I came for the Mariah Carey bar theme and was super excited. I got the tickets on bucketlister and went with two friends. We quickly realized how many rules there were with this event/bar experience. We immediately had to pick if we wanted food downstairs or skip food entirely and go upstairs to the bar. I was hungry, so we decided to eat first. The welcome drink was watered down and kinda gross. We didn't drink it. We had to order proper drinks, so that felt scammy. We waited a while for a waitress to order food, but she eventually showed up. The burger was the thinnest, rarest burger I've ever had and the waitress never asked me how I wanted it cooked. I wouldn't order it again, although it was tasty. It wasn't very busy when we arrived, but as we left it was a little more crowded. Speaking of leaving, we were all forced to leave because my friend went to the bathroom and they wouldn't let her back in...despite our tickets being valid for another half hour! The upstairs was well decorated and holiday themed. The Mariah Carey cutout board was oddly placed at the entrance, so it was awkward to try to get a picture. We also waited a while for drinks at the upstairs bar. The bartenders were pretty overwhelmed for only 10 people at the bar and there was very limited seating. They also were annoyed and complaining about hearing "all I want for Christmas" every 30 minutes. I only heard it once while I was there. If I were to return, which I probably won't, I would book a time when it's going to be empty, eat before, and pre-game heavily. Also, remember to hold it if you need to use the bathroom. TBH, I won't come back. read more

Ray’s Hometown Bar - Burger - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

A special spot in Miami Beach with Mariah Carey's Christmas experience. It is a charming place in a gorgeous boutique hotel with effective holiday decor. The bar was much smaller size than expected, especially for having to pay such a disconcordant cover just to enter the space - whilst the staff's attire didn't even lean into the theme - heck, there were even Halloween decorations still left up behind the bar. The menu was concise yet varied for the Christmas theme. BE ADVISED, entrées do not come with fries / sidesand are sold separately, unfortunately. The drinks (espresso Martini and Hot Chocolate cocktail!) were delicious (even though I was... off-put they served the Hot Chocolate in what felt like an airport to-go cup I could by at the Dollar Store), and the mushroom sandwich, which I believe was the first time I've ever had it, was fantastic! They definitely need to have more staff, as the wait times did drag on, and I felt for the wait staff that constantly looked overwhelmed; please give 'em a raise! They definitely went to the 9 with the decor, but it still felt cheap. At least it's in a walkable, easily accessible, multi-modal area with outdoor seating on a beautiful streetscape that makes it even better. The only reason it's getting 4 stars when it deserves 3 is because: 1) the staff did their best and 2) it is evident how slamming that mushroom sandwich was! read more

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The type of neighborhood dive bar Miami needs more of! Rays perfectly embodies a beachy dive bar with quirky decor, dim lighting and great music. There is plenty of seating if you want to chat, but the DJ was playing some great classics. The drinks are on the pricier side, but to be expected for any Miami bar. This will become a staple for my friend group. read more

Ray’s Hometown Bar - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

Loved loved the Mariah Carey pop up bar here. I had not been back to this space since it was the former 27 restaurant. I really like how they utilized the space to make Rays Hometown Bar and especially this Christmas pop up. So fun! We came in early evening on a Saturday and it gave us enough time to explore the space and all the picture ops without it being so full of people. The detail with the Christmas decorations and Mariah props was everything. You can expect a life size cutout, a slay sleigh, well... I don't want to give too much away if you haven't been yet. But you can definitely expect a great time. Once the DJ arrived, Saturday night got lit up in the there! They have their specialty cocktails (inspired by Mariah songs, of course) and a full bar. I tried the "Make My Wish Come True" which was really yummy and full of Christmas cheer. I highly recommend checking out the pop up experience. Such a great tribute to the queen of Christmas. And I can't wait to return on a regular evening. Fun fun! read more

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We had such a fun night at Ray's Hometown Bar at the Freehand Miami during the Mariah Carey Holiday Bar pop-up. The decorations were festive and fun, the themed drinks were cute, and there were lots of great photo opportunities. Our bartender was super nice and welcoming, which really added to the experience. Parking was also easy, with a lot right across the street from the back entrance. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely go back for another themed night. read more

