The Best Bars for a Date in Miami

Kaona Room in Edgewater hides a 45-seat tiki bar inside The Leinster Irish Pub, mixing Polynesian touches with jazz-club details. Flaming ice cubes and tableside carts give the drinks some theater, while live music sometimes adds a more romantic feel. The bar is open Wednesday through Saturday from 6pm, with reservations available and walk-ins accepted when space allows.

Ring the buzzer behind Novecento in Mary Brickell Village to reach Panamericano, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Brickell. The custom bar puts you at eye level with the bartenders so you can watch the drinks come together, while the menu explores spirits and drinking traditions from across the Americas and includes special cocktail ceremonies. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 5pm to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 2am.

Start with a low-ABV spritz or Americano at ViceVersa, the Italian aperitivo bar in the lobby of the Elser Hotel downtown. Crudo and pizza give you something to share with the drinks, while the room keeps the mood casual but polished. ViceVersa is open daily from 5pm to midnight.

Pour a glass in the backyard at Lagniappe in Midtown, where live jazz plays every night among mismatched patio furniture. Build your own cheese and charcuterie plate from the fridge, or order from the grill menu of churrasco steak, fish, BBQ chicken and choripan. Music runs from 9pm to midnight nightly. The bar is open Sunday through Thursday from 6pm to 2am and Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 3am.

Monterrey Bar off the lobby of The Standard Spa in South Beach is one of Miami Beach's smallest cocktail bars, with low light, a handful of banquettes, a long horseshoe bar and vinyl on the soundtrack. The compact room suits an intimate date, while the menu reworks classics with Miami references such as the Miami Mylk, made with two rums, including toasted coconut cream rum, plus banana, pineapple and cinnamon. The bar is open daily from 5pm to midnight.

Cafe La Trova on Calle Ocho pairs classic cantinero-style bartending with live Trova music and a retro Havana feel. Cuban-style dishes from chef Michelle Bernstein give you the option to stay for food. We'd start with a mojito or Hemingway daiquiri. Happy hour runs daily from 4pm to 7pm with specials at the bar only.

Sit by the pool at Broken Shaker, the garden cocktail bar in the backyard of Freehand Miami in Mid-Beach. Drinks use herbs, spices and fresh-pressed produce from the garden, and we'd pair a Pais Perdido with the coconut shrimp ceviche. The bar is closed Monday through Wednesday, open Thursday from 5pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday until 1am and Sunday from 5pm to 11pm.

Bar Kaiju sits on the mezzanine above The Citadel food hall in Little River, with a dim red glow and a cocktail menu styled like a trading-card binder. Try the Chukwa, a fizzy milk punch, or the clear Maskinganna espresso martini. The food hall is open Tuesday through Sunday.

Sospiro Natural Wine Bar in Coral Gables keeps the room cozy and focused on natural wines from small producers, with an Italian-inspired menu of charcuterie, oysters and other small plates. The bar is open Monday through Saturday from 4pm to 11pm and closed Sundays, with happy hour from 4pm to 6pm.

Share tapas and a glass of Spanish or South American wine at Barcelona Wine Bar in Wynwood, where greenery softens the indoor-outdoor space and the roomy patio gives you an easy place to settle in. The tapas pull from Mediterranean, Spanish and South American influences, while the wine list runs to nearly 400 bottles. The restaurant explicitly positions itself for first dates and date nights.