A Cuban bar in Miami and a Miami Beach hot spot named among best bars in North America

Bars come and bars go, but the best bars in Miami tend to stay the same.

For the second year in a row, a bar on Calle Ocho in Little Havana and another on Miami Beach were named among North America’s 50 Best Bars.

Café La Trova, the brainchild of Chef Michelle Bernstein and Master Cantinero Julio Cabrera, was No. 9 on the annual list, which is curated by 260 anonymous bar industry experts. That group includes bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and cocktail connoisseurs from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The judges called Café La Trova, which opened in 2019 and also serves food, “a joyous celebration of Cuban hospitality.”

“Stepping into the space, one is instantly transported to the Caribbean via sight and taste. The bar team adheres to the traditional (and theatrical) cantinera style created by Constantine Ribalaigua at Havana’s El Floridita. Typically, the bartenders are busy throwing Hotel Nacionals (rum, apricot liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup) through the air or dramatically shaking a Daiquiri (rum, lime juice, simple syrup). Yet, the dinner jacket-uniformed staff also find time to pick up maracas and play along with the house Son Cubano band,” the judges wrote.

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Bernstein’s food is “equally harmonious,” they added, praising her empanadas and croquetas.

Also making the top 50 list is the Sweet Liberty in Miami Beach, which was ranked at No. 34.

“Happiness is easy to find at this elevated fern bar,” the judges wrote. “Nestled in the heart of South Beach, Miami, Sweet Liberty’s spirits list alone includes nearly 1,000 different bottles. The voluminous menu also features a healthy bubbly selection, a variety of spritzes and a Martini menu. Lermayer’s classics like Giant’s Milk (rum agricole, dark rum, condensed milk, passionfruit, pressed lime, cinnamon, fire) are still present alongside new originals like the Banana Negroni (Scotch, Italian bitters, vermouth, fresh banana, Szechuan pepper, sesame oil, chocolate bitters, smoke).”

Sweet Liberty’s lobster mac and cheese and oysters were also applauded.

Also honored was Christine Wiseman, Bar Lab Hospitality’s global beverage director, who earned the prestigious Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award (yes, there are two “bartenders” in that sentence). Bar Lab’s Broken Shaken didn’t make the top 50 list this year.

The best bar in North America, according to the judges, is Double Chicken Please in New York City’s Lower East Side, where the front room is a soda shop with cocktails and chicken sandwiches. In the back room, each drink represents a meal, like the French Toast (vodka, roasted barley, brioche, coconut milk, maple syrup egg) or Japanese Cold Noodle (white rum, pineapple, cucumber, coconut, lime, sesame oil).

Last year’s winner, Attaboy, also located on the Lower East Side, was ranked No. 13 for 2023.

Best bars in Miami and Miami Beach

Café La Trova, 971 SW Eighth St., Miami; www.cafelatrova.com

Sweet Liberty, 237-B 20th St.., Miami Beach; www.mysweetliberty.com

This bar in Little Havana was just named the best place to drink in Miami by Yelp