South Florida extends from Jupiter in the north to past the Miami area in the south and includes; Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, Deerfield Beach, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach. Beach bars are as diverse as they are fun, from the stylish Clevelander on Miami’s South Beach to Jupiter’s Square Grouper, filming location for the 5 O’clock Somewhere video.
If you are looking for beach bars on the east coast of Florida, there is pretty much one road you need to follow, A1A. It stretches from Florida’s northeast border all the way to bottom of the state. You may need to take a few side streets, but A1A will have you going in the right direction.
Jupiter
Getting its start as a pioneer village for fishermen and animal trappers at the turn of the 20th century, Jupiter has grown to one of the most desirable places to live in Florida and is home to 23,000 people. If you are driving through the area, you might be surprised to see a place called Burt Reynolds Park and you may even see Burt himself. You may also see the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse which was completed in 1860. The lighthouse is a symbol for Jupiter and beautifully visible from Square Grouper.
On the Jupiter Inlet is a place called Guanabanas which is a restaurant and bar that looks more like a luscious tropical paradise. Inside this paradise is a tiki bar with music on the weekends. Get there by boat or car, but get there. It will blow you away. Plan ahead though. This is an extremely popular place and the wait to get in can be quite long.
Square Grouper | Jupiter – The Square Grouper is a Florida beach bar that is the location of the video shoot for the Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett video "5 o'Clock Somewhere".
Across the street is the Square Grouper. Although not on the beach, sand has been shipped in to make it feel like "a toes in the sand" beach bar. It is a classic Florida beach bar with a bit of recent history that makes it even more special. It was at the Square Grouper that the Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet video for "5'OClock Somewhere" was shot. It's always 5 O Clock here.
Square grouper is a term that you will see every now and then on signs in Florida. So what is a square grouper? Is it some unusual kind of fish? Not exactly. It is a name given to bales of marijuana thrown off boats or out of airplanes. It is said that the name originated from members of the Coast Guard in South Florida.
Palm Beach Area
The Village of North Palm Beach is located on the east coast of Florida, 9 miles north of West Palm Beach. There, on the Intracoastal Waterway, is Panama Hattie’s billed as Palm Beach’s most popular waterfront restaurant. Its backyard Rum Bar is surrounded by tropical vegetation complete with its own man made beach and Tiki Bar. There is live music on Friday nights.
According to their web site, legend has it that during WW II the Rum Bar was an unscheduled stop for transport ships ferrying service men from Maine to Florida. The Intracoastal was used to avoid enemy warships in the Atlantic. The trip took weeks. Every now and then the Captains of these ships would pull over at local waterholes along the waterway and the sailors would find booze, music and women. This gave birth to South Florida's Tiki Bars and “most notably The Rum Bar, the most notorious of them all”. All ashore who are going ashore!
Old Key Lime House
| Lantana – The Old Key Lime House is the second oldest house in Lantana. Its backyard dock offers easy access to boaters and serves as the location of the Tiki Bar.
Just a bit west and south of South Palm Beach is Lantana, and there you will find the oldest waterfront restaurant in Florida. The Old Key Lime House is two stories high and, yes, it is painted lime green. Up front, it’s a restaurant, but in the back is a beach bar second to none.
The Old Key Lime house is on the Intracoastal so there is no beach. But it does have three bars, including the Chickee Hut Bar and they have live entertainment Tuesday thru Sunday. Docks are available to boaters looking for a great place to party.
They also serve a pretty darn good Key Lime pie here. Guess they would have to.
Delray Beach
Delray Beach is a quaint beach community with galleries, shops and boutiques and the location of Boston’s on the Beach. Boston’s features three separate bars and is located just across the street from the beach. If you like Boston and you like beaches, this is a great place to go. The downstairs bar is like taking a trip to Beantown, but the tiki bar in the back reminds you that you are in Florida on the beach. It’s a great collection of Florida beach bars in one place.
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach is a coastal community of more than 77,000 residents. It gets its name from all the deer that used graze the area. Its one small stretch of beach has a cluster beach bars. Parking is no problem, if you use the valet at one of two beachside restaurant-bars.
JB's on the Beach and Oceans 234 are both full menu restaurants with good food, and they double as beach bars. They are right on the beach. Beach goers can walk up from the beach and visitors can sit back at the outside bars and enjoy the beach from the comfort of a Florida beach bar. The crowds are younger, and the bars always full of people enjoying the sea breezes and the music. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
While many Florida beach towns allowed the development of large, tall condominiums, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has always strived to preserve its charm by limiting building heights. This is a quaint area maintains a small town feel with shops and restaurants.
Aruba | Lauderdale-by-the-Sea – Aruba is a "toes in the sand" Florida beach bar with music twice daily, great food, and great views.
