MO Bar + Lounge

Really beautiful bar inside an equally magnificent hotel in Brickell. Drinks are pricey but the quality and artistry make it well worth it. Attend happy hour if you want to save a few dollars. There’s live music on the weekends. Really great atmosphere and the servers are super nice. The view of the city is unparalleled. Recommend the southern swizzle or Moscow mule

One of my new favorites and only wish the trio played longer sets… Great hotel bar for a group or couples alike. Food delish & drinks were just right

My coworker bring me here last time for a try. Nice and cozy setup, professional and relaxing environment and table setup. The staffs are beautiful and sweet. We had a good time together, nice drink and talking, music was not so loud so we can enjoy our conversation

I love this place. From time to time after a stressful week at work, I come to MO Bar and Lounge. The service is great. On the weekends there is usually a band playing. The views are spectacular. I would like to say that our server, Eric is amazing. He makes great recommendations for drinks and is very attentive. He always provides my friends and I with great service, and that is sometimes hard to find in Miami. There is also a younger server/​bartender named Jose I think he is from Hialeah who is very attentive as well. Overall, I would definitely recommend.

This could be one of the most romantic spots in all of Miami.
Beautiful spot to grab a drink and light bites in the Mandarin.
Sweeping views of Miami, great service and reasonable prices too.
Would definitely come back.

This is a really cool little place out in the Brickell area. At first we were looking for it because on Unilocal it says it has a really cool view which i would have to say that it does not to mention some really chill music performed by a live band. They play all the Spanish classics like Bessame… oh you know for that romantic vibe.
But honestly it’s a really cool trendy little spot that the next time i come visit i will definitely check out there food menu. We stopped in for some pretty innovative cocktails and enjoyed the music for a bit, the hotel is gorgeous so definitely just come here for the instagram picture or just for the cool lounge vibe!

I was staying at the Mandarin Oriental this past weekend when I was visiting Miami, and the MO Bar made my entire trip infinitely better. This hotel bar is beautiful and has a very chill and sophisticated atmosphere. They often have live music as well. I enjoyed this bar so much that I came here two nights in a row.
The first night, my friend and I sat at the bar. We came for during happy hour, which is Monday-​Friday 5−8pm. You get 3 drinks for $ 25 which is an excellent deal. Their drinks are typically ~$ 15 and up, but they’re still worth it.
I first tried the New York Sour — whiskey, lemon, simple syrup, egg white, red white float. I’m normally not a whiskey type of girl, but I decided to try this intriguing combination of ingredients. Watching the bartenders freshly crack the egg whites into your drinks was such an experience! The touch of red wine at the end is nice too. I enjoyed this drink so much that I got another.
I also tried the Elderflower Spritz — St. Germain, sparkling wine, club soda. I’m a fan of St. Germain so I really wanted to try this. This drink was delicious as well, but I think I was spoiled by the New York Sour. Alejandro makes amazing drinks! Steven, the manager, is excellent too.
On my second night, I had a New York Sour and an Old Fashioned. I have nothing negative to say about this bar. If you’re in the area, or even if you’re not, you should make your way here. It’s a great bar/​lounge to go to with your friends or on a nice date.

