Kendall’s favorite barbecue joint just got much bigger. Will you still have to wait?

At the new home of Kendall’s beloved Apocalypse BBQ, there are so many more places to sit. Way more parking, too.

And, of course, there’s more of what made Apocalypse so famous that fans were willing to travel from across Miami-Dade and line up for hours in the hot sun: brisket, ribs and other barbecue magic.

The restaurant, which owners Jeff and Laura Budnechky started in their backyard, then became a pop-up in Wynwood, opened at the end of 2022 at Killian Greens Golf Club. With only 43 seats, space was limited, but diners’ enthusiasm was endless, resulting in daunting waits and the possibility of items being crossed off the menu by the time you got in.

Half an hour into Thursday’s soft opening at the new restaurant at Kendall Village Center, lines had already formed outside the building, the former Starlite Diner. But with 190 seats, the restaurant’s capacity to handle a crowd is much better and the problem less acute.

“I guess our soft opening is not gonna be so soft,” Budnechky said on the restaurant’s Instagram account as he shows the line of patient diners.

Located near the shopping center’s Regal movie theater, the new Apocalypse opens officially on March 1, but don’t even try to get reservations for that night — or any other. The restaurant has stuck to its first come, first served process, so you may have to wait a little, especially on the weekends. Especially the first weekend.

The L-shaped interior, with white walls, a dark ceiling and lighting more dramatic than you’ll find in most diners, includes a bar area with high-top tables and seats at the bar. The main dining area to the right as you walk in is a long row with comfortable booths evoking the space’s past life as a diner.

The menu remains the same, showcasing what has made the restaurant famous: smoked meat by the half pound, Bustelo-rubbed ribs, stacked sandwiches, insanely flavorful chicken wings and specialties like brisket empanadas, cheesy street corn, mac and cheese topped with smoked pork belly and the famous cornbread baked in the shape of a skull.

At a pre-opening cocktail hour and dinner on Wednesday night, Budnechky called himself and his team “blessed” and “very fortunate.”

“We’re incredibly proud to be here,” he said. “We’re committing ourselves to continuing this legacy of incredible quality. We’re doubling down on our beliefs. We’ve spent a lot of time as a team talking about how important it is to make sure that every single person that sits down at our table is actually having a meal.

“It’s not just about the food. That’s very important, obviously, that the brisket is tender and the ribs are juicy. That’s No. 1. But it’s about the opportunity to come together and laugh and share. We’ve always believed we’re not in the food business. We’re in the love business. Now more than ever that needs to stand true.”

The move comes just months after the Budnechkys opened another concept, Lala’s Burgers and Fries, at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co. at 7360 SW 41st St., Miami. Lala’s opened in December, and at the time — unsurprisingly — Budnechky was adamant he only wanted to work on projects he is passionate about.

“I don’t want to ever produce something that my heart isn’t behind,” he told the Miami Herald.

Apocalypse BBQ

Where: Kendall Village Center, 8695 SW 124th Ave., Miami

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday-Monday

More information: www.apocalypsebbq.com or @apocalypsebbq

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 4:30 AM.