We know how hard it can be to get really good food and drinks on a budget. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of six places that will class up your life while still being kind to your wallet.
Edge Steak & Bar
Price Range: $$$
Up on the seventh-floor deck of the Four Seasons Miami, watch the sun set over the causeway while sipping half-priced drinks and digging in to buy-one-get-one appetizers. Edge Steak & Bar’s happy hour is the best way to enjoy a luxury hotel for less than $20. If a platter of oysters sounds like something only billionaires can enjoy on a regular basis, rest assured that the best quality Malpeques, Bluepoints, and Wellfleets are available at Edge for just a dollar a shell. For a quick bite, try the fried calamari with
rosemary-jalapeño salt and Meyer lemon aioli or the tostones and guacamole, which go great with the free house-made potato chips your waiter will consistently refill. But it’s not all snacks — the anticucho appetizer, melt-in-your-mouth Creekstone beef with smoky and spicy panca chili sauce, and the chorizo and cheddar croquettes will fulfill your carnivorous cravings for $10 total. If you want to splurge for the Aussie lamb burger, it still falls under the $20 mark at $17. The best part? Edge’s happy hour is every day from 4 to 7 PM.
Aoki Teppanyaki
Price Range: $$
After a spendy day at the Dadeland mall, sit down to a $6 lychee martini and a mix of Japanese apps ranging from $3 to $7. You may know Aoki simply as another hibachi restaurant, but if you ditch the communal cook-spaces for a bar table or sit outside, you can enjoy a gourmet tapas bar, free of chefs flipping shrimp tails into their hats. For the adventurous eater, there are options like the Wagyu beef tongue skewers, the crispy pig ears, or the fried chicken liver — and for a tamer taste there are shredded BBQ pork buns, teriyaki steak, and deliciously deep-fried sushi rolls. For the most flavor, stick to the “samurai-inspired” rolls, like the Miyamoto Musashi with yellowtail, garlic aioli, crispy wontons and walnuts, or the Oda Nobunaga with salmon, chili-spiced tuna, and truffle oil. Like Edge, Aoki’s happy hour is every day — this time from 11:30 AM to 7 PM.
Rok:Brgr
Price Range: $$
The perfect mix of upscale and casual, Rok:Brgr combines a classy inside bar with a laid-back patio outside. You can arrive in flip-flops or heels and won’t feel out of place. Head over anytime on a Monday for a $10 burger. While that still might sound pricey, it’s worth mentioning that these are sizable burgers; if you aren’t starving they’re good to share! If you want to try their brunch, they also have free mimosas for ladies on Sundays from 10 AM to 3 PM. Wine Wednesdays more your style? Grab some friends and uber over for 50% off wine bottles. No matter what deal you go for, make sure you snag some sweet potato fries. They’ll make you wonder why regular fries even exist.
Beaker and Gray
Price Range: $
The dynamic atmosphere inside Beaker and Gray makes you feel like you’ve entered a party every time you go. The décor is somewhat rustic but still refined, which is also a great way to define their food. It’s upscale, but still feels like comfort food. Their happy hour is a must because it includes an expansive list of appetizers and drinks, all for $5! This means you can have cheeseburger croquettes and a daiquiri for ten dollars. Yes, you read that right: cheeseburger croquettes. If 5 dollar drinks don’t convince you to head over, their food definitely will. Their happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 PM, but if you can’t make it until later, they do it all over again Monday through Thursday from 11 PM to 2 AM.
Area 31
Price Range: (Varies by the hour)
Perhaps the best view in downtown Miami, EPIC Hotel Miami’s rooftop bar is another place to experience luxury on the cheap. The brand new poolside bar features a live DJ, sky-high view of the waterfront, and $7 bar bites every day until 10 PM. The
appetizer menu isn’t expansive, but who needs more options when you have eclectic choices like parmesan truffle fries, tamarind BBQ chicken wings, ceviche, cod fritters, and Keffir lime meatballs? Even if you don’t come to fill up on food, you can get a decent deal on cocktails. Every weekday, drinks are priced by the hour — $5 at 5, $6 at 6, and so on until 11 PM. There’s no shame in being an early bird if it means munching Mediterranean-inspired appetizers, sipping 5 dollar cocktails, and unwinding on an ultra-mod, skyline-situated lounge.
The Gang
Price Range: (Free shots!)
When you first walk into The Gang, you’ll notice that it has a very edgy vibe while still being somewhat homey. This feeling is created by the eclectic décor. The bar is made up of light blue washing machines, the tables are topped with drippy candles, and they pour you water in enamel campfire mugs. One of the things that makes going to The Gang an experience is that every hour or so they blast their music and bring out pink shots to everyone at the restaurant! It’s not exactly a happy hour deal, but you can’t go wrong with free shots.
Price range based on happy hour menu.
Haley Walker is a junior majoring in Creative Writing from Stuart, FL. She hopes to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing and teach at the University level. When she’s not busy writing, you’ll find Haley lifting at the gym or training to be the next Pokémaster. Thalia Garcia is a junior majoring in Software Engineering. She’s from Miami and wants to eventually start her own software engineering business or work in animation! She loves pastelitos and café con leche.