Ray’s Hometown Bar—the hit NYC-born watering hole from Authentic Hospitality, with high-profile collaborators including actors Justin Theroux and Nicholas Braun—is jetting south to the Magic City. Why there? “Miami has an edge that I’ve never felt in any other city,” says Theroux. “There’s a high-low to that place that’s unmatched anywhere—even New York. Ray’s should fit right in.”
The concept’s Miami Beach branch will open at the start of the region’s Art Basel week, on December 3. The timing has more to do with crowds being in town versus aligning with the event itself; Ray’s is a come-one-come-everyone kind of place, the exact opposite in tone, really, of Art Basel’s expensiveness and exclusivity. Yes, you might see a star or two tucking into a booth, but that isn’t the point.
“It’s not at all about being in a VIP section. It’s about interacting with the whole room. It’s about singing along,” says Carlos Quirarte, a partner in Authentic with Matthew Kliegman and Matthew Charles (they have two Ray’s venues in New York–one in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn). He adds that when there is a well-known figure around, their presence is pretty much normalized: “I’m seeing less and less people take out their phones.”
Braun agrees with Quirarte’s low-key sentiment. “I’d always had this dream in the back of my mind to own a bar,” he says. “So when it happened, I was obviously stoked. And then Ray’s turned out to be better than I could have ever hoped for. There is a vibe that’s totally its own. We’re ready to take it on the road.” Adds Theroux, “Whenever there’s a space that people can genuinely feel like they can let their hair down and blow off steam, that’s a good thing. Bars, particularly ones like Ray’s, are very low-fi.”
Miami Beach’s edition, tucked into the Freehand Hotel, bears a close resemblance to the Ray’s locales in New York. Designed by Taavo Somer, the space features pool blue-and-pink checkerboard flooring, vintage neon lighting, and vinyl booths. The vibe is welcoming—it’s not exactly a diner nor a dive, but feels distinctly familiar all the same. It gets a further Floridian spin in its decor and soft goods, which include throwback Miami Dolphins bric-a-brac (like a framed photo of Dan Marino), custom staff uniforms designed in collaboration with Tommy Bahama, a mounted harpoon gun (for spearfishing), and a photo of a 1,100-pound sport fish caught by the champion angler Stephanie Choate, one of Quirarte’s friends. It will also feature Ray’s well-known and unpretentious programming, including “ThursTays,” a Taylor Swift-themed night, and “sessionable” cocktails, including the whiskey-based “Ray Charles,” which partner Charles tells himself “is good for me because its got honey and fresh lemon in it.”
“Hometown bar” is a phrase Quirarte and team are emphasizing as Ray’s continues expanding. (Heads up: Hawaii might be next.) “Don’t get me wrong, I like a little grime, I like a dive,” he says. “But when I’m either home or traveling, I’m looking for the town bar–the kind of place where the owner might be behind the counter, where people might celebrate the holidays, where families get together.” The takeaway? At Ray’s, the “A” in A-list stands for all.