Quick answer: Miami runs the deepest cigar scene in the US. The eight lounges below cover Little Havana (Cuban Crafters), Brickell (Red Phone Booth, Empire Social), South Beach (Española Cigar Bar), Downtown (El Vecino, City Cigar Lounge), and Coral Gables (Galiano, Cigar Cellar). Florida law allows indoor smoking in licensed tobacco lounges. Each pick wins a different kind of visit.
I have walked Calle Ocho more times than I can count, and the answer to which Miami lounge is best
is always for what.
A first-time visitor wants Cuban Crafters in the morning to watch a roller. A finance crowd wants Empire Social at six. A whiskey nerd wants Red Phone Booth's speakeasy entrance. A South Beach evening pairs better at Española Cigar Bar on Española Way. The list below maps each lounge to the kind of evening it owns.
The Miami Cigar Scene at a Glance
Miami runs deeper on cigar culture than any other US city. The CigarFinder Miami lounge directory lists 50 plus active cigar lounges, tobacconists, and cigar bars across Miami-Dade county, concentrated in five neighborhoods: Little Havana (the historic Cuban core along Calle Ocho), Brickell (the financial district's upscale lounges), South Beach (Española Way and Lincoln Road tourism corridor), Downtown (Miami WorldCenter and the central business district), and Coral Gables / South Miami (residential premium tobacconists). Florida's Clean Indoor Air Act exempts licensed stand-alone tobacco retailers from the indoor smoking ban, so cigar lounges legally permit indoor smoking on the premises. The Cuban diaspora that arrived after 1959 brought rolling craft, brand families, and the cafecito-and-cigar afternoon ritual that anchors Calle Ocho today. Padron, Camacho's parent company, and several Esteli factories operate Miami offices or distribution operations. The minimum age to enter or buy is 21 statewide, federal law since 2019.
For Real Cigar Smokers: Largest Humidor Selection in Miami
If your top priority is humidor depth (not cocktails, not music, not the bar scene), these are the four lounges with the deepest documented inventories:
- Empire Social Lounge (Brickell): 5,000-plus cigars in a walk-in cedar humidor. Cigar & Leisure Magazine has named Empire
Best Cigar Lounge in the Nation,
and Miami New Times has awarded it Miami's best multiple years. - Cuban Crafters (Little Havana): A walk-in humidor The Infatuation describes as
the size of a duplex,
stocked with Padron, Arturo Fuente, Liga Privada, AVO, CAO, Don Pepin, plus their own house-rolled blends made on site by Don Kiki and Manuel Medina. - City Cigar Lounge (Downtown): 400-plus cigars paired with 450-plus scotches, bourbons, whiskies, and tequilas. The combined selection depth is the deepest cigar-and-spirits pairing room in the city.
- Galiano Cigar Room (Coral Gables): A climate-controlled walk-in humidor stocked with Padrón, Arturo Fuente, Oliva, Montecristo, Davidoff, and Aganorsa. Coral Gables Magazine called it a
smoker's paradise.
For tasting-vs-buying decisions, all four also sell most of their humidor by the stick. If you are serious about hunting a specific Padron 1964 or a hard-to-find Liga Privada No. 9, these are the rooms to walk into first.
Top Cigar Lounges in Miami
These eight lounges are not ranked best to worst. Each is the top pick for a specific kind of visit. Click any lounge name to see hours, photos, and full Google review counts on the lounge directory.
Cuban Crafters
- Address: 3604 NW 7th Street, Miami, FL 33125 (Little Havana)
- Top differentiator: a walk-in humidor described by The Infatuation as
the size of a duplex,
with hand-rollers visible in the storefront window - Vibe: Factory-plus-retailer with on-site barber. Working tobacconist energy.
- Hours: Daily, typically 10 AM to 8 PM (confirm at the door)
- What to know: House blends and Cuban-heritage Dominican releases dominate the humidor. Cash and card both accepted.
- What reviewers say: free Cuban coffee while you shop, head roller Manuel Medina visible at work,
impeccable
customer service,bargains on top brands
like Padron, Fuente, Liga Privada, Acid, AVO, CAO, and Don Pepin. - Best for: First-time visitors who want to watch a cigar get rolled and smoke it the same hour. Rated 4.7 by 864 Google reviewers.