Anyone who loves to whine constantly about bad service in Miami (we all know these people) clearly has never been to the Mandarin Oriental, and more specifically, its lovely little lobby lounge known as MO. Mentions of service are often noticeably absent in my reviews, as it’s only the truly awful or truly exceptional instances that capture my attention. For MO, score one in the «truly exceptional» category. The attention to detail here is on a similar level to what would be expected in a posh London lounge. Not only are the servers friendly, yet professional and swift, during happy hour we noticed the bar manager *constantly* working the room, keeping customers happy, and adjusting the blinds just so, as to keep pace with the setting sun and ensure the ideal balance of natural light and shade.
The atmosphere couldn’t be better, with downtown Miami and Brickell perfectly framing the westward terminus of south Biscayne Bay. The moment I sat and ordered a drink, I felt like a million bucks.
Speaking of the bucks, MO isn’t «cheap» during regular hours — but thankfully, it offers up a generous happy hour from 5−8PM, Monday to Friday. $ 25 nets 3 of the drinks on the happy hour menu. Some places skimp with their happy hour menu in terms of quality and/​or interesting cocktails, but I’m pleased to report that here, a decent variety of well-​done classic cocktails are on offer. For example, consider the Negroni, Blood & Sand, Old Fashioned, and an excellent take on a whiskey sour with a red wine float known as the «New York Sour.»
I started out with another classic option, the French 75, an old New Orleans favorite. It’s a refreshing, simple cocktail of gin, lemon, sparkling wine and syrup. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting too much out of this one beyond sheer refreshment, but it turned out to be the tastiest French 75 I’ve ever had… including the one at the namesake New Orleans bar Arnaud’s French 75 — but that’s another story for another review. MO nailed it, with just the right balance of acidity, fizz and sweetness. Moving on to the New York Sour and the Blood and Sand, I found a similar level of craft. Someone here knows what he/​she is doing.
Now, $ 25 for 3 cocktails, I like the price, but I think that the quantity is a little awkward if you’re just a couple on a date stopping in for a quick drink or two. It means that someone has to take one for the team and drink two while the other is left with one. This is perfect for a party of three, of course, or if you’ll be there for a long enough time to make it through 3 cocktails apiece, making it 6 for $ 50. For a quick 20 minute stop in, though, it could be a little awkward, so keep that in mind.
That said, I’d be glad to plant my roots here for a couple hours and soldier my way through 3 drinks.
It should also be said that this IS Brickell Key, so parking is bound to be costly. Parking on the island itself is limited to A) a very expensive garage or B) expensive valet. I intensely dislike valet parking in all its forms anyway, so leave it to me to find a better option. If you’ll be there for happy hour, park on Brickell Bay Drive on the other side of the bridge. At that time, finding a spot shouldn’t be an impossibility. Then, just walk across the bridge to the Mandarin Oriental — no big deal.
I was excited to have found this place — I don’t feel that many locals would know about it, as it’s ensconced within a hotel on an island. For that kind of quality and atmosphere, however, and at happy hour prices to boot, I consider it well worth checking out.

Others have mentioned The bar manager, Steven Minor but he can’t be mentioned enough. Stumbled in here with a friend during the boat show and was blown away. Stayed till closing and came back every night thereafter. I wasn’t a big cocktail guy (more beer, wine and basic vodka) and it must be said that Steve and his team turned that around. A true mixologist with flair, passion and precision. Came back and am staying at the Mandarin Oriental with my wife this time all because of Steve. You know the hotel experience will be great at the MO but their bar takes the travel/​leisure experience to a whole new level. Shout out to an excellent waiter, Brent, at their main restaurant Azul as well!

MO Bar + Lounge deserves every star. Yes, the cocktails by Bar Manager Steve Minor are out of this world. Yes, the food is superb. But above all else, I fell in love with this place because of the attention to detail, personalized customer service, and Steve’s knowledge and passion for what he does.
During happy hour (Monday — Friday from 5 p.m. — 8 p.m.), you can pay $ 25 and choose three cocktails from an extensive menu organized by kind of alcohol (Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, Aperitifs, Wine & Sparkling). On Thursdays and Fridays, the bar features a band playing live jazz and/​or salsa/​Latin music.
By Steve’s recommendation, my boyfriend and I started off with the Americano (Campari, red vermouth, club soda) and the New York Sour (whiskey, lemon, simple syrup, egg white, red wine float). Both were wonderfully on the bitter side, which made them a refreshing change from the overly sweet and overly strong stuff you usually find at most bars.
Next we tried the Southern Swizzle (Bourbon, ginger beer, Crème de Peche, peach nectar, lemon, mint, Peychaud’s bitters), which tasted like a wonderfully refreshing (almost tropical) and zingy spin on the Mint Julep, and the delightfully smoky Ahi Rocoto & Pineapple «Margarita» (tequila reposado, rocoto-​pineapple mermelada, house citrus coridal and lime wiht a Tajin rim). The «Margarita» is a special drink they conceived for Bar Spice. I’m usually a chicken when it comes to spicy drinks, but this one was all smoke and flavor with no painful bite. Our server also told us it can be moderated to suit guests’ preferences for heat.
Lastly, our favorite drinks were the Pisco Sour (Pisco, lemon, simple syrup, egg white, aromatic bitters) for its velvety viscous texture, and the Purple Haze (pear vodka, St. Germain, lychee and hibiscus juice, and rose champaign, served with a candied hibiscus stuffed with lychee). The Purple Haze isn’t on the actual menu (it’s a cocktail Steve created while working at the Atrium in Chicago), so you have to ask for it special. It’s to die for and mesmerizing to look at.
Like I said, though, while the drinks and food were phenomenal and definitely merit the price, it was Steve and his team that really made the experience unique. Steve doesn’t just make a recommendation and tell you what’s in it — he explains how the ingredients act together and why they blend well on a molecular level. He’s extremely well versed in his craft, and gave us an enthusiastic lesson on mixology basics — everything from how to order a drink like a pro, common misconceptions about certain liquors, and the secret ingredient to making your own drinks taste like craft cocktails (quality, well-​stored bitters!).
You can tell right off the bat just how passionate he is about what he does, and he and the team constantly checked up on us to get our feedback, offer recommendations, or just make sure we had room on our table and water in our cups.
At the end of our dining experience, Steve poured us a sample of his own signature tequila, which he makes himself in house. Apparently, you can’t ask for it — it has to be offered to you by him, and you only get one shot per person. It was so smooth, earthy, and smokey that it went down like a digestif on its own.
I highly recommend MO Bar to anyone who wants a thoroughly immersive cocktail and culinary experience and is looking for some real customer service in Miami.
It’s also a hell of a place to impress a date at!

