Cafe La Trova

"Celebrate Noche Buena at this Calle Ocho hotspot helmed by Miami's Michelle Bernstein. On Christmas Eve, enjoy a Noche Buena celebration that features a family-style three-course menu, including lechon, with cocktails and live music. Price: $95 for adults, $30 for children 12 and under." - Alona Martinez

"Vest-clad bartenders hand-mix cantinero-style cocktails at Julio Cabrera and Michelle Bernstein’s Cafe La Trova on Calle Ocho. The Cuban cocktail spot, which landed on both World’s 50 Best Bars and North America’s 50 Best Bars lists, features two distinct spaces: a main bar for Cuban classics like the Hotel Nacional and house daiquiris, plus a back room creating Miami Vice-era drinks. Live bands play nightly while servers pass Cuban plates through the Always-Havana-inspired dining room." - Olee Fowler

"If you're looking for a big, fun restaurant that'll satisfy a tourist's craving for a night of Cuban Miami culture, get a table at this Little Havana spot. The food is good, but not entirely why you're here. You're coming for live music and a team of spiffy bartenders who not only make the world’s best daiquiri, but also occasionally start dancing and playing instruments. Just don't come if you're trying to have a conversation because it gets loud in the dining room. " - ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino

"Join the undead at the Vampiros en la Habana celebration at Cafe La Trova, starting at 8 p.m. on October 31. Dress in vampire attire for a free cocktail and step into a world of vampires and Bacardi cocktails. DJ Funktual will spin beats so you can dance until you’re undead." - Laine Doss

"Having fun at Cafe La Trova is as inevitable as having a panic attack while merging west on the Dolphin near that Allapattah exit (you know the one). This is Miami Cuban culture distilled into a dinner party. The whole dining room is constantly teetering on the edge of breaking out into song and dance. The live music (and the daquiris) make you shimmy in your seat. Bartenders occasionally whip out instruments and start singing along with the band like Broadway understudies. The only thing keeping people in their seats—and off the tables—is the very good Cuban food on those tables. It’d be a shame to step in that arroz con pollo." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino