South Florida's nightlife scene can be fickle. What once was your favorite EDM/alterna-electro joint flipped to a merengue and bachata club overnight. Sure, the beats are still good, but you haven't the slightest idea how to move your hips so fluidly. And you miss your favorite DJs. Where did they go?
It's a world that's hard to keep track of, packed with dozens of surprises and great lighting. This past year, a bevy of new clubs and bars has arisen. Some of our favorite spots shuttered their doors, sure, but we've compiled a list of the top six new clubs in Broward and Palm Beach counties to help you, dear reader, find a new hangout to get down.
6. The Dubliner
With the original opening in Boca Raton in 2005, club mogul Rodney Mayo brought his Irish-pub-with-a-hip-bent over to Himmarshee last summer, and it's been packed ever since.
Tuesday nights are run by venerable Fort Laudy man-about-town/Mission Veo frontman Jonny Veo and features the liveliest ladies' night (ladies drink free till midnight) in downtown. The club also hosts art exhibitions, cosplay nights, '80s dance parties, retro-videogame nights, and a wild assortment of themed date nights. There's lots going on here other than just drafts of Irish ale, but if you are looking for Smithwicks, there's kegs of the delectable red ale to go around. The Dubliner also brings in a different band every Friday and Saturday night.
See also: Jonny Veo Benefit at C&I Studios Reunites Green Room DJs
5. Next Door
Coffeehouse by day (beans brought to you by Brew Urban), library-themed lounge by night, this new venture by multipurpose media company C&I Studios provides a much-needed chill-ass hangout that was missing in the FAT Village Arts District. Heady English-major types have much to love inside the 3,000-square-foot confines of Next Door. With wall-to-wall books and cocktails inspired by famous music men like Ian McKaye (on the straight-edge menu) or writers like Jane Austin (for those who like booze), this place is a lit nut's dream.
See also: C&I Opens New Sexy Library Styled Bar Called Next Door
It's been a while since we've had this much fun on Las Olas. Thanks to American Social and its extensive craft beer selection and stellar DJs -- from Thursday through Saturday night -- we've found a new favorite among the strip's upscale restaurants, tourist-trinket traps, and Guy Harvey-loving art galleries.
With its self-serve beer taps and live music nights, we were in love at first Cigar City Jai Alai pour. Cheers.
This is a laid-back beer lover's paradise, where you can enjoy a break from Himmarshee shenanigans and hear some great tunes. We can drink to that all night long.
See also: A New Yorker's First Time on the Fort Lauderdale Bar Scene
3. Bar Stache
We were bummed to find out that Fort Lauderdale's indie dance hub Green Room was closing. But like the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens, and seeing Stache come to life in the former Green Room space brought a smile to our faces.
Set up like a 1920s speakeasy, this darkly lit cocktail lounge, nightclub, and concert hall surely sets a mood. Inside, it celebrates the "art of mixology," and what a magnificent art form it is (one of our favorites, perhaps). It's one the bartenders at Stache have decidedly perfected.
Miami's former center for kitsch, Pawn Shop, was one of the most anticipated nightclubs to open on Clematis Street in a while. And with its Ferris wheel, VIP section made out of an airplane fuselage, and a mac daddy (constructed out of a Mac truck) DJ booth, the Pawn Shop lives up to the hype.
A feast for the eyes and the ears, it all might seem extravagant, but Pawn Shop is decidedly not so. It's the eclectic, relaxed dance club that Palm Beach County was craving. Read about the recent opening night here.
See also: Pawn Shop Grand Opening Photos
1. Camelot
This future hot spot hasn't even opened yet, and it's already the talk of the town. Another Rodney Mayo venture, we wonder if the man ever sleeps! Palm Beach County's nightlife impresario is up to his old tricks with this new "upscale" venue in downtown West Palm Beach.
In an interview with County Grind, Mayo told us that Camelot would be a nightclub geared toward the "sophisticated South Floridian."
The club is an homage to the Kennedys' "Camelot lifestyle," a tribute to historic Palm Beach families' love of the ocean and sailing. Yacht rockers, take note. Although not open quite yet, Camelot will be located at 114 S. Narcissus Ave. and will offer a distraction from the drunken rowdiness of Clematis Street, a venue where one can relax in one's own Sperry Topsiders in the most nonironic way and enjoy a nice single-malt whiskey.
See also: Rodney Mayo Opening Camelot, a Sophisticated Lounge for Downtown West Palm Beach
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