Your next trip to the Dolphin Mall just got a lot more interesting.
Vivo!, the new entertainment complex at the Miami mall, is now open, with 62,000 square feet of space that includes two giant new national venues and a big outdoor plaza with a couple of bars, space for concerts, shows and other events and a Sergio’s serving up Cuban bites.
Located near the parking garage and just west of The Cheesecake Factory, Vivo! is the brainchild of Live! Hospitality and Entertainment, a division of The Cordish Companies. It hasn’t replaced Ramblas Plaza and all its little bars and restaurants — it’s to the side of the mall entrance, so you don’t have to go through it if you’re heading to a movie or to shop.
Vivo feels primarily like a nightlife destination, though parts of it (the air-conditioned parts) are open during the day. This being Miami, walking through the wide-open spaces of the outdoor plaza mid-afternoon is similar to hiking on the surface of the sun.
But in the evening, Vivo! hopes to lure tourists and locals alike.
Judy Moore, senior vice president for Live! Hospitality, told the Miami Herald earlier this year that the brand expects to lure tourists, since the mall is such a draw for them, but is aiming for locals as well.
“This is an opportunity for people not to have to drive all the way downtown for quality food and beverages and entertainment,” she said. “This entertainment district has something for everybody.”
Here’s what you’ll find there at the new venue.
Sports & Social
Want to watch Lionel Messi make his Inter Miami debut with excited, like-minded fans who don’t want to drive all the way to the unknown land of Fort Lauderdale to see it in person? Head to Sports & Social, where you’ll be able to catch pretty much any local sporting event in air-conditioned comfort.
This 17,000-square-foot space is devoted to all things athletic and features three bars, a 50-foot LED screen with sound and lighting effects and a restaurant with a menu from James Beard-nominated chef John Suley. Food choices include bowls, flatbread, a hot Nashville chicken sandwich and barbacoa tacos.
There are also arcade games to play plus live entertainment and a special bar area called The Copa Room with high-end whiskey, scotch and bourbon as well as craft cocktails.
PBR Cowboy Bar
Sorry to disappoint you: “PBR” does not stand for “Pabst Blue Ribbon.” It stands for “Professional Bull Riders,” a real organization that has partnered with the bar.
Is this Doral-adjacent neighborhood ready to ride the mechanical bull? That remains to be seen. But if not , there’s still plenty to do. The 10,000-square-foot space also includes two bars and live entertainment and something that appeals to the inner souls of Miami nightlife lovers: bottle service and VIP tables.
This is the first PBR Cowboy Bar in Florida (there are 12 others across the country). Cowboy boots are not required
Vivo! Plaza
The outdoor piece of the Vivo! puzzle is a space for any number of events: live music, sports watch parties, fun for kids and families, food and drink festivals, you name it. There’s a stage with an LED screen and lounge seating, some of it covered. The space can hold up to 2,000 guests for concerts.
There are also two bars, the Blue Moon Garden Bar and Plaza Bar, plus two other outdoor venues: Sergio’s, which will serve Cuban bites that Miami knows so well, and Crush Bar, which specializes in the favorite alcoholic beverage of Maryland, which is apparently fresh squeezed juice and your choice of booze over crushed ice.
Vivo! Dolphin Mall
Where: 11401 NW 12th St., Miami
More information: www.vivodolphinmall.com