It is almost that time of year. When people gather en masse to engage in America’ s favorite pastime: Talking about their parlays. Yes, watching football doesn’t mean watching football anymore. It means sitting down at a bar, ordering a beer, and telling whoever sits next to you, “I just need this guy to get one more catch and I’ll hit a seven-way parlay!” Spoiler alert: It never hits.
If you find yourself in South Beach – as one or two people who come to Miami do – the best place to enthrall folks with your sports bets is Mickey Burke’s.
Yes, rather than sitting in your hotel room, watching football, and impressing your wife with your fantasy football points, head to hands-down the best sports bar in South Beach. A one-time Irish pub, Mickey Burke’s is now a palace of TV screens where you can see how your English Premier League bets pan out before spending an afternoon rooting for a random linebacker in Cleveland. If you want to do crazy things like eat and drink while you watch, Mickey’s has some of the best bar food in the city. And definitely its best cross section of characters.
So who exactly is this Mickey Burke guy?
Back when the Beach was The Beach, and every local used words like “86-ed” and “working a double” in daily conversation, Mickey Burke was the guy everyone knew. He was the longtime beverage director and manager of the iconic Clevelander for 32 years, and at some point, pretty much everyone in South Beach had worked with him. When fellow Clevelander vet Mike Palma took over the old Playwright Irish Pub a few years ago, he gave it a refresh and named it after Mickey. OGs know.
The scene: Is pure sports heaven. Early on, you’ll find visiting Europeans catching the other kind of football, generally half a dozen Guinesses deep by 10 am. Soccer stays on as games move to college and NFL, where more Americans wander in to post up for the afternoon. It’s a heavily local crowd, but it’s also the go-to for guys (and some girls) who’d rather watch football during their Miami vacation than sweat on the sand. You can grab a seat at the bar, or opt for one of the low-slung lounge tables, that feel a little like the VIP area in a club, except people are throwing their hands up in the air without being told.
What to eat and drink: Mickey’s is, in its essence, a sports bar. And if watching football also means ignoring your blood sugar, go for the Gameday Platter, with cheeseburger sliders, chicken tenders, fries, and chips with homemade dill onion dip. Too healthy for you? Cool, the Big Mickey, which brings mozzarella sticks, onion rings, potato skins, and giant Bavarian Pretzels.
If you’re up for a little culinary exploration with your afternoon of parlays, Mickey’s has some sports bar fare you haven’t seen before. Messi’s Milanese is a pretty solid breaded tenderloin steak topped with chimichurri mayo. The Mickey B burger is one of those burgers you wonder how you’ll get your mouth around – a 10oz patty topped with a fried egg, gruyere, truffle potato crisps, garlic mayo, and Canadian bacon. The carne asada tacos are also surprisingly authentic, opting for light corn shells and nicely-marinated steak.
Don’t miss: The cocktail menu. Yes, your average football fan would rather start Lizzo on their fantasy team than order a fruity drink. But these guys came from The Clevelander – aka the people who invented fruity drinks in South Beach. And, hey, you’re on vacation.
Perfect for: Celebrating wildly North Dakota State hits that first half over. Or, just watching football if you’re into that.
Expect to pay: If you’re watching an entire game and eating, your tab will probably run about $100.
How’s the parking: It’s South Beach, your odds are better of hitting that 7-team parlay. You can try the city garage on 13th street, otherwise…
@mickeyburkesmiami // 1265 Washington Ave., South Beach