A new Publix is coming to a familiar place — across the street from an old Publix
Riviera Plaza, a strip mall within walking distance from the University of Miami, once boasted a movie theater open for generations. The first film screened there was titled “Picnic” in 1956. There was a cupcakes outlet. A yogurt store. A submarine sandwich shop.
At the end of September, you can step into a new Coral Gables Publix on the site and relive all the things that used to be sold at the old shopping center.
The bakery has the cupcakes, the deli has the Pub Subs, the dairy aisle has the yogurt and a Redbox rental machine may have the movies.
The nearly 46,000-square-foot, two-story, block-long Publix store is scheduled to open at 7 a.m. Sept. 25 at the old Riviera Plaza site, 1542 S. Dixie Hwy.
Publix spokeswoman Lindsey Willis said the opening will have a traditional ribbon-cutting and a promotional giant Publix shopping cart motoring around the Coral Gables and South Miami communities.
Even with the opening of a new Publix, an old Publix will stay put across the street at 1401 Monza Ave. That store, with its narrow aisles and a packed parking lot, opened in August 1963.
Back-to-back Publix stores
Two Publix stores within walking distance from one another. Isn’t that stretching the BOGO concept to the max?
It’s nothing new.
Publix opened a similar-sized two-story store, dubbed Publix on the Bay, on West Avenue in 1998, just a third of a mile — a brisk five or so minute walk — from the smaller Dade Boulevard Publix that was the first to open in Miami Beach circa 1960. And both remain.
More recently, Publix BOGO’d in Pembroke Pines in 2022 when it opened a Publix a couple blocks from its existing Paraiso Parc location, both on Pines Boulevard and both also still serving customers.
When Publix tore down its Briar Bay Publix across the street from The Falls shopping center in 2022 it didn’t seem such a blow. A newer Publix had opened along South Dixie Highway serving the nearby Pinecrest community about a decade earlier near the big mall. But that Briar Bay strip mall, owned by Publix, was redone, and the rebuilt two-story anchor Publix opened in February 2025.
MORE: What do customers think of the big new Publix at a rebuilt Miami mall? See for yourself
The same situation applies to the coming Riviera Plaza Publix. The Lakeland-based chain purchased the Riviera property from 13th Floor Investments in 2020, five years after the group bought the land and planned to turn the strip mall into a mixed-use development. In 2021, the plaza was demolished.
In addition to the Monza neighbor, there’s also a Publix about four miles north at the 14-story Douglas Grand condominium on Douglas Road. A Whole Foods Market also is sandwiched between the Monza and Riviera Publix stores across the street from the soon-to-be redeveloped Sunset Place mall.
“The other stores in the area are not changing so they will remain open as well,” Publix’s Willis told the Miami Herald about the Florida chain’s plans.
“It is not unusual to have Publix locations in close proximity,” she said. “As a whole, we look for opportunities to best serve our customers and, in some cases, alleviate congestion in stores, in addition to allowing for the best traffic patterns in a particular area.”
What’s inside the new Gables Publix?
The 45,881-square-foot Riviera Plaza store will have the customary departments for seafood, meat and produce, along with a bakery, deli and pharmacy.
Like the new Briar Bay rebuild and a recent upgraded Publix in Key Largo, the Riviera store also will feature a seating area for customers. That’s where you can munch your Pub Subs and sip your GreenWise kombuchas to fuel up for the dreadful traffic crawl home along busy U.S. 1.
The grocery store will be on the first floor of the building, with parking on the top two levels in a garage. That’s different from the Briar Bay Publix in the Falls area, where the store is on the second level and parking is on the ground.
At the Riviera location, a month out from opening, the shelves look nearly ready for stocking. Shopping carts are neatly arranged near the store’s side entrance. Work crews gather near the parking entrances.
What was Riviera Plaza like?
The South Dixie Highway Riviera plaza was anchored by the Loew’s Riviera cinema, which closed in 1999.
Riviera Cinema was a popular draw for decades, especially in the 1970s and 1980s for University of Miami students and Gables residents who could easily walk, drive or bike over to catch box office hits like “North Dallas Forty,” “The Main Event,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and the set-in-South Florida “Body Heat.”
After the Riviera theater closed, the space was converted into a home for Area Stage, which later moved into Shops at Sunset Place in nearby South Miami. In recent years, the strip center had a Subway and a Misha’s cupcakes store, among other businesses.
Now, Publix, replacing all that was there, will sell just about everything.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
