Ce ne sono alcuni...
Hosted by the local
South Florida Correspondent: Luis Espinal
Alcazaba
Hyatt Coral Gables, 50 Alhambra Plaza.
Phone: 305-569-4614
DJ Alex Gutiérrez and free lesson with local salsa school at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Ladies night. Free Cover all night long. Complimentary wine and champagne, or 2 for 1 drinks for ladies.
Warning: lots of "Suits" looking for pickups.
Ańoranzas (South Beach)
247-23rd St,. Miami Beach
Phone: 305-538-1196
Colombian Tavern with nostalgic tropical music. Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Deauville Hotel
6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Sometimes you can catch Timba groups here... watch for an announcement on our Local Events page.
Atarazana Night Club and Restaurant
(Formerly Club Millenium)
7335 NW 36th Street, Miami
Phone: 305-591-3000
Friday and Saturday nights.
Atarazana Nighclub keeps the same hours of operation
as when it was called Club Millenium. That is, it
opens from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Friday and Saturday nights.
Cover charge is $10.00. Be aware that there is a no
re-entry policy. That is, if you pay and are inside,
and need to go out to pick up something ...tough
luck. This is the only club I know that has such a
draconian policy. Music is basically 60% Merengue/Bachata, 25% Hip-Hop/Reggaeton, and just a meager 15% Salsa.
Final grade: C.
Bodeguita del Medio
833 SW 29th Ave., Miami
305-649-9313
Every Saturday starting at 10:30 p.m.
Michel Calvo and his Power Band
Featuring Pututi, Jeans Valdez, Pepe Montes
y mucha Timba!
Bongos Cuban Café
American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Phone: 786-777-2100
This is the club owned by Gloria and Emilio Estéfan. It is a spacious, modern restaurant that turns into a nightclub on Fridays and Saturdays. Around 11 p.m. they remove the tables to create a dance floor under the lights and speakers. Mixed techno-pop, rock and Latin sets. Live Salsa band on the outside terrace, but the surface is concrete, which isn't good for dancing. Inside is very crowded and you will most likely wait to get in. Arrive early, have dinner and stay for the dancing to avoid the crowds. Special thanks to Martin Pollard for this information!
Every Sunday - 3 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. - Salsa!
Café Mystique
7250 NW 11 St., Miami
Phone: 305-262-9500
Directions: Take 836 and exit on 72nd Avenue, Next to the Days Inn Hotel. Formerly the Spirit Lounge.
Every Thursday night free basic classes with Ramani Nicola of Salsa Casino Dance Studios and the biggest Rueda in Miami! Also Casino style and some Timba on Sunday nights.
Café Nostalgia
3425 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Phone: 305-531-8838
Saturdays
Saturdays are best, beginning around 10 p.m.
Cielo (formerly: Mezzanote in the Grove)
3390 Mary Street, Miami
Phone: 305-448-7677
Inside the Mayfair, 1st floor. Fridays and Saturdays, but only about 30% salsa... the rest mixed.
Club Aché
3425 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
This club is located on TOP of Café Nostalgia, facing Collins. You can catch Manolín, el Médico de la Salsa here on Fridays when he is not out on tour.
Club Hoy Como Ayer
2212 SW 8th Street, Miami
Phone: 305-541-2631
Every Thursday night.
Club Mystique Now called Café Mystique.
7250 NW 11 St., Miami
Phone: 305-262-9500
Directions: Take 836 and exit on 72nd Avenue, Next to the Days Inn Hotel. Formerly the Spirit Lounge.
See review above.
Club Quench
2801 Florida Avenue, across the street from Mezzanotte
Coconut Grove
Phone: 305-448-8150
Latin nights on Saturdays. Lots of Salsa, though the tile floor is a bit hard for dancing. Free before 10, after 10 is $5 ladies and $10 for men.
Cristal Nightclub
also known as Club Cristal
1045 Fifth St., Miami Beach.
Phone: 305-604-2582.
Noche Internacional Sábados are Saturdays, when the club usually features live performances by Latin artists. Call because the venue changes to hip-hop, reggae, etc.