Red Phone Booth
- Address: 1010 Brickell Ave Unit 105, Miami, FL 33131 (Brickell)
- Top differentiator: speakeasy entrance through an actual red phone booth (secret code required), plus a Prohibition-era craft-cocktail program with 400-plus premium spirits and a humidor with Padron, Arturo Fuente, La Flor Dominicana, and boutique labels sold by the stick or in member lockers
- Vibe: 1920s aesthetic, dim lighting, leather seating, hidden-bar reveal. Members and walk-ins both welcome with the password.
- Hours: Evenings, late close on weekends
- What to know: Cocktails are the centerpiece. Reservations recommended Friday and Saturday.
- What reviewers say: bartenders John and Nancy named repeatedly for the Martinez, Never Say No, and Left Bank Martini cocktails. The atmosphere reads as a
hidden gem
that transports guests to the Prohibition era. - Best for: A theatrical date night or a memorable visit pairing cocktails with premium cigars. Rated 5.0 by 1,494 Google reviewers.
Empire Social Lounge
- Address: 1106 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33130 (Brickell)
- Top differentiator: 5,000-plus cigars in a walk-in cedar humidor plus 250-plus whiskies and a members-only inner section. Cigar & Leisure named it
Best Cigar Lounge in the Nation
and Miami New Times has named it Miami's best lounge multiple years. - Vibe: Second-floor lounge, low-lit with leather seating. Strong Manhattan and curated whiskey list.
- Hours: Late afternoon through late night, typical Brickell schedule
- What to know: Public lounge is the standard entry point; the 450-plus-member inner room and locker program is a separate sign-up. You do not need to be a member to visit.
- What reviewers say: knowledgeable managers, the cedar humidor's
warm embrace
of tobacco scent, and one of the most-awarded cigar rooms in the city. - Best for: After-work upscale smoke, business meetings, or any visit where humidor depth matters more than music. Rated 4.6 by 316 Google reviewers.
Española Cigar Bar & Lounge
- Address: 409 Española Way, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (South Beach)
- Top differentiator: South Beach's anchor cigar venue on the pedestrian-only Española Way, blending a tapas-and-cocktail kitchen with a serious humidor and outdoor patio seating. Yelp ratings sit at 4.6 over 519 reviews.
- Vibe: Lively Spanish-Mediterranean atmosphere on a historic pedestrian street. Live entertainment some nights.
- Hours: Late afternoon through late night
- What to know: Bring an appetite. Reviewers consistently call the food (especially the skirt steak and pasta)
off the charts
and worth the visit on its own. - What reviewers say: bartenders Oksana and Mila named repeatedly, managers Mario and Vinny praised for proactive hospitality,
fantastic selection of cigars
with knowledgeable staff steering picks. The patio is the most-photographed feature. - Best for: A South Beach evening pairing dinner, a cocktail program, and cigar service in one room. Rated 4.7 by 1,736 Google reviewers.
El Vecino
- Address: 698 NE First Ave, Miami, FL 33132 (Downtown / Miami WorldCenter)
- Top differentiator: an Ariete Hospitality Group room (Chef Michael Beltrán) with a cocktail program built around cigar pairing, plus food that goes well beyond standard lounge fare. Frequently listed in Miami's top-five cigar bars.
- Vibe: Modern downtown lounge with dark wood paneling, plush leather, candles, and a curated humidor
- Hours: Late afternoon through late night
- What to know: Cocktails are central. This is not a casual hand-rolling shop. Reservations help on weekends.
- What reviewers say:
the burger is one of the best in the city,
cocktails are pricey but expertly crafted, the cigar selection iscurated and well priced.
- Best for: A polished cocktail-and-cigar evening with a dinner attached. Rated 4.9 by 99 Google reviewers.
City Cigar Lounge
- Address: 41 NW 2nd St, Miami, FL 33128 (Downtown)
- Top differentiator: 400-plus cigars paired with 450-plus scotches, bourbons, whiskies, and tequilas. The deepest cigar-and-spirits combo in the city, including a Pappy Van Winkle 15-year on a regular flight rotation.
- Vibe: Work-friendly downtown lounge with comfortable seating and Wi-Fi
- Hours: Mon-Tue 12 PM to 11 PM, Wed-Sat 12 PM to 12 AM, Sun 12 PM to 11 PM
- What to know: One of the few downtown lounges where you can take a laptop and stay for hours.
- What reviewers say: bartender De praised for whiskey-and-cigar pairings, the Weller and Stagg flights called out by name, and one representative review calls it the
best cigar bar in the city.