Next to the pier that jets over the Atlantic Ocean you will find Aruba, a top rated Florida beach bar. Aruba’s on-the- beach location helps make it a perfect beach bar. Going there is like taking a little Caribbean vacation on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. There is music twice daily and a large outside deck that puts you right on the beach. Fort Lauderdale Beach
Fort Lauderdale Beach is the birth place of spring break. Fort Lauderdale Beach was the setting for the movie "Where the Boys Are", a movie said to be the beginning of the spring break craze. The Elbo Room, still a Ft. Lauderdale icon, was the setting for the bar scenes. The Elbo Room hasn’t changed much over the decades so be prepared for a down and dirty beach bar, if you stop for a drink.
Lauderdale was the place to go for spring break. Then residents decided to change its image. New laws were put in place that made Lauderdale not so spring break friendly. So, the spring break crowd has thinned, but Lauderdale is still one great beach town. It is still where the boys, girls and great Florida beach bars are.
Fort Lauderdale Beach – Fort Lauderdale Beach is right next to Lauderdale Blvd. The other side of the street is lined with restuarants and beach bars.
The beach is located across the street from the bars, but that's not far. Think of it as a big wide sidewalk with lots of palm trees rather than a street. Bars like Café DelMar, Margarita Cantina, Exit 66, and the Elbo Room line the street with sidewalk tables and open air bar fronts. At the center of the strip is The Gallery at Beach Place, an all-in-one entertainment complex. There you will find Hooters, Lulu's Bait Shack, Fat Tuesday and Da Big Kahuna. All have great beach views.
Off the beaten path are the bars up and down the Intracoastal Waterway like Bootlegger and Shooters. They are not on the beach but are right on the water. These waterside bars are particularly great if you are boater. Tie up to the dock or raft off another boat and join the party at a Florida beach bar.
Hollywood Beach
Located between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami beach is Hollywood Beach, Florida. Hollywood Beach features a one-of-a-kind oceanfront promenade called the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk. The boardwalk is a paved walkway that stretches 2.5 miles along the Atlantic coastline. Step off the boardwalk in one direction and you are on the beach. In the other direction are shops, small inns, and hotels, restaurants and beach bars. It was voted 2010 Travel & Leisure America's Best Beach Boardwalk.
Tucked behind the Ramada Inn and located on this boardwalk is O’Malley’s Ocean Pub. It’s large bar and deck offers great views of the beach. There’s live entertainment every day.
Le Tub Saloon | Hollywood– GQ Magazine voted Le Tub Saloon's hamburgers as the best in the nation. Le Tub was also featured on Oprah.
Across A1A is the Intracoastal Waterway with old Florida bars of its own. Le Tub Saloon had a first life as a Sunoco Gas Station. The energy crunch of the early seventies put an end to that. The new and current owner hand built Le Tub out of Flotsam, Jetsam and treasures gathered from the ocean. All of this was gathered daily over 4 years of daybreak jogging on Hollywood Beach. LeTub’s claim to fame is that GQ Magazine voted their burgers as the best in the nation. Le Tub was also featured on Oprah. It is quite a place to see.
Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a whole different kind of Florida beach experience. North Miami Beach might remind you of a little New York City on the beach. Condominiums reach dozens of stories into the sky. It’s a big city version of a beach community.
South Beach, located at the southern end of Miami Beach, is a local destination for South Florida’s rich and famous and popular with both American and international tourists. Nicknamed SoBe, it is known for its art deco buildings. It is a major entertainment center covering the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island.
The streets are lined with restaurants and the beaches are filled with sun bathers from every walk of life. Walk the streets of South Beach, and you’ll see it all from drive by Rolls Royce’s to a diverse hip crowd of beautiful people. You get the feeling at South Beach fairly quickly that it’s all about the money. Yet, it is friendly welcoming place that caters to its visitors in a special way.
The Clevelander | South Beach– What happens when you combine sophistication with the beach? You get the Clevelander. The crowd ranges from millionares to beach angels to tourists. It's all good here.
Talk to someone about South Beach and no doubt
The Clevelander will creep into the conversation. In 2011 it completed a multi-million dollar renovation and upgrade that, among other things, added two rooftop decks with ocean-front and city views, and enhanced poolside bars. The service is impeccable, catering to a crowd that blends the wealthy and the beachy into one fun loving group. This 70-year old landmark is famous for "fun parties, year-round entertainment and the hottest DJ's, bands, dancers, musicians, models and performance groups around".
Mango's Tropical Cafe is another most popular South Beach bar with non-stop entertainment, great bands and hot shows. There you can enjoy on of the longest running "Cabaret" shows in the country. The show features an international cast of " beautiful and talented women and men". from all over the world ! like Dolls, Dames, and Delights at the Clevelander.
Both the Clevelander and Mangos are must see places on South Beach, and there’s a good chance that once you are there, you’ll have a hard time leaving. Traffic and parking in South Beach can be a problem, but it’s worth the inconvenience. Plus, there are plenty of valets.
