180° at the DRB is a gastropub located in the heart of Downtown Miami serving a large selection of craft beer. Trained in classic French cuisine, Chef Ryan Martin has taken over the former Democratic Republic of Beer and has introduced his philosophy known as “Gastronomy Redefined.” His cuisine is crafted with simple ingredients while using tedious techniques including sous vide, dehydration, smoking and molecular gastronomy.

When a chef tattoes his culinary philosophy on his body, you know he means business. Chef Ryan Martin of 180° at the DRB has redefined gastronomy and is proud to show it. Once a regular old corner bar on a gritty downtown Miami corner, 180° at the DRB is now a well-rounded gastropub serving quality cuisine and craft beer.

Martin took over the old Democratic Republic of Beer space in September 2014. For a full year, he tinkered with recipes by combining simple ingredients with contemporary cooking techniques. Chef Ryan calls it, “Global ingredients done my way.” He uses the sous-vide method on various meat and veggies, dehydrates and blowtorches ingredients and is a true innovator when it comes to liquid nitrogen desserts.

Patrons will feel right at home at 180°.  Dark wood furnishings, flatscreen TVs and a huge under-lit full-length bar make for a cozy environment. Choose from one of their 100 craft beer selections while you sink into this warm environment, and listen to old school hip hop or rock music.

On your next visit to 180°, start with Chef Ryan’s “Snow Crab” Egg Rolls ($11). Buttery crab meat is lightly combined with cream cheese and the mixture is then encompassed inside of a crispy egg roll crust. The apertif is topped with green onions and best enjoyed when dipped in yuzu ponzu sauce. 

Did we mention that Chef Ryan only uses candied bacon at his restaurant? You will NOT find regular bacon anywhere in this place. Take the Maduros y Queso Frito ($9), for instance. Martin fries sweet plantain until they are melt-in-your-mouth soft with a delicately crunchy exterior. He then deep fries queso frito and adds candied bacon bits and green onion. This is the ultimate sweet and savory combo to satiate all kinds of cravings.

If you’re looking for a lighter option, we recommend the Spicy Tuna Poke ($14) entree. Fresh raw tuna is diced into bite-size cubes and merged with bits of mango and avocado. The aromatic sauce is a light combination of soy sauce, ozeki sake, sriracha and miso. The dish is artfully topped with hijiki, a Japanese seaweed.

We had to sample 180°’s award-winning sliders on our visit. The 50/50 Sliders ($15) contain a chorizo and angus beef blend patty. They may be small but they are packed with big spicy lime aioli flavor. They come topped with a slice of queso frito, a sweet maduro and a fried quail egg and are served with a side of subtly spicy house-made pickles.

We must warn you that “tradition” is not a word frequently used at 180°. Chef Ryan’s desserts are anything but traditional. The Kettle Corn Nitrogen Ice Cream ($10) will first have you thinking, “No way.” Even at first bite, the taste of pop-corn hits you like a speeding train. Do not give up on it! Once you get over the fact that you are NOT eating pop-corn, you can enjoy the rich, creamy and buttery treat, topped with REAL sweet caramel kettle corn.

You may fall into a sugar-induced coma if you eat more than one dessert here, so we suggest you choose just one. If the pop-corn ice cream seems like too much to fathom, try to wrap your brain around the Twix dessert: bacon chocolate ice cream, bacon caramel sauce, bacon-fat powdered sugar, liquid nitrogen crushed Twix and a tempura fried Twix. Take a moment to let that all sink in. Now that you’ve accepted what is pictured below, we have to declare that all chocolate ice cream should be bacon infused. This salty-sweet fusion is nothing like we’ve ever experienced and has become a crowd favorite at the gastropub.

When we asked Chef Martin why the name 180°, he said, “It means we are thinking of food differently.” At 180°, we can expect approachable cuisine with a fine-dining spirit in a laid-back atmosphere. 180° at the DRB is located at 501 NE 1st Avenue. Walk-ins are always welcome but you can make a reservation by calling (305) 809-7564.