Lucky Number 27

A new hotspot-hostel in Miami Beach is drawing in the uber cool hipsters who are sampling their delicious fare and inventive cocktails. 27 Restaurant & Bar resides in the Freehand hotel, a 1930s bungalow that has been retrofitted as a sort of psychedelic 70’s den with Negroni taps and lava-lamp friendly spaces. The Freehand has incorporated handcrafted design by Roman & Williams, and collaborated with the award-winning duo behind Bar Lab to create inventive cocktails, tasty food, and a lush atmosphere at their outdoor bar, Broken Shaker. Broken Shaker’s Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta, and Freehand’s Roy Alpert’s brainchild, 27, strives to use locally sourced ingredients and produce grown on the property’s onsite rooftop garden.

The restaurant and bar is a casual, warm and inviting space with light oak floors, floral wallpapers, cork ceilings, and an eclectic collection of quirky, retro antiques. Downstairs, the dining room recalls Miami of the 1930s, while upstairs a comfortable lounge features cozy sitting areas perfect for enjoying one of Bar lab’s creations such as the lulo daiquiri- my drink of choice during dinner- which is made with the Colombian fruit, fresh lime juice, mint reduction and Bacardi rum. The menu incorporates many of the cultures that make up Miami Beach, including bubbie’s potato latkes and the arepa platter, a meal for four that includes house-made arepas, rope bieja, queso de mano, and hogado. Both were a hit with my group, and other dishes run the gamut from Asian to European to Latin. The Freehand/27/Broken Shaker is a refreshing take on Miami, which evokes the old Miami Beach, not the new Vegas-style of today. www.thefreehand.com