- Best for: A solo afternoon smoke with a laptop, a whiskey flight, or a meeting that needs to extend. Rated 4.8 by 350 Google reviewers.
Galiano Cigar Room
- Address: 2310 Galiano St, Coral Gables, FL 33134
- Top differentiator: a climate-controlled walk-in humidor stocked with Padrón, Arturo Fuente, Oliva, Montecristo, Davidoff, and Aganorsa. Full liquor bar, live music, indoor-and-outdoor seating with a marble bar.
- Vibe: Coral Gables after-work scene with plush leather chairs. Coral Gables Magazine called the room a
smoker's paradise.
- Hours: Mon-Tue 12 PM to 10 PM, Wed-Thu 12 PM to 12 AM, Fri-Sat 12 PM to 1 AM, Sun 12 PM to 10 PM
- What to know: The Coral Gables alternative to Brickell. Less business-formal, equally polished.
- What reviewers say: staff (Gabby, Mellisa, Carlos, and Tere named repeatedly) treats regulars
like family
; humidor depth and live-music ambiance both praised. - Best for: Local Coral Gables regulars and visitors staying in the Gables area. Rated 4.8 by 293 Google reviewers.
Cigar Cellar of Miami
- Address: 1557 Sunset Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33143 (South Miami / Coral Gables)
- Top differentiator: the most-educational tobacconist in the city. Owner Alex consistently walks customers through each cigar in detail, and the room runs more like a tobacconist with a lounge attached than a cigar bar.
- Vibe: Quiet, conversational, less of a bar and more of a working tobacconist
- Hours: Daytime through evening
- What to know: No liquor. They serve beer and wine. The Padron selection is particularly deep at competitive pricing.
- What reviewers say: customers repeatedly mention Alex by name; the staff is
patient
with newcomers, and the room isa quiet spot where seasoned smokers like to relax after work.
- Best for: First cigar of the trip. Solo smokers who want quiet and a real conversation about what to buy. Rated 4.9 by 107 Google reviewers.
How to Find More Cigar Lounges in Miami
The eight above are curated picks. Miami has 50 plus active cigar venues, and Florida has 306 across the statewide CigarFinder lounge directory. Three ways to find more on the site:
- Tap the location pin in the search bar. It uses your phone's GPS to pull lounges within a few miles of where you are standing. Best when you are already in Miami and want the closest open spot right now.
- Filter the Miami directory. You can filter by neighborhood (Brickell, Coral Gables, Little Havana, Doral, Hialeah), type (cigar bar, cigar shop, cigar lounge), Open Now, and amenities like full bar, parking, Wi-Fi, lounge seating, or humidor lockers. Switch the sort to Most Reviewed to see heavyweights like Española (1,736 reviews), Red Phone Booth (1,494), and Cubaocho (1,505) at the top.
- Toggle Map view. Any directory page has a List / Map toggle near the filters. Map view plots every lounge by location so you can pick by proximity to your hotel.
Headed elsewhere in Florida after Miami? The statewide directory covers Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Naples, the Keys, and the rest of the state's 306 venues.
What Makes a Miami Lounge Worth Visiting?
Four levers separate a worth-the-detour lounge from a forgettable one:
- Ventilation. Miami humidity plus heavy smoke can trap inside a poorly vented room. Best lounges run dedicated ventilation with high air turnover, not just a window unit. Walk in and breathe before you sit.
- Walk-in humidor selection. A serious lounge stocks at least the major Nicaraguan and Dominican lines: Padron, My Father, Liga Privada, Davidoff, Tatuaje, Crowned Heads, plus solid Honduran and Nicaraguan boutiques. Empire Social, Cuban Crafters, and City Cigar Lounge clear that bar with room to spare.
- Drink program. Miami's best lounges pair cigars with rum, scotch, bourbon, and Cuban coffee in roughly that order. A weak drink program signals a weak smoking program.
- Member culture or walk-in friendliness. Decide which one you want before you go. Empire Social and Red Phone Booth lean members-and-reservations. Cuban Crafters, Española, and City Cigar Lounge are walk-in-first.
Visiting Tips for Miami
- Avoid Friday and Saturday nights at the popular Brickell lounges if you want a seat. Tuesday through Thursday evenings are the relaxed slots.
- Calle Ocho parking is street-side and limited. Use the public garages off SW 8th Street or Uber.
