How do we sum up 2025 in Miami? It was a year of triumphs: the legendary music venue Churchill’s Pub switched back on its speakers for the first time since 2020, and Allapattah’s grungy Las Rosas bar reopened, signaling a fresh rock ‘n’ roll renaissance. On the culinary front, Coral Gables’ beloved Fiola closed its doors—but only to make way for Daniel’s, the chef’s namesake steakhouse that has since been ranked among the world’s best.
It was also a year of heartbreaks: After being named 2024’s best chef in the South by the James Beard Foundation, Chef Valerie Chang shuttered her Midtown Peruvian restaurant, Maty’s, this summer. Miami’s queer community lost one of its only havens when Willy’s Neighborhood Bar closed suddenly, citing rapid redevelopment on its Wynwood street. Nearby, the longtime fixture Gramps Bar announced it would close forever at the beginning of 2026…among so many more sad goodbyes.
Geographically, northern neighborhoods like Little River and Normandy Isles have continued to blossom with impressive new restaurants, galleries and nightlife venues, while Downtown has battled endless construction gridlock and iconic neighborhoods like South Beach seem to be reinventing themselves altogether. Imports from NYC and elsewhere are still flocking to Miami, but 2025 felt decidedly more locally driven, and that’s a beautiful thing.
This year, like most, has been a mixed bag in Miami. For all its mishaps and low points, though, we believe this Magic City is moving in the right direction—and it’s absolutely one of the most exciting places in the world to be right now. Below is proof: Time Out Miami editors’ and contributors’ picks for the Best of the City in 2025.