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Ball & Chain, the historic Cuban music venue located on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, Miami, was included this week in the list of the best bars in the United States by Esquire in its summer edition.
The recognition makes Ball & Chain the only establishment in Florida selected for a list that includes 14 bars from across the country, from Austin to Washington DC.
The editor of Esquire Khuong Phan highlighted several factors for the selection: the venue's location on a historic street, its vibrant background, and the energy of its live music nights.
"Then there's the legend. Smugglers, gamblers, mobsters, corrupt politicians... oh, and Billie Holiday sang here. Behold the acoustically perfect shell shaped like a pineapple on the outside and savor the rum-heavy cocktails on the inside," wrote Phan.
Regarding the drinks, the writer was equally enthusiastic: "The mojitos at Ball & Chain always help to loosen up the body. Something necessary, because the band gives it their all."
The establishment has a history that dates back to 1935, when it first opened its doors as Ball & Chain Saloon on what is now Calle Ocho.
During the 1940s and 1950s, it became one of the few spaces in Miami that was relatively open to Black musicians during the height of segregation, featuring performances by figures such as Billie Holiday.
After closing in the 1950s and remaining inactive for decades, the venue was restored and reopened in 2014 under new management.
The path has not been easy: in October 2020, Miami authorities shut down Ball & Chain indefinitely due to alleged permit violations and loud music, but the establishment reopened in October 2021 following a lawsuit filed by its owners.
It is currently operated by Mad Room Hospitality, a company owned by Bill Fuller, Zack Bush, and Ben Bush, who also manage the historic Polynesian restaurant Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale.
This recognition from Esquire is not the first received by a Cuban bar in the area: in 2022, Café La Trova was named the sixth best bar in North America by The World's 50 Best Bars list, an honor it repeated in 2024.
Little Havana, declared a "national treasure" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, thus consolidates its reputation as one of the key destinations in the bar and nightlife scene in the United States, with Calle Ocho as its most internationally recognized cultural artery.
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