Miami’s Oldest Bars: Six Historic Spots Still Open
Mac’s Club Deuce is marking its centennial in 2026, providing a timely starting point for exploring Miami’s oldest bars. Across Miami-Dade, drinking spots with roots stretching back decades still serve neighborhood regulars and visitors. Their histories include long closures and changes of address, so an original opening date does not always mean uninterrupted service.
These six bars appear in order of their original beginnings, with reopenings and relocations noted along the way.
Mac’s Club Deuce
Opened in 1926 as Club Deuce, this South Beach bar took its current name after Mac Klein purchased the business in 1964. Its connection to Miami’s television history runs through Miami Vice, whose production added neon lighting that stayed in place after filming. The series also held its final wrap party here, according to Mac’s Club Deuce’s published history.
The curved bar, pool table and jukebox remain central to the room. Mac’s accepts cash only, opens daily at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 a.m. Its two-for-one happy hour runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
Ball & Chain
Ball & Chain first opened in 1935, decades before its stretch of Southwest Eighth Street became widely known as Little Havana. Its documented musical history includes performances by Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Chet Baker. The original business closed in 1957; the address subsequently housed other businesses before Ball & Chain’s revival in 2014, a return covered by Miami New Times.
Today, the venue combines Cuban food and cocktails with live music and dancing. Its official calendar lists daytime performances as well as evening programs, making it useful to check the lineup before deciding when to visit.
Fox’s Lounge
Hank and Betty Fox opened Fox’s Sherron Inn in 1946. After decades of service, the South Miami bar and restaurant closed in 2015. Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso reopened it in 2022, restoring a gathering place whose regulars remembered both the dim interior and its food. Resy’s account of the revival documents the seven-year gap and the effort to preserve familiar dishes.
The Fox’s Lounge menu still includes martinis and Manhattans alongside Original Thumb Bits, the longtime snack of seared beef on toast, served with au jus. Dinner options include a French dip and steak au poivre. Fox’s opens at 4 p.m. daily, and reservations are available through its website.
Happy’s Stork Lounge & Liquor Store
Happy’s has roots in the 1950s; the business identifies 1953 as its founding year. Its history spans the causeway connecting Miami and Miami Beach, where it operated for decades as both a neighborhood lounge and a liquor store. In 2023, it moved west along the causeway into a larger space, a relocation documented by The Infatuation.
The current Happy’s Stork Lounge & Liquor Store continues that combination at its new North Bay Village address. Rasoi Indian Kitchen supplies food, with Indian dishes and bar options including wings and burgers. Older guides may still point to its former location at 1872 79th Street Causeway.
The Taurus
The Taurus traces its identity as a Coconut Grove bar to 1969. Its history includes a reopening in 2009, documented by the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. The cottage has served several purposes over time, including a teahouse and roadhouse, making the building’s history distinct from the age of the bar itself.
Now part of Ariete Hospitality Group, The Taurus centers its drinks offering on beer and whiskey, with food available alongside the bar service. The Coconut Grove directory lists whiskey flights and house-infused whiskey shots among its offerings, as well as burgers and wings.
Churchill’s Pub
Founded in 1979, Churchill’s became an important stage for Miami’s underground music community. The Little Haiti pub closed in 2020 and reopened in September 2025 after a five-year hiatus. WLRN’s reporting on the reopening describes its role in supporting emerging musicians and the South Florida bands that performed during its return.
Live performances remain central to Churchill’s Pub, whose website lists upcoming shows and links to ticketing. Visitors should check the individual event listing for the lineup, admission price and door time before heading to the pub.