Ocean Drive’s most iconic cafe is shuttered. Here’s what we know
.JPG "Folks eat outside at the News Cafe, 800 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. It opened in December 1988.")
Want to pop over to the iconic News Cafe for a coffee, croissant or daily paper? Hold up.
The bustling waterfront restaurant, which has been feeding locals and tourists since 1988, announced it is closing “temporarily.”
The cafe at 800 Ocean Drive did not put out a statement, but its Instagram page says it is “temporarily closed.” On its Yelp page, the restaurant says it is scheduled to reopen on Jan. 8, 2022. Owner Mark Soyka did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
According to the city of Miami Beach, the News Cafe has not renewed its business tax receipt for 2021 and is not legally allowed to operate until it pays for the license.
“News Cafe has not renewed their FY 2021 Local BTR,” a city spokeswoman wrote in an email. “Their FY 2020 BTR was good through December 31st. If they want to operate after January 1st, they need to pay for their FY 2021 BTR.”
The company’s landlord, Goldman Properties, declined to comment for this article.
Local celebrity photographer Seth Browarnik posted an homage on Instagram on Monday, mentioning designer Gianni Versace, who was a fan of the casual yet stylish eatery and went there shortly before he was gunned down on July 15, 1997, in front of his mansion mere blocks away.
“The Miami Beach hotspot was favored by locals for years, including the famous designer Gianni Versace who frequented the sidewalk cafe and newsstand every morning for his breakfast. The cafe was an influential part in the height of Ocean Drive’s popularity and continued to be a long-lasting favorite and treasured gem for locals throughout the years.”
Miami Beach residents noticed the restaurant was boarded up Monday night, and Commissioner Michael Góngora wrote on Instagram that he was “sorry to see Ocean Drive’s famed News Cafe shuttered.”
The restaurant’s social-media team responded Tuesday, “We aren’t closed for good! Just temporarily, we’ll be back.”
Joe Caristo, a 55-year-old former Miami Beach resident, said he visited the historic restaurant every day in the early 1990s when he lived in the city. He also witnessed history there. Caristo said he was on his bicycle in front of the News Cafe when Versace was shot outside his nearby home.
Caristo, who said he left Miami Beach in 2002, told the Miami Herald that he moved away from South Beach when it began to cater to tourists more than locals.
“I have very fond memories of The News, sad it’s gone but so is the rest of what we had back then,” he wrote in a private Facebook message. “When the people that work in a town can’t afford to live there anymore, the vibe is gone. We lived, worked and played in less than a two mile radius.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 11:38 AM.
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