Independently-owned brewery, taproom and event space turns one in January 2024
As Miami continues its reign as one of the hottest entertainment, food & drink destinations in the world, up and coming Little River, just north and west of MiMo, looks poised to grab the title of the next “big neighborhood.” As a part of a first wave of interesting new venues to populate the Magic City Innovation District, Magic 13 Brewing Co. launched January 2023 on a sprawling, close to 10,000-square-foot patch of land in the heart of it all. The brainchild of owners Ricardo Romano, Richard Fayad and brewmaster Jean Gabriel Taboada, Magic 13, located at 340 NE 61st Street, is far more than an independent brewery showcasing craft beers made with love and devotion. With a capacity of close to 350 indoors and out, comprising an interior taproom and bar and sprawling back patio (a little slice of Key West if there ever was one), it’s also one of Miami’s coolest and most ambitious live music and entertainment destinations featuring everything from salsa lessons to classic rock. With culinary offerings from its partnership with Meat n Bone Kitchen and daily activations ranging from Karaoke Wednesdays to Family Sundays, Magic 13 Brewing Co. offers something for everyone.
“Our vision for Magic 13 was more than just creating an environment for enjoying great craft beer,” says Romano. “We hoped to establish a venue where people would want to return over and over – for food and drink, to listen to all different kinds of music, to meet up with friends, and even bring the kids. Beer was the catalyst but the dream behind Magic 13 was as much this location and layout and how we could create a community here as much as the beers we brew.”
But let’s start with the beers, of which there are five core profiles, always on tap along eight other rotating selections, which change seasonally for a total of 13 beers on tap. The five core brews are:
- ●Islander Lager – a refreshing, bright lager beautifully balancing bitterness, color and body
- ●American IPA – a carefully crafted hoppy, aromatic dream
- ●Magic City – a lightly sour ale with a deep flavor of wild yeast
- ●Hazy IPA – a full bodied, fruity smoother IPA with hints of hops
- ●Golden Rules – liquid gold, a malty blonde ale
“The goal with Magic 13 beers is not to redefine what beer aficionados actually love about a type of beer but accentuate each style’s subtlest nuances to deliver big flavors and great drinkability,” says Taboada, whose brewing hobby began when Fayad, his brother-in-law, gifted him with a home brewing kit in 2014. Taboada, who like Fayad is Colombian and was living there at the time, loved beer and began tinkering. Igniting a passion for the art and science of brewing, he sold his food business and devoted himself completely to a life in brewing. His brewery, 13 Pesos, was soon launched, deriving its name from the amount of the first loan that his great grandfather, who had been banker in rural Colombia, made to a local brewery interest more than one hundred years ago. Ultimately Ricardo and Richard, who had worked together in Miami, began to think about opening a brewery stateside and as they began searching for a location during the pandemic; the partnership with Taboada was born.
With the brewery’s design not conducive to the installation of a full commercial kitchen, the team decided to utilize its spacious outdoor area to accommodate a permanent onsite food truck to provide sustenance to its patrons. After experimenting with a few local concepts, they fixed on Meat n Bone Kitchen, the F&B arm of established Meat n Bone, which specializes in high quality, sustainability-minded sourced products. The culinary offerings are a perfect complement to the bold brews offered at Magic 13 with a menu of artfully prepared shareables and main plates, served daily from 4PM, noon on weekends till close.
To start, an array of meant-to-be-shared appetizers ranging from Wagyu beef carpaccio and chicharron bites to house-made tequeños, a charcuterie board and a sumptuous burrata salad. From there, a bevy of Buns & Buns selections including a Wagyu Bar Burger with house sauce and caramelized onions; ribeye sandwich on ciabatta and a pulled pork sandwich – heritage breed pork cooked low and slow, pulled and served on a golden brioche bun with coleslaw and fries, among others. From the Grill include a BBQ salmon platter, dressed with a house-made Japanese-style BBQ sauce and served with salad; ribeye platter with fries; chicken frites and a striploin platter. Of course, not to be missed, the Meat n Bone Parrillada Platter, available in half and full orders.
Guests can enjoy their selections inside the cool, funky yet elegant black-walled taproom, complete with rough-hewn, fire-branded wood tables and comfortable leather banquettes, against a wall featuring a colorful mural. There is also seating at the welcoming bar, which backs up against an open view of the vats and brewery and an indoor stage. Outside, metal tables and seating are scattered throughout the spacious tree-filled lot, which features a second stage, hammocks strung from trees, pool and ping pong tables and, of course, the Meat N Bone Kitchen food truck.
As they approach the one-year mark, Magic 13 has found an audience with those seeking a respite from the “over the top” (and in many cases overpriced) demeanor that defines much of Miami’s restaurant and nightlife scene. Day or night, outdoors on the sunny breezy outdoor patio, or languidly passing time indoors at the bar, Magic 13 is a little bit of heaven. For a full music schedule and calendar of promotions and other events check www.magic13brewing.com.
Coming soon: Another food truck partner to offer a daily lunch menu; a killer new Happy Hour program and the introduction of a line of Magic 13 distilled spirits.
Magic 13 Brewing Co. is located in the Little River neighborhood of Miami at 340 NE 61st Street. Hours of operation: Monday, 5PM-midnight; Tuesday-Friday, noon-2AM; Saturday, 11AM-2AM and Sunday 11AM-11PM. Follow all of M13’s goings-ons on social media @magic13brewing.
Private event inquiries can be sent via https://magic13brewing.com/private-events/.
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