For a city surrounded by tropical waterways, finding a scenic spot for a drink or a bite to eat overlooking the water in Miami can be surprisingly challenging. However, visitors with a little patience and a rental car with a GPS unit can discover these out-of-the-way places favored by locals for the brews and the views.
Scotty’s Landing– Through a public parking lot, behind a marina, shaded by a grove of trees, this dockside shack serves freshly grilled mahi sandwiches, spicy wings, and pitchers of cold beer to a casual crowd seeking refuge after a sunny day of boating on Biscayne Bay. Local cover bands make Friday sunset happy hours popular with Downtown office workers and groovy Grove regulars. 3381 Pan American Drive, Coconut Grove
Jimbo’s Place – Imagine an escape so far from civilization that they need to post a quicktime movie to help folks find their way to the beer cooler! A legendary ramshackle seaside hut that’s over a causeway, behind a school, through a park and just past a water treatment plant, Jimbo’s is neither a bar nor a restaurant but sort of a self-serve bait shack where coolers of beer and plates of freshly smoked fish dip reward the intrepid voyager at the end of a very tricky drive. Come play bocce ball on the weekends! 4201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne
Bayside Hut – While Key Biscayne has a reputation for mansions and moguls, the waterfront cocktail scene outside the Ritz Carlton can be tough to navigate. Look for a massive abandoned and graffiti-covered concrete structure to the north of the Rickenbacker Causeway — The Miami Marine Stadium — and pull into the parking lot. Swing around to the left side of the lot, past the chain link fences of the abandoned boat yard, and head for the sea. That desolate low rise bunker is the Bayside Hut, a perfect spot for a tryst or an even better place to check out local bands and meet students from the University of Miami School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Just know that if you buy a co-ed a beer and ask about the weather, you can expect the answer to get pretty technical! 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne
Boater’s Grill – If you were meant to find this marina restaurant easily, it would not be tucked away behind No Name Harbour! Venture into Key Biscayne’s Bill Baggs State Park on a weeknight to find a perfect spot for a quiet sunset sip. Friendly marina residents hang out in shorts and flip flops enjoying cold beer and bar snacks like house-made fish croquettes, calamari, and conch fritters. To find your way, drive to the very end of Key Biscayne, all the way through Crandon Park, into the Bill Baggs gate and make a series of right turns through the mangroves until you see the moorings (or ask for a map at the guard gate). 1200 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne
Hotels near Key Biscayne include The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne, Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove and the Mayfair Hotel & Spa.
– AdvisorGirl
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