CLUB REVIEW:
This club is located in Miami Beach, on 5th Street, in the historic Art-Deco district. Parking is expensive, but available either by valet or park-it-yourself across the street, if you arrive early enough. VIP passes are only good during certain hours, and not valid for certain events. The dance floor is very nice, and the downstairs area looks bigger than it is because of the mirrors on one wall, floor to ceiling. The club has ample bar service, and security was readily visible. Maybe too visible. The only drawback is the poorly lighted stairs. They could do with some of those little lights like the movie theaters have to light the aisles...I saw two people trip and fall. With the disco lights flashing all about, it is very difficult to see the stairs. Over all, decent music, good dance floor, nice ambiance!
Cristal Nightclub's grade: A- (no lights on stairs)
El Cuarto de Tula
2212 SW 8th Street, Miami.
Phone: 305-541-2631
Thursdays. This is the back room at Café Hoy Como Ayer.
Fuácata - See Café Hoy Como Ayer.
Gil's Cafe
216 71st Street near Collins, Miami Beach
Phone: 305-867-0779
Wednesdays 8:00 p.m. Swing Night
Thursdays through Sundays Jazz and Latin music
Havana Dreams Café/Restaurant
9735 NW 41st Street (West of Univisión)
Phone: 305-716-4999
Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 10 p.m. $10.00 cover.
Café Hoy Como Ayer
2212 SW 8th St., Little Havana
Phone: 305-541-2631 for info or reservations
Wednesdays, Noches de Cantautores (varían los artistas invitados)
Thursdays, Noche de Fuácata, con los Spam All Stars
Fridays, Amaury Gutiérrez y Luis Bofil con sus grupos
Música tradicional Cubana (Traditional Cuban Roots Music) - 10:30 p.m.
Saturdays, Malena Burke La Reina de los Boleros de Miami (Miami's own Queen of Boleros) - 10:30 p.m.
Ilusiones Supper Club
12540 SW 8 Street
Phone: 305-220-5705
DJ music, including salsa, cumbia, and merengue, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m. until 4 a.m.
Jazid
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
Phone: 305-673-9372
Ocasionally has Timba bands. Things don't start much before 11:00 p.m. Call to check.
Kaffee Krystal Nightclub
10855 S.W. 72nd Street, Miami.
Phone: 305-274-1112
Located off 108th Avenue and Sunset Drive.
This club features Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday Latin Nights - merengue, cumbias, bachata and American music with about 70% salsa.
La Covacha
10730 N.W. 25th Street, Miami.
Phone: 305-594-3717
One of the most varied musical venues in Miami, where you can hear salsa, merengue, soca, songo, samba and even gaitas. Good happy hour on Fridays. Part is open air, under a thatched roof.
New Times Magazine says: "For auténtico Latin sabor, La Covacha is number one. Inside, the open-air dance floor rivals that of Havana’s famed Salon Rosado. Typically, local Latin clubs cater to a specific sound and crowd, but La Covacha owner Aurelio Rodríguez has wisely taken a pan-Latin approach. on Friday and Saturday the place pounds with a mix of new and old salsa, Cuban classics, merengue, and vallenato, which alternate with disco, house, and Latin rock favorites out on the patio. The dancers range from thirtysomething yucas to South American teenagers to older couples out for a turn around the floor, all of them united by the desire to let loose."
Las Tavernas de Wancho
2100 West 76th Street, Hialeah
Phone: 305-822-7833
A bar and nightclub for those living near Hialeah ;)
Cover charge is $5. Open Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 p.m. till 5:00 a.m. Two places... one is a "viejoteca" and one is a "rumbateca".
Review: Located in Hialeah, this is a very nice place to visit on Fridays and Saturday nights so long as you bring someone to dance with. The crowd is usually made up of couples and groups. The nicest thing about this place is its two dance floors and the music. Fridays are usually empty, with one floor playing 80% salsa (20% merengue and bachata), while the second floor plays easy-listening boleros and cumbias. The Salsa dancers you see on Fridays are generally exclusively Casino-style dancers.
