Coral Gables just got a whole lot spookier, and this might be our favorite excuse to grab a cocktail on Miracle Mile.

October 14, 2026

Okay, Coral Gables, THIS is how you do Halloween!

JohnMartin’s has officially brought back its Halloween Bar, and suddenly, grabbing drinks at your favorite Irish pub feels like walking straight into a Halloween movie. We’re talking cobwebs everywhere, skeletons, spooky little details, and cocktails that look like they were mixed up in a witch’s cauldron. Honestly, what’s not to love?

Tucked along Miracle Mile, JohnMartin’s has always been a go-to for a good night out, but something about a full-blown Halloween makeover makes it even more fun. The whole place is decked out for spooky season, and it’s exactly the kind of spot where you stop in for one drink and end up staying much longer than planned.

There’s something so fun about a bar that fully commits to a theme, and JohnMartin’s understood the assignment.

Cobwebs stretch across the ceiling, skeletons make themselves at home, and Halloween decorations have taken over practically every corner. It’s spooky without losing that cozy, lively Irish pub atmosphere that makes JohnMartin’s such a fun place to hang out in the first place.

And the best part? It doesn’t feel like you need some elaborate Halloween plan to enjoy it. Just bring your friends, order something fun, and soak up the atmosphere.

Honestly, we’re suckers for a good themed bar, and this one is giving us every reason to love October in South Florida.

Now, let’s talk about the drinks because obviously, we need to talk about the drinks.

JohnMartin’s has rolled out nine Halloween-themed cocktails, and the names alone are enough to make us curious.

There’s the Frozen Pumpkin Spiked Latte, because fall flavors deserve a little extra fun, the Bruised Apple Shot, and the Witches Melon Cauldron, which might win for the most Halloween-sounding drink on the menu.

And the presentations? They’re part of the fun. Think playful glassware, spooky garnishes, and cocktails that practically beg for a photo before the first sip.

It’s all a little dramatic, a little ridiculous, and exactly what we want from a Halloween cocktail menu.

Can We Make Halloween Last All Month?

Here’s what we love most: this isn’t just a one-night Halloween party.

JohnMartin’s is keeping the spooky vibes going from October 1 through October 31, which means there’s plenty of time to squeeze in a Halloween girls’ night, a fun date, or an impromptu night out.

Plus, there’s something about Coral Gables at night that already feels special. Add a festively decorated Irish pub, a few witchy cocktails, and your favorite people, and suddenly you’ve got yourself a pretty perfect October evening.

We love a good excuse to go out, and this one is practically handing itself to us.

So if you’ve been looking for something fun to do in Miami this Halloween season, consider this your sign to make a stop at JohnMartin’s.

Because spooky season is short, the cocktails are cute, and staying home can wait.

The Details

Where: JohnMartin’s, 253 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, FL

When: October 1–31, 2026

The Vibe: Spooky cocktails, Halloween decor, and an Irish pub that’s fully embracing its haunted era.

Our advice? Grab your friends, order something spooky, and take way too many pictures. It’s October. You’re allowed.

Sweetwaters brings coastal dining, creative cocktails and New River views to Fort Lauderdale’s newly reimagined Huizenga Park.

October 7, 2026

If your ideal South Florida evening involves cocktails, seafood, a table by the water and boats casually passing by while you decide whether you really need dessert, Sweetwaters Fort Lauderdale may have just figured you out.

SFL Insider got an early look at the brand-new waterfront restaurant during its VIP opening celebration, and honestly, this is exactly the kind of place that makes living in South Florida pretty fun.

Sweetwaters officially opens October 12 inside the newly reimagined Huizenga Park, right where Las Olas Boulevard meets the New River in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. And while the food definitely deserves attention, you have to start with this location.

Because it is really good.

The nearly 10,000-square-foot restaurant was designed to take full advantage of the waterfront, with a huge indoor dining room, open kitchen, raw bar and two outdoor terraces. One patio stretches toward the New River while the other faces Huizenga Park, so basically, pick your view.

For the opening celebration, guests moved around the restaurant with cocktails in hand while trying passed hors d’oeuvres, chef-curated stations and selections from the raw bar.

Which, for the record, is a pretty excellent way to introduce yourself to Fort Lauderdale.

