The Black Room at the Globe

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One of the Gables’ Finest Private Party Venues Is Hiding in Plain Sight.

The Black Room Can Be a Venue for Party People or, Above, for a Wedding Reception or Even the Wedding Itself

On any given Saturday night, you can expect to hear excellent jazz at The Globe, the European-inspired café and bar on Alhambra just off Le Jeune Road. Typically, the bands play Afro-Cuban jazz in a setting that feels more like a bistro in Belgium or France than Coral Gables, with antique wooden floors, ornate chandeliers, classic paintings, and a long, mahogany bar with a dozen vintage globes on display, a nod to the establishment’s name.

Every so often, from closed doors behind the band, you might hear another stream of music, and what sounds like laughter and the clinking of glasses. What is lesser known is that behind those doors is The Globe’s Black Room, a private party space with its own bar and plenty of room for dancing or formal dinners.

“It’s really one of the Gables’ best kept secrets,” says Daniel Guiteras, who owns and runs the Globe along with his wife Lorraine. “We don’t have flashy advertising campaigns or push an overwhelming online presence. Instead, we prefer letting the service, charm, and above all, our attention to detail and hands on approach speak for itself.” The result is an aura of exclusivity, making those who discover it feel they’ve stumbled upon a special sanctuary. According to Lorraine, from any given party, three or four of the guests will often book the space for an event of their own.

The Globe has been open since 1996, and by 2000 was booming as a happy hour haven. At its peak, the Friday night singles scene was so popular that the street outside had to be closed to traffic, with police barriers. Since then, the back room formerly called the Sand Bar, has grown in popularity for private affairs. 

In 2005 it was re-christened The Black Room, with black velvet walls, a trio of crystal chandeliers, floor to ceiling wood paneling and the rooms crowning center piece – a cove ceiling stacked in elegant, neo-classical plaster moulding. “We did ‘color drench’ before it became a thing, and really obsessed over every detail – I’m talking Wes Anderson level obsession,” says Danny. “Even today, twenty years on, when people come in, they are wowed.”

While the room is frequently used for corporate dinners and cocktail parties, The Black Room truly shines brightest when used as a birthday party venue. “We’ve had all kinds of party themes, running the gamut from The Great Gatsby to Studio 54,” says Lorraine “We’ve had stilt walkers, magicians, belly dancers and some serious hora loca conga lines. Recently, we did an Eyes Wide Shut masquerade ball, and we’ve also had several Bridgerton themed bridal and baby showers, because of our unique decor

Over time, as word of mouth referrals grew, the wedding business has boomed – and not just for the rehearsals and reception, but the nuptials themselves. For these ceremonies, the couples will often take the entire restaurant, Black Room included, so the bride can glide down a flight of elegant stairs that descend to the main restaurant.

Another reason for the Black Room’s popularity: patrons get charged only for the food and beverage, the latter often from the Globe’s well-honed menu. ‘People find it refreshing that we don’t nickel and dime them with hidden fees. They can go with one of our set party menus, or customize to their heart’s content,” says Lorraine. “That’s the beauty of a family run establishment,” she says. “We can help with every aspect – even flowers and decorations. For that we charge just what it cost us. We’ve also developed a pretty good stable of jazz musicians and DJs, as you can imagine, so we can point people in the right direction with confidence. Patrons tend to return for repeat performances; one customer held his 40th, 50th, and most recently, his 60th birthday party there. “We had one couple who had their wedding here, and then their divorce party fif- teen years later,” says Lorraine. “We gave them a discount on the second one…they were repeat customers after all.”