On Saturdays, the crowd is larger, yet it still tends to be made up of couples and groups. Until 1 a.m., you get about 50% Salsa. However, after 1 a.m., it's Cumbia time. Yep, Saturdays are devoted to the fast-growing Colombian community in Miami. I like Cumbia, don't get me wrong, but if you are reading this page, most likely you are interested in Salsa.
Cover charge: $5. Plenty of parking.
Final grade: A- (Fridays), B (Saturdays.)
Mango's Tropical Café
900 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach
Phone: 305-673-4422
A neon jungle with salsa, samba and merengue, right on the beach. Lots of tourists who haven't a clue, but love the beat! This is a great place to go have a drink, socialize (and participate in the 'meat market', if you are into that), but that's about it.
The reason we mention Mango's is because every tourist that comes to Miami wants to go there. It's world famous! An unfortunate side effect is that a lot of out-of-town Salseros think this is a Salsa club, and it is not. Do not get me wrong. I like the place, but it's not a Salsa club, and that's what this list is all about. In summary, as a place to hang out, I give it an A. But as a place to dance serious Salsa, I'm forced to give
it an F. We can't have it all, can't we? :)
Millennium Ballroom
1484 Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale
Phone: 954-457-7538 or 305-935-5817
Latin music on Fridays, salsa workshop 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Younger crowd, 18 + Publix Plaza East of US1, behind New China Buffet.
Salsa group lessons on all levels.
Tropicana Rice and Beans Restaurant
7500 NW 25 Street, Miami
For more info call 786-443-1240
Every Saturday, Manolín, el Médico de la Salsa
Special Advisory for South Florida Dancers:
Mojitos does Not want your business!
Click on the link above to read why
Mojito's
11402 NW 12th Street, Miami
Phone: 305-406-1002
Special Club Review
by Jacira
We did a review of Mojitos a while back... BUT sometimes you need to update things. This place was a lot of fun when Carlos was still around, but a while back, my partner came from Atlanta with about 20 of his students from his school, SalsAtlanta. We called in advance to see if they would be able to serve dinner to a large party. The woman who answered the phone said, "We don't have the capacity for that many people. You'd be better off going to La Covacha."
When Julián told me that, I went there personally early on to see if they could at least give us a break on the cover price, seeing as how we have supported this club from back when it first opened up and was practically empty. The students from Atlanta had heard about this place the night before from some locals at Club Mystique and were enthusiastic about checking it out.
When I asked to speak with Carlos, I was informed he was no longer there. I was told that Alex was the manager and I asked to speak with him. He never even showed his face, but the elderly woman I spoke with was very brusk and emphatically said that she would not give us a break on the cover price. Patiently I explained to her that we were a global website and that we had given her establishment the equivalent of thousands and thousands of dollars in free advertisement when they first opened up, that we had always supported her club and that, at the very least, she should give a large party of ours the "gentileza" of a discount. She said, "No les voy a dar un descuento". When I asked her why, she said, "Porque no los necesito."
That's right, folks, she said she doesn't need us. She said she makes more money with the people who come to eat there. When I reminded her that she had told my partner that he should take his large group and eat elsewhere, she said that she did not have the capacity to take care of a large party like that.
Now, none of this makes much sense to me, but it certainly does spell the beginning of the downfall of this club. That sort of (total lack of) hospitality is just like shooting yourself in the foot business-wise. There weren't anywhere near as many people as the last time I had been there, so I venture to bet we are not the only ones this elderly woman has treated so rudely.
Strangely enough, I left, since after that kind of treatment I was not about to let my date plunk down $20 for the cover charge, try and cram my dancing into the small space left over from the tables with diners and have to pay extravagant prices for fru-fru drinks.
So, final grade for Mojitos at 11401 NW 12th Street, Miami in the Dolphin Mall: F
(don't waste your time or your hard-earned cash).
Special Advisory- Mojitos responds to this club review
Palenque Nightclub
1115 Northwest 22nd Avenue, Miami
Phone: 305-644-7376
Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at
Palenque Nightclub you will find Salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, punta and more.