Okay, But Let’s Talk About the Food

Executive Chef Nicco V. Salanitro and Culinary Director Matthieu Godard are behind a menu that leans into Sweetwaters’ South Florida setting with seafood, sushi, shareable dishes and some menu items that clearly aren’t interested in being boring.

You can start relatively civilized with Yellowfin Tuna Crudo, made with mango, tangerine, ponzu and pickled Fresno, or the Castaway Roll with shrimp tempura, sashimi, avocado and yuzu aioli.

Or you can immediately commit.

The Grand Seafood Tower arrives loaded with East and West Coast oysters, chilled shrimp, mussels, clams, tuna tartare, crab salad and half a Maine lobster.

Yes. Half a lobster.

There is also a Chef’s Sushi Tower stacked with signature rolls, spicy tuna crispy rice, nigiri, sashimi and tuna crudo.

And things only get more interesting from there.

The Whole Crispy Local Snapper comes with coconut-cilantro rice and aji verde. Lobster Spaghetti pairs an entire Maine lobster with spicy tomato vodka sauce. The Pink Brick features wagyu flat iron with black truffle butter and chimichurri and gets scorched tableside.

But our attention immediately went to two words:

Nuggets & Caviar.

They are exactly what they sound like. Free-range chicken nuggets topped with yuzu crème fraîche, Osetra caviar, gold flakes and lime zest.

It’s fancy. It’s ridiculous. We want it.

And apparently vegetables are allowed to have personalities here too, because one of the sides is literally called Spinach, But Sexy.

We appreciate the commitment.

@RomainMaurice

Save Room for a Cocktail. And Probably Dessert.

The cocktail menu is equally playful.

Tiffany combines tequila, bergamot liqueur, citrus and coconut and gets finished with limoncello sorbet and white pearls. Paid Vacation mixes passion fruit and tarragon-infused vodka with purple basil and Szechuan flower, while Cloud Nine brings together ginger-infused vodka, yuzu sake and orange-ginger tea with lychee caviar and citrus-aloe foam.

And because Sweetwaters apparently understands that sometimes we shouldn’t have to choose, there’s an Affogato Martini with vodka, espresso liqueur, espresso and a scoop of Madagascar vanilla bean gelato.

Dessert isn’t exactly subtle either.

Going Bananas is a giant shareable sundae with brûléed banana, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla bean gelato, salted caramel, candied pecans and cherries.

Then there’s Miss Trunchbull, an 11-layer chocolate cake.

If you know, you know.

@RomainMaurice

This Might Be Your New Las Olas Happy Hour Spot

Sweetwaters comes from Specialty Restaurants, the family-owned hospitality group behind Miami’s longtime waterfront favorite, Rusty Pelican. This is the company’s first Fort Lauderdale restaurant and its first Florida expansion beyond Key Biscayne.

But Sweetwaters doesn’t feel like it is trying to recreate Miami in Fort Lauderdale.

The restaurant feels made for this particular spot.

Huizenga Park, the Riverwalk and the New River are right outside, and the restaurant was designed so you can move between the dining room, terraces, park and waterfront instead of feeling closed off from everything happening around you.

Chef Salanitro described the idea as somewhere guests could walk through the park, stop for oysters and cocktails while watching the boats pass and then stay for dinner after sunset.

Yeah. We can work with that.

The VIP opening brought out plenty of familiar South Florida faces too, including fashion designer Rene Ruiz, former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, real estate developer Ramola Motwani, developer Luis Birdman and Specialty Restaurants President and CEO John Tallichet.

But once the party is over, Sweetwaters has to become somewhere locals actually want to come back to.

And with waterfront tables, a weekday happy hour, an inventive cocktail menu, seafood towers, lobster spaghetti and literal caviar-topped chicken nuggets?

We don’t think convincing people to come back is going to be the hard part.

@WorldRedEye

Sweetwaters Fort Lauderdale Opens October 12

Sweetwaters officially opens October 12, 2026, at 58 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. Even better, happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the bar. Sweetwaters_Pre-Opening Release… Sweetwaters_Pre-Opening Release…

So yes, we got to see Sweetwaters before everyone else.

Now it’s your turn.

Grab a table outside, order something from the raw bar, get a cocktail and stay long enough to watch the New River change as the sun goes down.

Fort Lauderdale, we’ll see you by the water.

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