This place is a hidden gem in Brickell, as I don’t think many of the locals in this area think to go to hotel bars (unlike South Beach). Living on Brickell Key though, we walk over to the Mandarin Oriental for MO Bar’s happy hour on a pretty regular basis. The décor and atmosphere are nice, and the view across the water to Brickell is beautiful. (There is even a small patio area if you want to sit outside, though it doesn’t seem to be open very often.)
What really sets this bar apart though are the handcrafted drinks. They do excellent versions of classic drinks, and put their own spin on others. Their moscow mule is one of my favorites.
Yes the drinks are pricey, but trust me, they pack a punch. Plus, they now have happy hour M-​F from 5−8pm where about a dozen of their cocktails are 3 for $ 28, which really is a great value (I’d be paying at least $ 30 for five or six beers elsewhere for happy hour, which would be about the same amount of alcohol but way less tasty.)
Service is excellent, which should go without saying. However, I’m saying it anyway, because in addition to being extremely skilled bartenders, Kris and Eric are always very friendly and helpful.
If you’re looking for a packed bar with lots going on, you might want to look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a relaxed place with a gorgeous atmosphere and excellent drinks, this place fits the bill.
If you live in Brickell, take a stroll over to Brickell Key to grab some pre-​dinner drinks at MO Bar — you won’t be disappointed!

Greet drinks and staff but the «martini» glasses have got to go. The martini glasses were no more than a desert glass; small and shallow. Not to mention that I don’t want to drink a nice drink from this, but $ 16 for a disappointing tiny drink. And be prepared to be sitting with infants and children during what could really be a nice intimate setting.

Pros:
Beautiful setting: nice leather bar chairs, nice lounge furniture.
Great view!
Amazing service!!!- bar attenders are superbly nice and attentive!
Live music– awesome.
Drinks are great.
Bar food? — it’s ok, nothing great, but this is not the place where u eat, so am giving 5 stars based on everything else.
Downside?:
I was there Friday in October and it was empty with exception for few couples and a small group of friends. I am not sure if this place ever gets busier socially — but the venue is so beautiful and with live music — great place to be anyway.

I love the ambience of the new MO Bar with it’s high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows… Beautiful bay scapes you can watch the sun set whilst enjoying a class cocktail such as a Moscow Mule, French Martini or just stay simple and have a glass of bubbly. Life is good when you step into the Mo Bar. Kris is bar keep extraordinaire.

It’s in the Mandarin Oriental.
The bar is beautiful. It’s city views very romantic. I tried the lychee martini, which was fantastic. My friend ordered bitter beer but couldn’t have it because the bar was out of bitter beer. There are no happy hour specials.
The bar is fantastic if you live a nice view with good service. This is a perfect bar for its hotel guests, anyone with an expense account and anyone who may prefer drinking liquor and mixed drinks over beer.
Parking is valet. We thought we’d save in parking by passing at the garage, but for hours turned out to be $ 24. Yikes! In my book, quite the pricey night for just two drinks and there are better hotel bars in town with nicer happy hours. You decide.