After five years of serving Southern comfort, this South Miami restaurant is closed

South Miami will have to find another spot for Southern comfort: Root & Bone restaurant has closed for good.

The restaurant at 5958 South Dixie Highway, which was opened in 2019 by chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth in a partnership with Grove Bay Hospitality Group, shut down quietly over the weekend, announcing the news on its Instagram account. The restaurant was known for its melding of Southern favorites like mac and cheese, shrimp and grits and the fried chicken McInnis perfected as a chef at Yardbird Table & Bar and Booth’s focus on vegetables (hence “bone” and “root”).

“There aren’t a lot of other restaurants like Root & Bone in the area, so we thought it would be good recipe for us,” McInnis told the Miami Herald when the restaurant opened.

In the post, the restaurant cited changes brought about by the 2020 pandemic, which caused people to eat out less frequently and reduced remote work, which affected lunch reservations.

Earlier this year, Grove Bay sold the Italian restaurant Mi’italia Kitchen & Bar next door — Booth and McInnis were also involved in that project — which also affected the decision to close Root & Bone, the post said. The plan is to focus on the group’s existing restaurants, including the opening of Stubborn Seed in Las Vegas.

“Root & Bone was more than just a restaurant; it was a place where Southern hospitality met elevated comfort food,” the post said. “As we reflect on these years, we are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from our loyal patrons and the dedication of our incredible staff, both past and present.”

Other Root & Bone locations in Indiana and North Carolina will remain open. McInnis and Booth, who also have concepts at Regatta Grove in Coconut Grove, will continue to operate their Stiltsville restaurant on Purdy Avenue in Miami Beach.