outdoor bar frequently beckon patrons to the patio.
Fifty percent off Martini Mondays are a draw, and a lively bar scene with DJs spinning tunes keeps this corner of east Boca hopping. On Fridays and Saturdays, a full dinner menu is served until 11 p.m., and pizza is served until midnight.
Info: louiebossi.com
Best Happy Hour
Blue Martini West Palm Beach
Unwind at hot spot Blue Martini in West Palm Beach’s Rosemary Square for a happy hour that runs from a very civilized 4-8 p.m. Patrons enjoy discounted food and beverages alongside 42 specialty martini cocktails, spirits and wines as well as a menu of “blue food,” comprising apps, entrées and desserts.
Let the happy hour buzz tide you over until the live entertainment or DJ takes over. Special events and theme nights like Freaky Tiki, a tropical luau party, keep things interesting. Tuesday is karaoke night, and Wednesday is ladies night, with half-price cocktails and no cover charge. The crowd skews professional, 35 and up.
Info: westpalmbeach.bluemartinilounge.com
Best Delray Beach Nightclub
Honey
Nightlife is all the sweeter on Delray Beach’s buzzing Atlantic Avenue thanks to Honey, a concept by Subculture restaurant group, the people behind Kapow! and Dubliner in Boca Raton and Dada in Delray. Honey, an intimate, upscale lounge with off-kilter charm, features a wood-paneled interior and comfy couch seating. The quirky ambiance continues on the patio with a centerpiece tree adorned with lit birdcages.
Enjoy craft cocktails and small plates while grooving to DJs and live nostalgia concerts, like I Want My 80s/90s Back. Rest assured that you can always get a little TLC (and Spice Girls, En Vogue and other girl groups) at Honey.
Info: sub-culture.org/honey
Best Ballroom
Pavilion Grille
Put on your dancing shoes before heading to the Pavilion Grille in the Atrium of the Seeman Holtz Building in Boca Raton. The venue, which also hosts weddings and other special events, is open for dinner nightly and features dance bands and entertainment throughout the week.
On Wednesdays from 8-11 p.m., couples take to the 2,500-square-foot dance floor to rhumba or foxtrot. A full-service bar and dinner service are available as well as dance hosts to partner with single ladies. Cover is $15 per person (cash at the door).
Info: paviliongrille.com
Best Miami Experience
LIV Miami
Dress to impress (no flats, ladies!), and you may bump into a Kardashian or two at LIV, Miami’s premier club in the iconic Fontainebleau hotel. The venue, which offers the latest in technology and design, continues to rank as one of the top nightclub venues in the world.
The beautiful people flock to the Miami Beach club to immerse themselves in the pulsating, high-energy environment and groove to celebrity DJs and entertainers. Dance to custom playlists of house, hip-hop and rock in the 18,000-square-foot space, comprising soaring architecture with an overhead dome and truss resembling a spider.
LIV offers four full-service bars; 50 banquette areas; and six private skyboxes, each featuring table service and a private VIP entrance.
Info: livnightclub.com
Best Spring Break Party
America’s Backyard
It’s spring break year-round at America’s Backyard in Fort Lauderdale. The adult playground (21 and up only) with 15,000 square feet of outdoor space serves high-energy antics, interactive events and plenty of drink specials. Show off your hula hooping skills on the bar, and get down with your bad self to DJs spinning remixes and mashups. Tourists and locals cram the place on a daily basis, and, when the swarms of students arrive in the spring, it’s boozy party central.
Specials include $5 Fireball Saturday and $3 Thursday College Night, offering $3 cocktails and beers with student ID. Revolution BBQ, inside the Backyard, cooks up hot dogs, ribs, chicken, sliders and sides – just the thing to soak up some of that alcohol.
Info: myamericasbackyard.com
Best 24/7 Club
E11Even Miami
Make a night (or a day) of it at E11Even, the 24/7 club in Miami. The 20,000-square-foot venue in the heart of the city has hosted live performances by artists such as Usher, Drake and Nicki Minaj and draws top DJs. After all, the motto here is: “On a scale of one to ten, make it an eleven.”
The club’s balance of sexy and sophisticated works: This is one popular place. E11Even, designed to entertain and entice, sports the latest technology and a dance floor with 600 square feet of LED video walls to showcase Cirque du Soleil-type performances, aerialists, choreographed go-go dancers and exotic acts. The venue offers premium bottle service, four 24-hour full-service bars, a full-service kitchen, 32 VIP Conversation Rooms and seven private VIP rooms for up to 20 guests.
Info: 11miami.com O