The story
ViceVersa brings an Italian aperitivo bar sensibility to Downtown Miami, the first bar that celebrated bartender Valentino Longo can call his own. Located in the lobby of the Elser Hotel at 398 NE 5th Street, it is an Italian aperitivo bar with a distinctly Miami point of view, open daily from 5 PM to midnight.
Longo’s career spans over 20 years, beginning in Rome at the legendary Hotel de Russie, with stops in London and most recently Miami, where he was part of the opening team of The Champagne Bar at the Four Seasons at The Surf Club. In 2020, Bombay Sapphire named him “Most Imaginative Bartender.” He has teamed up with the team behind Jaguar Sun—Will Thompson and Carey Hynes—to create a welcoming spot that offers a complementary bar and dining experience with an Italian twist.
The bar's cocktail program is playful and modern, inspired by Italian futurists of the 1930s using Italian spirits, vermouths, bitters, and amari. A signature is the Milano-Torino dolce amaro blend, which serves as the base for a family of negroni drinks and serves like the Chocolate Boulevardier. Their current menu, The Manifesto of Nonsense, is a collection of ten drinks divided into five functional sections: To Awaken, To Excite, To Arouse, To Relax, and To Digest.
Chef Justin Flit leads the kitchen, focusing on simplicity and quality. The menu includes raw bar items, charcuterie, salads, and neo-Neapolitan pizza made with local flours and a 24-to-48-hour cold fermentation. An infamous ViceVersa Burger is available only on Monday evenings until sold out, and housemade gelati and sorbet are spun daily. ViceVersa was a finalist for Best New Bar at the 2025 James Beard Awards, ranked no. 56 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025, and has been recognized with a Michelin Recommended award, solidifying its place among Miami’s best destinations for pizza and impeccably crafted aperitivo.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
Location
Instagram