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$20 cocktails, no cover, upscale casualBrickell
Sugar on the 40th floor of EAST Miami at Brickell City Centre is the Asian-tropical garden rooftop, lush planting around the deck and panoramic skyline views across Brickell and the bay.
TipNo reservations; arrive before 19:00 weeknights or expect to queue for the elevator. Weekend lines are easier earlier.
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$18 cocktails, small plates from $15, smart casualBrickell
Rosa Sky on the 22nd floor of the AC and Element Hotel Brickell is the dual-brand rooftop lounge with panoramic Magic City views, a street-facing elevator and a small plates and cocktails menu.
TipTake the SW 1st Court elevator straight to the roof. Reserve via OpenTable for sunset; happy hour drinks land before 19:00.
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$20 cocktails, hookah from $50, smart casualWynwood
Astra on NW 2nd Avenue is the Wynwood rooftop that opened above the mural district, an open-air Mediterranean lounge with hookah, a long bar and skyline views across Midtown to the Edgewater high-rises.
TipReserve via OpenTable for prime sunset windows. The hookah service is part of the experience; weekends enforce a smart-casual dress code.
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$20 cocktails, daybeds with minimum spend, casual chicSouth Beach
Serena on the Moxy South Beach roof is the Mexican-Latin rooftop pool bar on Washington Avenue, bougainvillea climbing the walls of an open-air patio with palm shadows over the daybeds.
TipReserve via OpenTable for daybed and pool access. Sunday brunch from 11:30 is the easier window than weekend nights.
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$25 cocktails, Bellinis from $20, smart elegant dressBrickell
The Living Room at Cipriani Downtown Miami is the lush terrace lounge above the ICON Brickell waterfront restaurant, a Bellini bar on a planted deck with Biscayne Bay running south past the windows.
TipOpen Wednesday to Saturday 19:00-02:00. The bar is the easier walk-in; tables require the restaurant reservation downstairs.
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$16 cocktails, casual dress, no coverMid Beach
Broken Shaker in the Freehand Miami Beach courtyard is the Bar Lab cocktail program that brought Spirited Awards hardware and World's 50 Best recognition to a tucked-away brick-lined patio off Indian Creek.
TipOpen daily from 17:00; happy hour runs early evening. The garden patio is the seat; the indoor bar is the rainy-night fallback.