{"id":1766,"date":"2026-06-13T09:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1766"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:01:26","slug":"this-little-havana-hot-spot-was-just-named-one-of-the-best-bars-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1766","title":{"rendered":"This Little Havana hot spot was just named one of the best bars in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A historic Cuban music spot in Miami was just named one of the best bars in the country.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1764\">Miami-Dade transit officials weigh legal options over lemon electric buses<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In its summer issue, Esquire magazine named Ball &amp; Chain on Calle Ocho in Little Havana as one of the Best Bars in America.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>How did Ball &amp; Chain, the only Florida spot on the list, make the cut? Its location on a historic street, for starters, with its colorful history coming in a close second.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen there\u2019s the lore,\u201d marvels Esquire writer Khuong Phan of the nightclub, which first opened in 1935. \u201cBootleggers, gamblers, mobsters, crooked politicians \u2014 oh, and Billie Holiday sang here. Behold the pineapple-shaped band shell outside; savor the rum-heavy drinks inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The drinks and the music are key, too, he writes: \u201cBall &amp; Chain\u2019s mojitos always loosen the joints. A necessity, because the band\u2019s bringing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1762\">Broward clears dozens of drug convictions from the \u201980s and \u201990s. Here\u2019s why<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ball &amp; Chain is now owned and operated by Bill Fuller, Zack Bush and Ben Bush of Mad Room hospitality, who also operate Fort Lauderdale\u2019s historic Mai Kai Polynesian restaurant.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The other bars on the Best Bars list are: Papercut in Austin, Texas; The House of Found Objects, Birmingham, Alabama; Cody\u2019s Public House, Chicago; Stir Crazy, Los Angeles; The Nashville Palace, Nashville; Bar Tonique, New Orleans; The Double Windsor, Brooklyn; Stars, Manhattan; Kelley\u2019s Korner Tavern, Placentia, California; Russell\u2019s, Seattle; Half Time Rec, St. Paul; The Cork, Tucson; Gold Clover Bar, Washington D.C.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Ball &amp; Chain<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>Where:<\/b> 1513 SW 8th St., Miami<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>Hours:<\/b> 11 a.m.-midnight Monday; 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Friday-Saturday<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1761\">Kendrick Meek Jr. says he\u2019s ready to build his own legacy with congressional run<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>More information:<\/b> ballandchainmiami.com or 305) 643-7820<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ball &amp; Chain, the historic Cuban music venue on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, was named one of the best bars in the country by Esquire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-club-bars"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Little Havana hot spot was just named one of the best bars in the U.S. - Florida Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1766\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Little Havana hot spot was just named one of the best bars in the U.S. - Florida Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ball &amp; 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