Safari Cocktail Bar

Drinking in Miami should include a sip of something underneath the disapproving eyes of a few stuffed antelopes at Safari Bar. Here, you're as likely to see candied, adolescent options (Chocolate Cake, Surfer on Acid, Buttery Nipple) as harder stuff and Champagne on the drinks menu. And the vibe is easy and casual as well, as the bar takes up a corner of the Chesterfield Hotel that's costumed to seem more expansive than it is. Cowhide-covered seating is posed under a mirror, where those in transit (one way or another) sip and pout. If you crave exposure, relax on the terrace and let yourself be entertained by the cars driving slowly past to show off their spoilers, or by the women that strut past having just spent a wad of hard-earned cash in the nearby boutiques. This is a perfect spot for a pre-dinner drink on the armless white leather sofas near the bar. If they're all occupied, head down the road to the Whitelaw Hotel, which has the same owner and the same vibe. If you don't like armless white leather sofas, then you are in the wrong town.