& BES T B AR (BROWARD) Original Fat Cats 320 HIMMARSHEE STREET FORT LAUDERDALE, 33312 954-487-5867 FACEBOOK.COM/ORIGINALFATCATS Every bar requires three things, minimum: booze, enough finger food to soak up said booze, and good music to set the mood. Hold- ing it down in Fort Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Village since 2003, Original Fat Cats has stood the test of time for a reason. Its dark, Americana-littered walls and deep, dim space offer respite for those who seek something other than the suits-and-heels scene on Las Olas. Locals flock here for the eclectic mix of live music that draws a late-night crowd. And behind the bar, a formidable, constantly rotat- ing selection of about two dozen craft beers. The best part just might be the solid menu of eats, available until 3 a.m. — everything from cheesesteak egg rolls to a Cuban sandwich to cheese-topped smash burgers to a grilled PB&J sandwich or a chicken and arugula salad. All of it, made just for you, well into the wee hours of the morning. If that’s not your idea of bar goals, we cannot fathom what is. BES T SPOR T S B AR Grails 2800 N. MIAMI AVENUE MIAMI, 33127 786-870-4313 GRAILSMIAMI.COM A sports bar requires two things: plenty of large-screen TVs and an endless supply of beer. But a great sports bar takes that basic concept and runs with it. That’s what sets Grails apart from your dad’s favorite dive. Yes, there are more than 60 TV screens, allowing you to catch everything from NFL to Premier League matches. But don’t sleep on the menu. On the cocktail front, try the “Grails Juice,” a souvenir squeeze bottle filled with whiskey, fresh ginger, ginger beer, and lime juice. Perhaps “Miami’s Best Piña Colada” — their words, not ours — is more your speed; it’s made from scratch. Coun- ter the alcohol with cheeseburger dumplings, beer-brined wings, and/or poke nachos. BES T BREWERY (MIAMI) Tripping Animals Brewing Co. 2685 NW 105TH AVENUE DORAL, 33172 305-646-1339 TRIPPINGANIMALS.COM 106 106 When Tripping Animals Brewing Co. came on the scene in 2018, no one could have guessed the Doral-based brewery — known nation- wide for its whimsical animal-themed can art and fanciful fruited sours — would also be- come the steward of Miami’s growing craft beer community. Over the past few years, the Venezualan-born and -reared team of brewers Drink Eat and owners (Daniel Chocron, Ignacio Monte- negro, Iker Elorriaga, and Juan Manuel Tor- res) have banded together to become a living embodiment of all things South Florida beer. They host annual beer festivals like Irie Jun- gle that attract guest breweries from across the nation and they’re the official sponsors of Miami’s first official craft beer week, and they’re ground zero for some of South Flori- da’s best brews. The bustling taproom is typi- cally packed with thirsty patrons ready to throw back a few lagers or sample their latest in a continual experimentation of hazy, hop- infused IPAs, boldly fruited sours, and des- sert-themed stouts. It’s easy to spend hours in Tripping Animals’ cozy, lounge-like spaces, or the in-house restaurant from Meat & Bone, or the a large game room in the back of the brew- house where you can shoot pool or hoops, throw darts, or even play video games. BES T NEW BREWERY (MIAMI) Época Brewing 12355 NE 13TH AVENUE NORTH MIAMI, 33161 305-394-5413 EPOCABREWING.COM North Miami’s newest nanobrewery, Época Brewing, isn’t your average beer bar. Instead, think of a visit here as a way to escape to an- other place and time. The ethos: Take people on a journey to a different era — or epoch — telling stories of the past through the lens of craft beer. While most South Florida breweries have hopped on the local hype train delivering smoothie-inspired fruited ales and dessert-in- fused stouts, Época cofounders Danny Gutier- rez, Jeffrey Delonny, and JC Otero chart a different course. A large bar overlooking the brewhouse presents 12 taps that feature the brewery’s take on small-batch IPAs, lagers, and wild-fermentation ales — among them a signa- ture house beer known as Zenith, a fruited and dry-hopped double IPA treated with straw- berry and guava. Sip it in the chic, open-air tap- room or the zen-like outdoor beer garden, a cozy, space with intimate lighting that has be- come the focal point of the Época experience. BES T BREWERY (BROWARD) Invasive Species 726 NE SECOND AVENUE FORT LAUDERDALE, 33304 INVASIVESPECIESBREWING.COM Invasive Species is, without a doubt, South Florida’s most “Florida” brewery. Maybe it’s the one-of-a-kind museum of natural history- meets-urban warehouse taproom, decorated floor to ceiling with a rather large array of taxidermy. Maybe it’s the equally impressive beer selection, a menu that covers everything from easy-drinking lagers and hop-bombed IPAs to fruit-infused sours and tropical drink- inspired hard seltzers. Or maybe it’s the hard- core local crowd (many of them members of the brewery’s Carouser Club mug club) that JUNE 23-29, 2022 JUNE 23-29, 2022 NEW TIMES NEW TIMES BEST OF MIAMI® 2022 BEST OF MIAMI® 2022 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com
