As of 11am this morning, Miami-Dade and Broward counties are officially under hurricane watch—and the ensuing anxiety is no joke. Between searching for gas while your car is hovering above empty to elbowing your way to the front of the plywood line at Home Depot, stress levels are high as hell this week.
If you’re (hopefully) through with prepping for the storm and have the next two days off with nothing to do but watch the 24/7 news cycle and freak the fuck out while you wait for Hurricane Irma to sweep through, you could probably use a stiff drink right now. Us too.
Fortunately, these 10 local restaurants and bars are staying open tonight (and some even Friday!) to give us all a much-needed distraction from the madness.
Chef Michael Beltran is planning on cooking at his Coconut Grove restaurant until Irma kicks him out. And once the power goes out, he plans to fire up his wood grill and sling burgers and hot dogs for the community. In the meantime, he’s opening at 4pm on Thursday with an abbreviated menu that includes $10 chug burger and fries (with Miami Smokers’ bacon, no less!), $3 frita, $8 grilled wings and $3 sides of french fries. Thu, Fri 4–11pm
The Brickell hangout remains open all day Thursday, offering locals relief from hurricane preparations. Food, beer and cocktails will be served until 2am. Batch will close on Friday until further notice. Thu 11:30am–2am
Despite the chaos surrounding Irma, it’s actually a damn gorgeous day in Miami. Get outside and enjoy the last few hours of beautiful weather at Wood, opening for business at 5pm. Thu 5pm–3am
Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Co.
Bossman John Lermayer announced on Facebook that his bar would stay open through Friday, barring any citywide evacuations. Stop in for Sweet Liberty’s epic happy hour ($0.75 oysters and $5 cocktails; daily 4–7pm) or to have your bottles of water filled up for free—whatever Lermayer and his team can do to help, they will. Thu, Fri 4pm–5am
Thursday is ladies’ night at the Sunset Harbour bar, featuring $3 drinks for women from 11pm to 1am and music by DJ Icue. Thu, Fri 3pm–5am
It’s business as usual for the Allapattah dive bar: cocktails, games of pool and music practically all night. The only way they’ll close, they say, is if the power goes off or the police shuts them down. Thu, Fri 3pm–4:30am
The Brickell bar isn’t just staying open for business; it’s also offering to fill up water bottles and provide ice to the neighborhood. Thu, Fri 3pm–5am
Coral Gables’ most happening happy hour spot is staying open on Thursday and throwing a hurricane rager on Friday. Irma or no Irma, ladies drink free from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, plus other drink specials throughout the night. Thu, Fri 11:30am–3am
The grilled cheese truck-turned-shop, with locations in MiMo and Coral Gables, will open for business on Thursday and Friday. Stop in, grab a gooey sandwich and settle in with a craft beer or two. Thu 11am–11pm; Fri TBA
Who’s up for a pizza party? The Upper East Side restaurant is staying open “until Irma makes landfall” and plans to continue selling until its shelves are empty. Thu at 6pm–late
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