‘Very Miami’: BBQ spot from this Caribbean chef finally opens in Coconut Grove

When he first started Drinking Pig BBQ in the front yard of his northeast Miami home in 2020, chef Raheem Sealey wanted to provide a place to gather.

The pandemic was stretching on, and Miami needed a neighborhood hangout at a time when there was nowhere to go and nothing to do, thirsting for community with a side of barbecued meat. Enter Sealey, already known for his time as head chef at Wynwood’s Kyu. Diners flocked to his house to put in an order, pick out a picnic table, sip beer from a cooler and wait for the smoked perfection to grace their plates.

Sealey, who started the venture with his wife Yohanir Sandoval and partner Mark Wint and has gone on to open the upscale Shiso Asian smokehouse in Wynwood, remembers these days fondly.

“It was a real hangout,” he recalls. “I think people liked the neighborhood feel. I think they liked to see that the family was there and running around, kids everywhere. It just felt very, very Miami.”

Five years later, after numerous pop-ups around town to keep the dream alive and a brief stint in Hollywood with the restaurant J&C Oyster, Sealey is finally ready to open his first brick-and-mortar Drinking Pig in Coconut Grove. Located next to chef Michael Beltan’s new burger joint Chuggie’s, the restaurant will offer the staples that made Drinking Pig so popular: Brisket and beef ribs. Chicken and house-made sausage and spare ribs. Classic sides like mac and cheese, cornbread, collard greens and baked beans, maybe creamed corn.

He’s considering adding to this lineup in the future, maybe pastrami and chicken wings, maybe arepas to pay tribute to his Venezuelan-born wife. He has also added a full-service bar, a step up from that original (highly necessary) cooler of beer.

For now, though, Sealey wants to recreate the space Miami responded to back in 2020, with a laid-back atmosphere and the favorites they lined up for. Even the picnic tables are back.

“I still want to create that vibe,” he says of the Grove location. “We’re trying to bring back that same energy that we had in the front yard. One thing I’ve always learned as a chef is if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. And I don’t think it was broken. So I’m not trying to do anything that’s going to jeopardize what we built.”

Sealey, who was born and raised in St. Croix, says the Grove is the perfect location for Drinking Pig, not only because of his long friendship with Beltran but also because of the Grove’s Bahamian history.

“I’m from the Caribbean, too, so that touches close to home,” says the father of four. “Bahamians settled here, and they made a community of this place. I wanted to be in a community that has heritage and soul. The Grove is like a family, a tight-knit, family-oriented community. You see a lot of families walking around. A lot of people live in the Grove, and they don’t really leave the Grove. I think it’s a perfect place for the brand just based on community.”

You might think opening a new restaurant while still steering the course for Shiso, which opened in March, might be a lot, but Sealey finds the differences in the sister concepts makes juggling them endlessly interesting.

“It makes it fun, because I get to play around with whatever I want, and incorporate all the things that I’ve learned from different chefs,” he says. “Drinking Pig is the super chill sister of Shiso, right? It’s just personal and welcoming. Shiso is more upscale. But smoked meats are still part of the concept.”

He’s also grateful to South Florida, to which he moved in 2007 and always feels like home.

“Being able to get to do the things that I want at this time in my career, man, it’s a blessing,” he says. “I’m super grateful for Miami, for the people that believe in me. I’m just part of the community and trying to build things that the community wants and likes. I’m grateful to where I came from and where I’m at. I just love the city and raising my family here and being able to do this type of stuff in the community.”

Drinking Pig BBQ

Where: 3444 Main Hwy., suite 16, Coconut Grove

Opening: Nov. 28

More information: @drinkingpigbbq

This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 4:30 AM.