Restaurant Rave: Level 6 Rooftop Bar and Restaurant in Miami

Up on the Rooftop

I’ve realized something recently: rooftop bars and restaurants are Happy-Makers. Thinking about the ones you’ve experienced, don’t you agree that they are both festive and relaxed? There’s an air of celebration, and the panoramic views they offer bring a sense of expansiveness and wonder into the vibe. Even in the most crowded of cities, being in the open air at a higher elevation than ground level makes you feel special and secluded, almost like you have a secret hideaway, or an oasis from the chaos where you’re closer to the stars. And when you look around at the other patrons, everyone is happy—and that just breeds MORE happiness.

Level 6 was the Proof

An April evening at Level 6 in the Coconut Grove area of Miami brought this Rooftop-as-Happy-Maker realization to the forefront for me. My son and I went there one night when I visited him at grad school (University of Miami) because of an enticing menu and an even more enticing view, but even with these high expectations, we were blown away by the quality of our experience. 

Thomas and I were happy to start with, having first walked along the water at Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables, watching all kinds of water sports and recreation, families picnicing and children frolicking. A waterside stroll is so peaceful and rejuvenating.

And then when headed for Coconut Grove and took the elevator ride up from sea level to Level 6 Rooftop, we had one of those forever-memory experiences, from the outset.

Tanner, the manager, greeted us like we were old friends, and visited often during the evening to make sure that everything was perfect for us. He recommended the wine for each course to complement our meal choices—and his taste was ‘spot on’, as the British say. He even personally escorted us out of the now-crowded restaurant when we were finally ready to leave at dusk.

Let’s Talk about the Food!

But let’s go back to the beginning, so I can talk about the food. It was a Sunday night, our last dinner together before a very early Monday flight back to Houston for me. We were celebrating the end of a wonderful weekend and a terrific performance of two of my son’s jazz arrangements by U MIami’s Henry Mancini Institute (HMI) Orchestra, part of his doctoral activities. So calories be damned: we splurged on this meal and started with the Spanish Charcuterie, which was toasty grilled sourdough bread alongside ibérico chorizo, ibérico salchichón and jamon serrano, plus tart and crunchy pickled green beans and a silky mound of crème fraîche topped with a pool of fruity olive oil and spices.

It looked like too much for two people when it arrived, but we slowly savored every bite, chatting about our weekend and upcoming plans for the summer, until that beautiful platter was completely empty. (Calories be damned, remember?!)

Next, we shared the Paella De Mariscos, an essence-of-the-sea dish that was as delicious as it was beautiful.

We dove right into that umami-laden seafood and rice extravaganza, which the menu explained was spanish bomba rice, sofrito, argentinian shrimp, langoustine, mussels and lemon.

The bright-tasting, bright-green sofrito was the perfect touch for the paella, and I learned something about sofrito as a result: some countries use tomato, which makes it red, and others don’t; here’s a Puerto Rican sofrito recipe, a green one.

Sofrito is now on my list of culinary adventures to explore, my friends.

A Perfect Evening

Overall, our time at Level 6 was PERFECT, creating a memory I will always treasure. In addition to the views, the ambiance, the service and the food, the people-watching was great, and every person there was smiling, because rooftop bars and restaurants are Happy-Makers.

I’ll be back, Level 6! More than once, although I’ll have to hurry because my son’s doctorate journey (jazz studio arranging) will be over in May of 2025.

Enjoy Your Local Rooftop

If you’re ever in Miami, I can highly recommend Level 6. But if that trip isn’t in the cards for you—especially during hurricane season—just check out the rooftop establishments wherever you happen to be. As I said in the intro and repeated a time or two: they are Happy-Makers. I’m now pretty committed to going to at least one rooftop joint on each trip, in each new town, and in fact, we just proved the Happy-Maker rule again during our time in Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago, which I promise you will hear about in due time, Dear Readers.

Do You Have a Fave?

Do you have a favorite rooftop eatery or bar, anywhere in the world? I’d love to hear about it in the comments, and will put your recommendations on my rooftop bucket list.

© 2024, Glover Gardens

Reminder: this is a non-commercial blog, and any recommendations or product mentions are strictly my opinion and not a paid advertisement.