The Ultimate Guide to the Best Miami Clubs
Where to find top DJs, bottle service, and Latin beats on thumping dance floors.
In the Miami of old, “nightlife” generally referred to giant dance clubs where celebrities, models, and other beautiful people danced under flashing lights in a haze fueled by vodka Red Bulls. But the city’s broadened its nightlife options since then, and the coolest things to do after dark are going down cocktail bars, rooftop bars, and other places where you never need to use the phrase “I know the DJ.”
But sometimes—whether friends are in town or you feel like going on a tear—a night out at a proper Miami club can be a good time. We’ve got you covered with a handy list to ensure you go in with the right frame of mind and hit up the right spots. From small venues with A-list names to massive megaclubs and day parties, here are the best clubs in Miami.
M2 Miami
Miami’s newest nightclub popped on the scene during Miami Music Week, when the place many of us remember as Mansion (or Level, if you wanna go old school) hosted John Digweed and the Miami Resistance mini-festival. The 35,000-square-foot concept is breathing new life into Al Capone’s old movie house, going 1000% in on the lights, the smoke, and the bass. As its slogan, “no one can stop you from dancing” may suggest, expect lasers, strobe lights, and trippy technicolor patterns on screens around the room. If you’re into big dance floors and even bigger DJs, this might be your new go-to.
Daer Day Club
Sometimes, confining your party to either day or night simply won’t do—so you need a club that covers both sun-tanning and vampiric drinking activities. DAER does it all, where one of the best pool parties in South Florida will have you lounging in a cabana while live music plays from the 40-foot DJ booth. The best part is this spot moves seamlessly from day to night, kicking on its high-performance LED light centerpiece to keep the energy up all night long.
Pilo’s Tequila Garden
When dropping it low to reggaeton leads to a serious case of the drunchies, PILO’S has you covered. The tequila garden is a total party, but its also got you covered so you can fuel up for a night out with tacos, guac, and all your other favorites. Order margaritas or straight tequila from the bar and then burn off the calories by dancing to its night-long array of Latin hits. The outdoor club space is decked out with two bars, VIP booths, and a whole treehouse DJ booth, so the entertainment won’t be lacking.
Do Not Sit On The Furniture
For those who go to clubs for the music, your beach no-brainer is Do Not Sit on the Furniture. You’re not likely to see any A-list DJs or bottle rats here, but you will find underground house beats designed to keep people dancing until code enforcement makes you head home. The name is no joke, too—you’ll see plenty of inviting couches and chairs scattered throughout the space, but sit for too long and you’ll be not-so-kindly cajoled to stand up and get down.
Hyde Beach
Hyde Beach cemented its place as a world-class day club years ago. This year during Miami Music Week, popular DJ James Hype and Meduza (and friends—as in other DJs) played at the venue, bringing classic Miami pool party excitement to the South Florida clubbing scene. Hyde offers everything you’d want from a megaclub after dark in a sunny poolside setting—an altogether unusual combination that somehow works perfectly.
Treehouse Miami
Seeing big time DJs in small spaces is typically reserved for the offshoot parties during Miami Music Week. But hit Treehouse on the right weekend, and you may likely find superstar electronic artists spinning for adoring fans who show up for the music rather than the ‘Gram. The sounds are definitely trance-heavy, which might seem odd for an intimate space—but it makes sense once you spend an evening there, where DJs who typically do their thing far above the crowds get a little more dance floor exposure.
The Oasis
Sometimes Oasis is an outdoor food hall, sometimes it’s a cocktail bar, and sometimes it’s a live music venue. But it is very much also a club, where on any given weekend you can kick your Friday off with an up-and-coming Latin artist, catch a Saturday night headliner like Above & Beyond, then finish off the Sunday Funday with a hip-hop act like City Girls or Travis Scott. It's truly a space for all genres, with the added bonus of late-night eats served right onsite.
E11EVEN MIAMI
An iconic club that’s open 24/7 and hosts top-notch headliners is not exactly a recipe for responsible decisions—and it’s safe to say E11even is holding onto its mantle as the place where good decisions go to die. Oh, and that’s not to mention that it’s also part strip club. Whether you spend your night practicing your own moves or waiting for a headlining act like Travis Scott or Snoop Dogg to hit the stage whenever they damn well feel like it, a trip to E11even is a uniquely Miami experience.
LIV Miami
This club’s name is actually the Roman numeral for 5—and it’s about as close to the legendary studio as you’ll get in Miami. “Getting a table at LIV” is basically Miami for “my weekend’s gonna be way cooler than yours,” so the two-story megaclub in the Fontainebleau is definitely a top contender.
Club Space
Any Miamian worth his bath salts has at least a dozen stories that start with, “And so then we decided to hit up the Space patio," none of which can be repeated here. The after-after-after-hours club is Miami’s greatest freak show and, depending on when you're there exactly, is the kind of spot everyone will swear is the greatest place in the history of civilization... and then say exactly the opposite the next morning.
STORY Nightclub
The team behind STORY (which also happens to be the folks behind LIV) seems to have finally broken the Opium curse on 2nd and Collins and opened up a club that lasts longer than a hockey season. By closing in the former open-air space and leaving plenty of room for dancing and VIP tables, STORY is now mentioned in the same breath as LIV for celeb spotting, tourist splurging, and an all-in-all great night.