Where to Find the Best Martinis in Miami

If you ask me about martinis in Miami, Sunny’s Steakhouse is the first place that comes to mind. When the team originally opened Jaguar Sun in 2018, I was the first person owner Will Thompson served a martini to—and purposely the last to have one before they closed their doors in August 2024. The entire crew moved over to Sunny’s when it opened, and fortunately for me, the martinis came with them. While the menu features “martinis your way,” with the option to order your favorite style, I’ve always been a fan of the Fino Martini, made with gin, fino sherry, and clarified passionfruit.

Sometimes you want to dress up a little and treat yourself to martinis. When that mood strikes, I head to The Champagne Bar at Four Seasons Surf Club. The service, the glassware, the ambiance, the tiny welcome coup of Champagne—nothing beats it. The skilled, white-jacketed bartenders know their way around a martini glass. My go-to order: a Bombay Sapphire 50/50 with a twist. I figure if there’s more vermouth and a little less ABV, I can justify an extra martini or two.

Easily one of the sexiest places to sip a martini in Miami, Cote Miami makes theirs very cold and very crisp. The menu offers vodka, gin, or Vesper options, and if you’re feeling indulgent, reserve martinis range from $55 to $850. I’m a gin-with-a-twist girl through and through, and I think it pairs perfectly with the rich Wagyu meats I enjoy when I order the Butcher’s Feast—which is definitely one of the best deals in Miami.

A true Miami institution, Joe’s Stone Crab is the city’s oldest restaurant and home to some of the best career servers in crisp white tablecloth service. The martini menu includes a range of flavored (and often very sweet) options for those easing into the world of martinis. The Key Lime Martini is especially popular, though I usually stick to a classic dry martini here. The good news: these bartenders can make any martini your heart desires. They even serve martini flights during happy hour if you’re at the bar.

Pasta and martinis? That’s my perfect night. Macchialina is known for having one of the best wine lists in Miami, thanks to co-owner and managing partner Jacqueline Pirolo, but don’t sleep on the martini menu. You can order a full three-ounce martini or what they sweetly call a Bambini Tini—1.5 ounces—with a few options to choose from. Personally, I’m all about the Ys’Awright martini, their take on a Vesper made with both gin and vodka, Cocchi Americano, and a lemon twist.