B Bar

This is a lovely bar in the lobby of the Betsy hotel. The décor is sophisticated yet inviting; there are lounge chairs in addition to bar seating; the drinks are delicious and imaginative; and the bartenders are prompt and courteous. I HIGHLY recommend the «Mister Black» cocktail, it’s ridiculously refreshing! They make a good Bloody Mary too (but if you like it spicy like me, you’ll want to ask for some Tabasco or something). I’d stay away from the Sun Worshiper unless you want to drink liquid candy — man that shit is sweet! My only complaint is that the drinks are really super pricy… but compared with the nasty bucket-o’-cheap-mojitos-to-go and other such twaddle found along Ocean Ave, the quality of the drinks is SO superior it’s almost worth it.

I would normally never venture to a club/​lounge on Ocean Drive unless one of my out of town buddies begged me to take them to Mango’s. However, we had seen this venue on a couple of occasions — once for a Gen Art event, and again after eating at BLT so we decided to have a birthday party there. It’s definitely a very cool venue, kind of like a «secret» hidden bar although the secret is definitely out. It’s a small venue with a great interior especially the mirrored ceiling. If you touch it undulates like a drop of water in a pool — very trippy. Orlando, the promoter hooked us up with a free bottle of champage for our party and we ordered a couple of other bottles of vodka. Bottle prices were extremely reasonable, but regular drink prices are pretty pricey. It is almost more economical to get a bottle. The place was empty when we arrived but filled up extremely quickly with a very good crowd. Overall a great place to come on the beach without any hassle, and a pretty unique spot. If you are having dinner at BLT it is definitely worth going here after, or it is a great place to host a big birthday bash.

I was on the list for the Bombay Sapphire Cocktail competition, which was held at the B Bar. The B Bar is a very cool intimate space. I’m not sure if there is always invite only events there, but I would love to go on a regular bar night. As everyone has already commented, the ceiling is very cool and adds to the swank of the place.
The drinks were out of this world… I’ve never really drank gin, and to have the opportunity to drink amazing unique cocktails was awesome. I’m not going to tease with details, since they were only made for this event and not available at the bar.
The hors d’oeuvres were also divine. I would love to check out the restaurant at The Betsy Hotel based on how good these bites were. One bite of these toasted cheesy things and you would follow around the girls with trays for more! Also passed were beef on crostini, mini crab cakes and tuna tartar, all delish!
My only problem would be that the bartenders were not that friendly… but hey, it’s south beach!

VINYL CEILING RIPPLES LIKE WAVES OUT FRONT!
Our friends’ band played here recently, the sound quality was excellent.
The cocktails were delicious — Bombay Sapphire cucumber martini, yes please!
This is class, elegance and Miami swank all rolled into one.

The best thing about this bar is the location. In the heart of Miami Beach on Ocean drive in the Betsy Hotel. You walk into B Bar and the scene will tickle your fancy. It’s dimly lit, not too crowded, good music playing and interesting people there. Why more people aren’t here I don’t know.
And then you order your drinks. Ah– that’s why more people aren’t here. The servers are terrible. Our waitress took about 20 minutes to bring 3 drinks over when the bar only had 10 people in it. Did I mention that the drinks were wrong? This happened over and over again for about an hour until we left.
The bar is very cool, but I would say whether or not the experience is enjoyable depends on your server. Our server made my experience pretty bad. I am, however, willing to try again. Stay tuned…

Great space and lovely cocktail waitresses that make sure you never go thirsty :) The place is small and intimate but seems bigger due to well placed mirrors and a reflective ceiling (which sways! Make sure you poke it!) I’m also happy to learn it was my cuteness that caused the straw inhalation incident :)

I nearly inhaled a cocktail straw by accident while talking to a pretty girl here. Straw in nose is not a good look. Talk about awkward. It’s a good thing that I wasn’t attending the Single and Fabulous event as a single… or arguably as a fabulous. It just goes to demonstrate how easy it is to get distracted by the wicked ambiance, the dim lighting in a den featuring a –lot– of black tones, and the scintillating conversation with a cute chick.
Swank, sultry, and slightly seductive, B Bar definitely epitomizes the exclusive lounge atmosphere that is its trademark. Between the extremely muted lighting, pounding beats, and deceptive ceiling that defies description, I can safely say that this is as unique of a drinking establishment as I’ve been to in recent memory. (And my alcoholism-​denying self is happy to report that this number is not small, by any means.)
While the drinks themselves aren’t bad, per se, they weren’t particularly noteworthy to me, either. The fifteen dollar price tag on each one must definitely go toward paying for your time spent in these cozy quarters. Although I’m generally a whiskey kinda guy, I wasn’t feeling the fruity bourbon beverage I started with. The last one on the menu featuring ginger beer as an ingredient did win me over, however.
Definitely worth scoping out at least once. I was extremely fortunate to be in the company of a funtastic crowd that I would have loved to converse with more. Disappointingly, we only caught the tail end of the private event here, and the volume of the dance beats made it challenging (if not nigh impossible) to carry on much of a dialog without going hoarse. I’m still glad to have scoped it out; with the right crew, I could readily be convinced in coming back again.

