MIAGuide
Where To Have A Casual Office Holiday Party
photo credit: Aura Groupe
It’s the most magical time of year: office holiday party season. That one special night where you get to spend time with people you mostly like, drink together, and accumulate some juicy gossip to dissect on Slack the next day. If you’re the one tasked with making it all happen, you might be panicking right now. Hopefully this guide can help you out. It’s full of casual options great for a slightly last-minute holiday party. These places are walk-in friendly, big enough to accommodate well over a dozen of your colleagues, and offer plenty of alcohol (and some food) options.
The Spots
Bay 13 is another huge space with tons of seating, and lots of beer and food options. Both the outdoor and indoor seating area has plenty of room for big groups. The food menu has plenty of dishes that go well with beer, including a lobster roll, ribeye, and one of the best fish and chips in town. They also have a full bar with cocktails too. It’s a fun atmosphere, but it’s also not so rowdy that Alexis will put in the earplugs she carries with her everywhere.
This Wynwood restaurant and brewery has the holiday party trifecta: food, beer, and size. Since this is Wynwood, it might be smart to make a reservation if you’re coming with, like, 20 people (and/or plan on eating during the weekend). But you shouldn’t have trouble booking since this place is the size of an airplane hanger. Once seated, everyone—even that picky James from marketing—should be able to find something to order from the solid menu, which includes Cuban and Caribbean dishes like jerk chicken wings, a frita Cubana, and flatbreads. They also do live music on their patio sometimes, which give you something to stare at when the conversation between you and James inevitably flatlines.
Unseen Creatures is a big brewery in a warehouse on Bird Road. This place is great for a casual post-work party, and the beers here are funky and interesting, and will blow the mind of your coworker who has only drank Bud Light for the last several decades. There’s plenty of space to stand, mingle, and sneak out the door when someone brings up politics after two-and-a-half IPAs. Unseen doesn’t have a kitchen, but there’s usually a food truck outside serving something good.
If you work in or around Downtown, chances are you’ve already used Lost Boy for many after work Happy Hours. But it’s an equally solid choice for a casual, last-minute holiday gathering. They have lots of tables here—and some of them are big enough to accommodate the entire I.T. department and their plus ones. This is mostly a place to drink, but they have food too. The small menu includes bar snacks like pretzels, a chicken pot pie, hot dogs, and sandwiches.
So Brian accidentally made that reservation for December 17, 2022? Don’t worry, Brian. Just pretend it didn’t happen and take everyone to the Citadel. The Little River food hall is big, has first come, first served seating, and lots of food options. There’s also a long bar where people can hang out and speculate whether or not this is all just a last-minute attempt by Brian to save face. Regardless, you’ll have a good meal here. Food vendors include one of Miami’s best burgers from United States Burger Service, great Lao food from Lil’ Laos, some outstanding seafood from The Shores, and Frice, one of our favorite ice cream shops in Miami.
If your holiday party group is on the smaller side and is OK with loud music and the general chaos of Wynwood, go to Gramps. It’s one of the last great bars left in Wynwood, with excellent cocktails, a colorful patio, and some of the best NY-style pizza in Miami. If your team isn’t trying to go that hard, it’s a bit more chill during Happy Hour. The late night scene is slightly less chill, but will also give you a rare opportunity to witness the dance moves Gretchen has learned from monitoring her son’s TikTok account.
Did corporate give you an actual budget this year? Then put that gift card to use at Hometown, a big barbecue restaurant in Allapattah where everything is delicious. This is a good choice if you want more of a restaurant than a bar situation—although they do have some excellent cocktails, beer, and wine here too. You won’t need a reservation at the counter service spot, and there are some big tables in the backyard where everyone can get embarrassingly messy over some of the best smoked meats in the entire state. If you’re coming with a lot of folks, your group might have to split up between a few of the tables out back. So try to make sure you’re at the fun table.
The Anderson on the west end of 79th St Causeway is good if you’re looking for more of a bar atmosphere. The mostly outdoor bar has lots of places to huddle up and mingle over solid cocktails. They also serve solid tacos and pizza in case folks start to get hungry. This place also holds one of the oldest liquor licenses in Miami, so be sure to strike up a conversation with Patty, who no doubt has some juicy stories from when she used to come here in the ’80s.
