Gramps Getaway is the waterfront bar Miami was oddly missing, a place with stellar views, the vibes of a boozy Sunday afternoon and (the real kicker) legitimately good food.
From the moment I walked under the thatched roof of the open-air spot inside the Rickenbacker Marina, I was taken. Speakers overhead played “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers and that full view of the downtown and Brickell skylines stood in a salty haze beyond the boats going by. A forklift cradled a yacht overhead as a group of yachties at the bar set the tone, ordering before-noon sidecars with their drinks.
As a sister restaurant to the original Gramps in Wynwood (a go-to late-night dive bar), Getaway shares a similar party atmosphere but with more board shorts and flip-flops. Perched in the old Whiskey Joe’s space near the Rusty Pelican, it’s now a regular stop for UM students and causeway commuters. Cocktails are slightly tweaked poolside drinks with some familiar items from mainland Gramps, like the Cucumber in Paradise and the Gramps Mule. The Paloma that kicked off my day was salty and fruity and hard not to suck down in big gulps.
A visit here ought to start at the Lazy Oyster window, a popup shack serving grilled oysters and rolls with lobster slathered in aioli or butter. The main menu is like what a fine-dining sous chef might serve at their backyard barbecue. We enjoyed the watermelon salad with still-warm toasted peanuts, lots of pungent basil and a savory fish sauce dressing. The burger will soon be on everybody’s list of the city’s best, a simple-looking smash burger with lots of white American cheese, thin-sliced onions and a mustard sauce with fish sauce that imparts an umami undertone—immediately something I wanted again.
It’s not cheap here: Five coconut shrimp clock in at 20 bucks and five jerk chicken wings are $18. Though some say you can usually pick only two out of three from good ambiance, good food or good service, Gramps Getaway has all three, and for that, we’ll pay hard cash.
Giving five stars to what’s essentially a bar might seem unwarranted when you try to compare it to the elegance of the Surf Club or the everything-is-always-incredible Boia De. But while they complete renovations to the interior where a proper dining room will eventually live, Gramps Getaway can for now claim the title of Miami’s most perfect waterfront bar.