I can’t recall how long it’s been since the last (or the first, depending on how you look at it) hotel on Ocean, the Betsy; got her chic make-​over. It’s been at least a year now.
It use to be called the Betsy Ross and it stuck out like a sore thumb on Ocean Drive. It was pretty much a Best Western in those days. No more, as the hotel is under new management and have added some great restaurants and bars within it’s confines.
It’s latest addition to the hotel is B-​Bar. It’s a small subterranean bar/​lounge that sports a great sound system and loads of lounge chairs and couches. The B Bar (they really should call it the B Room) is small with low ceilings, but the reflective ceiling and mirrors do well to mask it’s size. The capacity they say is about 200, but really, if you had 70 people in there, it would seem plenty full.
Back to the ceiling: it’s made of this black, reflective, latex. So if you’re tall enough, you can GENTLY poke it with your finger and it will give off this wonky, almost ripple affect. Almost like taping into a still body of water, only upside down. Makes for great fun for the over medicated patrons. I encourage you to try it once, but don’t over do it or risk being labeled an amateurish tourist.

We went to B Bar last night for a preview thang, and it’s worth going for the ceiling alone. I’m 6’2″, and Ritch is 6’5″, and we felt so amazingly comfortable in the space. The illusion created by the black rubbery ceiling is nothing ‘short’ of amazing. Oh, and my cocktail was great, too. I’ll definitely go back.

Best new lounge in South Beach. Cool décor, great sound system, super cool ceiling. Went there for a private party for Art Basel. Free Belvedere, good looking people and the Misshapes provided the audio candy. This place makes you feel like you’re not in Miami… for a South Beach spot, that’s quite an accomplishment.

Confidence, red lipstick, tuxedos, are well established as being sexy
Miami while thought of as being sexy can sometimes miss the mark.
In a city known for beaches and late-​night revelry it’s always important to not fall into the cheap, easy, go over-​the-​top, in-​your-​face, brimming with sex appeal path.
Proving that less is more and often better, B Bar inside the Betsy Hotel.
Nightclubs have morphed into lounges which are now attempting the speakeasy vibe. Attempting being the operative word as few spots in Miami are able to fill that NY/​San Francisco treat of a space that is inviting and simultaneously reserved. But B Bar seems to be making a strong run for it as low key meets luxury and it’s not about buying bottles it’s about coming classy.
Upon entering B Bar you’ll be struck by it’s small size and dark décor. Think Louis but smaller, more private, and overall better. My apologies to Louis but I prefer simpler.
The ceiling at B Bar is some sort of dark, mirrored effect, rubber and I LOVE it, it’s low but that adds to the vibe of this being a more intimate setting. The bar itself is my next focal point with its red light lit diamond patterned front. But the one thing that you noticed upon entering but probably didn’t fully hit you til later? Their impressive sound system. But mostly you just won’t find the usual trappings of too much attitude and too little clothing on the staff. For a venue located on Ocean Drive, it doesn’t have that negative, stereotypical, South Beach connotation.
So all this love and no 5^th star?
— They are on private mode. Meaning they’re only hosting private events at this point. Invite only. So I can’t just show up on a Wednesday night for drinks. Boo. Word is this will change but I don’t know when and I kind of think it might change the place’s character. I’ll wait and see and update review accordingly.
— When I was there I asked for a cocktail menu and was told they didn’t have one and then that there isn’t one ready and then that they didn’t know when they’d have one… ok, blame it on the bartender, blame it on management, blame it on the a-​a-​alcohol but in a time of mixology and a return to cocktail culture, I want to see a cocktail menu, recite one to me if you have to. Hell have a list of ingredients or ask me what my favorite flavors and notes are and make me something. Blindfold me and let me throw darts at a wheel o liquor, whatever but come up with something less pedestrian and save the confusing lack of an explanation. This space deserves suitable drinks.

I went to a private preview this weekend of B Bar inside the Betsy Hotel. It’s a little hidden, but not impossible to find — however, it’s not open to the public ’til January 2010. If you do make it inside, you will find an array of very comfortable seating options and tables where you can rest your drink, whether it be their Key Lime Gimlet, B Bar Daiquiri or any other of their signature cocktails, however my poison for the night was Caipirinha’s. The sound is provided by Dynacord, which means you can have a conversation and still have music playing at a decent level. This past weekend I turned up a little early and I saw the place fill up in under an hour. It’s not a big space, but it is a pretty amazing one. B Bar is that ace in your sleeve if you want to impress that date after dinner. Nice if you want to get a drink and discuss what’s on your mind. Look for this place to be very secretive until January. I look forward to going back as the Gimlet is calling my name. ;)