ViceVersa is top Miami bartender Valentino Longo’s love letter to Italian aperitivo culture—an intimate, playfully moody bar with a drinks list that reads like a modern Italian cocktail field guide. The food here, while inherently casual, is equally show-stopping, thanks to an all-star partnership with the team from Sunny’s, our newly crowned best restaurant in Miami.
Tucked off the lobby of The Elser Hotel in Downtown, this is where you come when you’re craving something elevated but unpretentious, where you can order a negroni sbagliato the size of your head with pizza that ranks among Miami’s best. Whether you’re stopping in for drinks before a game or a show (Bayfront Park and the Kaseya Center arena are just across the street) or hunkering down for a full meal, ViceVersa nails the kind of effortlessly cool hospitality all the other spots aspire to.
The Vibe: A bartender’s bar, but not in an off-putting way. ViceVersa draws clued-in hotel guests, cocktail nerds and locals who appreciate dim lighting and a well-made spritz. The space is sexy and fun, bathed in deep teal hues, a soft glow and just the right amount of downtown buzz. Since it’s small, ViceVersa is best for dates, huddled catch-ups or solo bar hangs with a martini and prime people-watching.
The Food: The menu is brief, but you’ll be tempted to order it all. Like Sunny’s (and Jaguar Sun before it), ViceVersa’s raw bar game is strong. Start with the Scallop crudo in tomato water or the Kampachi (yellowtail) in a bright cherry bomb relish, then move on to any of the six Neapolitan-style pies. We’re partial to the Roasted Leek with corn béchamel and The Italian Job with vodka sauce, sausage and ’nduja. A few salads and apps—meatballs, stracciatella, Caesar, fennel—round out the offerings.
The Drink: Born and raised in Rome, Longo has engineered a drinks list that spotlights Italian spirits, bitters, amari and vermouths in both traditional and reimagined formats. The menu is broken out into families: signatures, negronis, martinis, with stuff you won’t find anywhere else, like a Seasonal Negroni Punch that serves four and an Affogato Martini with a dollop of house-made pistacchio ice cream. Feeling a little overwhelmed? Let ViceVersa’s friendly staff guide you. The cocktail menu is extensive (and fascinating), so take advantage of the team’s expertise.
Time Out tip: To fully appreciate Longo’s craft, order an ounce of the Mi-To as a sidecar to your cocktail; it’s the beautifully complex and aromatic proprietary Dolce-Amaro blend that serves as the base of many of his signatures.