- Española Way is a pedestrian-only stretch; park in a Lincoln Road garage and walk over.
- Bring your own cigar only if the lounge has a clear cutting fee policy. Most Miami lounges allow it for $5 to $15.
- Tipping: standard 18 to 20 percent on cocktails and food. Tipping the cigar roller in Little Havana shops is appropriate when watching a long roll.
- Cuban cigars are not legal to import to the US under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations as of 2026. Every cigar sold legally in Miami is a Dominican, Nicaraguan, or Honduran production.
Can You Smoke Cigars Indoors in Miami?
Yes, in licensed tobacco lounges. Florida's Clean Indoor Air Act bans smoking in enclosed indoor workplaces, with an explicit exemption for stand-alone tobacco retailers. A licensed cigar lounge that derives at least 10 percent of revenue from on-premises tobacco sales qualifies for the exemption. Restaurants and bars cannot allow indoor cigar smoking unless they meet the same exemption. Outdoor patios are unrestricted. The legal age to purchase or possess any tobacco product in Florida is 21, federal law since 2019. Miami-Dade county does not impose city-specific cigar restrictions beyond the state framework.
Where Can You Buy Cigars in Miami?
For walk-in retail outside the lounge experience, Cuban Crafters runs an open retail counter alongside its factory floor, and Cigar Cellar of Miami functions primarily as a tobacconist with a lounge attached. Track Famous Smoke and Cigars International coupons for discounts on the same cigars carried in Miami lounges. Both retailers ship to Florida. To compare specific cigar prices across the network, browse single cigars or run the CigarFinder price-comparison tool. The wider find a good cigar lounge cornerstone covers evaluation criteria for any city.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cigar lounges are in Miami, FL?
The CigarFinder Miami lounge directory lists 50 plus active lounges, tobacconists, and cigar bars across Miami-Dade county. Concentration is heaviest in Little Havana (Calle Ocho), Brickell, South Beach (Española Way), Downtown (Miami WorldCenter), and Coral Gables.
What is the most famous cigar lounge in Miami?
By tradition, Cuban Crafters in Little Havana is the most-historic walk-in factory experience. By contemporary upscale presence and awards, Empire Social Lounge in Brickell (Cigar & Leisure's Best in Nation
) or Red Phone Booth's Brickell speakeasy. By tourist exposure and review volume, Española Cigar Bar on South Beach's Española Way leads at 1,736 Google reviews.
Which Miami lounge has the largest humidor?
Empire Social Lounge in Brickell, with 5,000-plus cigars in a walk-in cedar humidor. Cuban Crafters in Little Havana follows close behind with a duplex-sized
humidor that doubles as a working factory. City Cigar Lounge downtown pairs 400-plus cigars with 450-plus spirits.
Can I smoke indoors at a Miami cigar lounge?
Yes. Florida's Clean Indoor Air Act exempts licensed stand-alone tobacco retailers from the indoor smoking ban. A lounge that derives at least 10 percent of revenue from on-premises tobacco sales qualifies. Restaurants and bars without that exemption cannot allow indoor cigar smoking.
What is the legal cigar-buying age in Miami?
Twenty-one. Federal law raised the minimum age for tobacco products to 21 in December 2019; Florida and Miami-Dade enforce that ceiling.
Are there Cuban cigars in Miami?
No legally imported ones. Cuban cigar imports remain illegal for US residents under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations as of 2026. Every cigar sold legally in Miami is a Dominican Republic, Nicaraguan, or Honduran production, including the Cuban-heritage brands like Cohiba (the Dominican line), Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, and Partagas.
Which Miami neighborhood has the most authentic Cuban cigar experience?
Little Havana along Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street). Hand-rollers work the storefronts, Spanish is the first language, and the cafecito-and-cigar afternoon ritual is intact. Cuban Crafters anchors the strip.
Are Miami cigar prices higher than online?
Generally yes, by 25 to 50 percent on premium SKUs. Local tobacconists carry overhead that online retailers like Famous Smoke and Cigars International do not. The lounge experience justifies the premium for many smokers, but the price gap is real.
Do Miami lounges offer humidor lockers?
Yes, primarily at upscale lounges in Brickell and Coral Gables. Empire Social Lounge, Red Phone Booth, Galiano Cigar Room, and Cigar Cellar of Miami all offer locker programs. Annual locker fees in Miami typically run $200 to $500 plus a refundable security deposit.
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