Upper Eastside Hangout: A New Open-Air Backyard on a Historic 79th Street Corner
A short walk west on 79th Street from Shoe Gallery, just before you reach Biscayne Boulevard, a corner that has held a liquor license since 1937 is pouring drinks again. Upper Eastside Hangout opened in the summer of 2026 as an open-air food and cocktail garden on the former property of The Anderson, and the team wants it to be the kind of place where neighborhood regulars and first-timers share a table.
First Impressions & Vibe
Walk in and the courtyard opens up. There is green turf underfoot, cream shade sails hung with string lights overhead, and room for more than 250 people at picnic tables (kid-size ones included) and high-tops. Big LED screens handle game days and movie nights, while cornhole and a foosball table keep things loose. It is family-friendly, and your dog is welcome too.
Then follow the palm-lined path to the Original Bar Shack, a coral-and-green striped mini-house the team bills as Miami's smallest cocktail bar. It fits about 15 seats into 200 square feet, and inside, leaf-print wallpaper, brass palm sconces and amber lighting give it a darker, cozier mood than the sunny lawn outside.
What to Order
Start with a cocktail. The drinks lean on Florida-grown ingredients like Datil peppers, muscadine grapes and pecan infusions. The Florida Spritz mixes Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom with Munyon's Paw-Paw liqueur, mint, citrus, hibiscus bitters and prosecco, while the Dade Runner brings spiced rum, banana, blackberry liqueur, lime and pineapple ginger beer. Time Out Miami's opening story also gave the Hangout credit for drink prices that are easy on the wallet.
For food, the Hangout hosts a rotating lineup of vendors. Right now its website features:
- Maxtro's: smashburgers, with a bigger steakhouse-style menu in the works.
- Daga Pizza: a pizza food truck built on family tradition and more than 20 years of experience.
- Tacomiendo: handcrafted tacos, including birria tacos, made from owner Carlos' father's recipes.
- Professor Snacks: sought-after snacks from around the world, with new products every day.
Vendors change, so check the website to see who is cooking before you go.
The People Behind It
The Hangout comes from All We Need Hospitality Group, founded by Travis Rogers, John Fortini, Anthony Mejia and Victor Ramos, four partners who all live in the neighborhood. As Mejia put it when they opened, "The corner sat empty long enough."
That corner has real history. According to Miami New Times' opening report, it spent decades as Magnum Lounge, a piano bar with loyal regulars. In 2016 the Bar Lab team reopened it as The Anderson, which closed in 2024. The new owners have also announced two more concepts for the property: an indoor lounge called Here to There and a self-service wine spot called In Between Wine Garden.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 701 NE 79th Street, Miami, FL 33138
- Website: Upper Eastside Hangout website. Hours have shifted since opening, so check it before you head over.
- Getting there: Directions to Upper Eastside Hangout
- Events: Weekly programming has included taco nights, game nights and an all-ages Sunday comedy show. The events section of the website has what is coming up.
- Good to know: It is mostly open-air, family-friendly and dog-friendly.
Make a day of it: start with a stop at Shoe Gallery, then take a short walk west on 79th Street for a drink in the Bar Shack.