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Visited the Mariah Carey pop up and was honestly disappointed. The decorations were amazing, but that was the highlight of the experience. Maybe it was because we chose general admission instead of the brunch, but it didn't wow me. Your entrance includes a first drink, but you are limited to only two options. Unfortunately, I couldn't have either due to lactose intolerance (one was an adult version of hot chocolate and the other was kind of chocolate martini which my friends didn't like at all). I did try a tequila drink that was basically a tequila sangria, which I wouldn't recommend, and a coconut mojito, which was ok. I was also hoping for real food, but the menu was very limited to just sides. Overall, the entire experience felt overhyped. The decorations were great, but the food and drinks were disappointing. read more

Ray’s Hometown Bar - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

I only went to Ray's Hometown Bar for the Maria Carey pop up. The decorations were decent but everything else was quite disappointing for the $20 entry fee. The options for the "welcome drink" was either an espresso martini or a boozy hot chocolate. I chose the hot chocolate and was super shocked by the presentation. I was given just a styrofoam cup with only ¼ of the cup filled with the drink. I felt that I could've been given the hot chocolate in a glass just like other drinks on the menu (even the espresso martini) but the presentation was insanely lazy. The drink itself was also disappointing and not cohesive at all. It was super sweet and had a very sharp alcoholic after taste. Some of my friends wanted to eat and we were shocked with the number of typos on the menu that were not corrected. Clearly they did not care to run a good operation and are relying on the hype of Mariah Carey. Overall, it was a huge waste of money and I will definitely not go back. read more

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They served me a completely burned hockey puck of a fried chicken sandwich. So gross!

Friendly staff, lively fun atmosphere. Promising menu, but it was late night so they were only serving burgers which was fine by me. The burger was pretty sad and lifeless. A sprinkle of grilled onions, no lettuce, a slice of American cheese, a couple of tired pickles . patties were ok. Overall what you'd expect from a fast food place at 2x-3x the price . Tip automatically included even though i ordered at the bar. Overall the energy of place was good with nice outdoor seating at Broken Shaker. But eat before you come and just have some drinks here. At least that's my late night advice . Food might be better when they are doing a full menu . read more

What a great little bar! Hard to find but worth the hunt. I went here with some colleagues from work from out of town we wanted a local place that wasn't charging hotel prices for drinks. The service was awesome and the people in the the bar were so friendly. Ended up taking a picture with everyone there at the time. It was wild. A night to remember for sure. read more

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I visited this bar last night/ this morning for the Mariah Carey Holiday Bar. The decor was fun. That's the only positive review I can share. The ticket advertised from 11:30 pm - 3:00 am. The manager shut the bar down at 1:30 pm. When we inquired about the difference in the closing time, the manager was rude and stated he didn't have the staff to keep up with the crowd -the crowd was approximately 25-35 people ( and I'm being generous with the participants. The Miami location's management staff did not create the fun Mariah's Carey experience. read more

The Mariah Carey holiday pop up bar was highly disappointing! Nothing like social media makes it out to be.

Nice bar by the pool area. I loved how they were playing 2000s hip hop. Gives it a great vibe. read more

Ray’s Hometown Bar - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

Ray's is a vibe! We came in as a bachelorette party group and Emma made sure we had a great time. They had a DJ playing and we had a blast dancing - def a highlight of the trip! read more

Emma is a true gem! Loved stopping by this bar. Amazing service, great drinks. All around good vibe.

Ray's was the perfect stop on our Miami trip. Such a great vibe and the snacks were perfection. The team was super friendly and we most definitely will be coming back soon. It's hard to find places anymore with reasonable pricing + great service + delicious food. Ray's nails all three. read more

It was amazing!! Ray's team knows how to set a vibe. Cocktails upstairs were amazing !

Emma is absolutely fantastic !!!! She made mine and my girlfriends experience amazing. She was very friendly and talkative to the point where I felt as if she was one of my friends. She was also very informative about many great places to visit. The bar in itself has an AMAZING chicken sandwich and many fun drinks. The staff is also wonderful and cares about your safety. The vibes were also great. The decor was so fun read more