Rancho Gaspar
16480 NW 117th Avenue, Hialeah Gardens
Phone: 305-827-1659
From the Miami New Times: "Snaking down the dirt roads to get to this ranch off the Florida Turnpike at Okeechobee is half the fun, especially after dark. Tires hug the earth as cars squeeze between oncoming traffic and the crops crowding the fields. Weekend party animals give way to four-footed friends during the week. Horses drink water out of troughs in the parking lot. For recent immigrants Rancho Gaspar brings memories of La Tropical, the huge open-air emporium on the outskirts of Havana that holds the world's record for the longest-lasting salsa party. The crowd looks much the same as you'd find at La Tropical, with a high spandex count and more than a few glints of gold teeth. Families abound, from babes in arms to abuelitas with walkers. Out in the barn, the four-to-eight-year-old crowd has a monopoly on the pool table. Teenagers smooch in the pasture. The fun begins at three on Sunday afternoons, with music and pony rides. One or two Sundays per month musical acts such as Cuba's Manolín (el Médico de la Salsa) and the Dominican Republic's Oro Solido play live. Saturday nights a DJ spins salsa hits from Victor Manuelle to Issac Delgado, with the latest in merengue and bachata thrown in. Who cares if owner Gaspar Olazabal is a bit gruff at the door? The bartenders and waitresses are friendly, the beer is cheap, and the food is plentiful."
Note from Jacira: I'd heard about Rancho Gaspar for years, but I am glad I finally got out there to see it for myself! It really is a bit hard to find. Take Okeechobee way out west to the first street west of the Turnpike South. It is not marked! That is NW 117th Avenue. It doubles back east for about a block then turns north. Watch for the big sign on the fence that says "Rancho Gaspar". Ignore the garbage that has been illegally dumped alongside the road. Keep going until you see the white wooden fence on the left-hand side. That is the parking area for Rancho Gaspar. Dress comfortably and prepare to get dirt between your toes if you wear sandals! Good Cuban food: masitas de puerco, tostones, congrí, etc. and cheap beer! This is as close as you can get to a Cuban venue in gringolandia and is the only place in Miami that plays Timba that I know of ...also a fair amount of Reggaeton lately.
Rendezvous (formerly Mad Jacks)
6685 Eagle Nest Lane, Miami, FL
Phone: 305-822-7999
Havana Nights are on Thursdays
Dance to Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and other Latin beats. Mojitos and Daikiris 1/2 price all night. No cover, free cigars.
Seńor Frogs
3048 Main Hwy,. Coconut Grove
Phone: 305-448-0999
Thursday nights this restaurant packs in a college crowd looking for Latin music. You can order food up to 10 p.m. but dance until late. Admission is FREE.
SoHo Lounge
175 NE 36th Street, Miami
Phone: 305-576-1988
Doors open from 11:00 p.m. to 5 a.m. 3 rooms devoted to different musical tastes, one of them with DJ Alberth Moreno playing Salsa, Merengue and Bachata.
Ladies 18 + free before 12 a.m. - $5 after
Men 21 + $10 cover.
Sundays on the Bay
5420 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne
Phone: 305-361-6777
Latin music Fridays and Saturdays.
Taj
3339 Virginia St,. Coconut Grove
Phone: (305) 444-5333
Friday salsa, merengue and disco from 7:30 p.m.
to 11 p.m. Marco's Club on the Grove.
Típico Dominicano
1344 N.W. 36 Street
Phone: 305-634-7819
DJ music, Friday, Saturday, Sundays from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m.
This place plays a variety of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbias and American disco in equal parts.
Tropigala
Hotel Fontainebleau Hilton.
4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Phone: 305-672-7469
Wednesday through Sunday at 8:30 p.m. $20, $39 with dinner. Tropical Nights show, beginning at 10 p.m. Orquesta de Gabi Gabriel. See their website for information on shows:
www.clubtropigala.comYuca
501 Lincoln Rd. (NW corner of Lincoln with Drexel),
South Beach
Phone: 305-987-3033
No Cover (21 and over)
Salsa Dancing from 11 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. every Friday with the best Salsa, Mambo and mix of Latin music by DJ Alex Ruiz.
http://www.salsapower.com/cities/fl/dade_clubs.htm
