For most of my life I’ve lived in three similarly-sized small cities: Port Saint Lucie, FL, Gainesville, FL, and my current home of Durham, NC. While I’ve loved them all in different ways, my experience in Miami this summer has easily (and, perhaps, unsurprisingly) blown them all out of the water. As a passionate fan of fun cocktails and unique eats, I honestly didn’t know where to begin exploring the restaurant/cocktail bar scene in Miami. Luckily, with the help of a few of my fellow Summers, I have concocted a solid guide to some of the best happy hour spots in Miami (well – at least around the Brickell area!)

Best Over-all Happy Hour: Paperfish.

• A classic – one I have been to right after work with my fellow Summers, and have also brought friends from home to. You cannot go wrong with Paperfish! The ambiance is akin to going out to dinner, without being intimidatingly stuffy. The menu has both great food and fun drinks; it was our first happy hour spot of the summer, and one we keep going back to for good reason!

Best “Party” Happy Hour: Barsecco.

• Neighbors with Paperfish, Barsecco’s ambiance is definitely unique. The Summers attended a happy hour at Barsecco around the midpoint of the summer, and I think we all were surprised with the trendy feel and the great deals. An interesting mix of post-work happy hour and a DJ playing dance remixes (no lie – when we went the DJ played a remix of “The Hanging Tree” from the Hunger Games; I couldn’t believe my ears), Barsecco’s happy hour menu is really quite good. All of their signature drinks and a selection of food items are set at $7 each!

Best Happy Hour Outside of Brickell: Chug’s.

• I first went to Chug’s for breakfast with Melissa Pallett-Vasquez, a partner here at Bilzin, and, let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS. Truly, a great spot to go to for brunch, lunch, or even a reliably yummy dinner. For this reason, it was one of the first places that came to mind after finishing up an afternoon of shopping at Books & Books in the Grove a few weekends ago. Though I went for dinner, I was surprised at how great the happy hour was! Also – Chug’s happy hour isn’t limited to the weekdays, which definitely makes it stand out.

Best “Classy” Happy Hour: The River Oyster Bar.

• If you are looking for a happy hour spot that feels a little more mature or higher-end than the others on my list – this is likely the spot for you. While I heard through the grapevine that the happy hour here used to be an even better deal (oysters for $1!), the current happy hour menu is still a great way to have a nice glass of wine and a bite with friends without breaking the bank. The ambiance here is great, and it’s only a short Metro Mover ride away from the office.

Notable Mention: Rosa Sky.

• A group of Summers, Associates, and Partner Adrian Felix ventured to a happy hour earlier this week at Rosa Sky, and we had a great time! Rosa Sky is a roof top bar with some really beautiful views, and it was a great environment for everyone to hang out and get together outside of the office. I’d been told about Rosa Sky several times throughout the summer, but never seemed to make it there (or any other roof top bar) despite Miami having some fantastic options – and, if you’re like me and don’t know where to start, this is one that I highly recommend!

Going to happy hour with my Summers was such a great way not only for us to get closer as a summer class, but also for us to get to know the area a little bit better. To close out my little guide, I include as a small disclosure that this is by no means a conclusive list, and I am so excited to continue exploring the Brickell and Downtown Miami areas throughout the remainder of the summer and in the future. If anyone has recommendations for me and the other Summers to try before the summer closes up – send them our way!