04-04-2025
Where have all the delis gone? Take a look at these old Miami favorites
Looking for a good place to get some corned beef today?
In the Miami area, it probably won't be at a deli.
In the last two decades, South Florida has lost most of its major delis — the places where the pastramis were spiced and brined and cut at the counter, where waitresses snapped 'Sweetheart' as they tossed down buckets of dill pickles and prune danish.
Demographics had a lot to do with the death of the Jewish deli. (Although these places served it all, including corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day). So did the quest for a healthier diet. Fatty meat and sky-high sodium levels just don't cut it anymore.
Listing the death toll of delis is enough to make us cry (and make us hungry, too).
Corky's. Pumpernik's. Rascal House. Wolfie's.
Yes, there are still places to get a big corned beef sandwich (on rye with mustard, thank you). Mom-and-pop bagel shops such as Moe's in Aventura do their best to fill the void. Chains such as TooJay's and Roasters & Toasters give a nod to the New York-style food popular with Eastern European immigrants and their children. And there a bagel places dotting the South Florida landscape that serve deli food.
But if you're looking for the South Florida originals, they are long gone.
Wolfie's, a Miami Beach landmark for a half-century, served a slew of famous — and infamous — patrons. Meyer Lansky, Muhammad Ali, Deion Sanders and Liza Minnelli enjoyed the overstuffed pastrami sandwiches and giant slices of 'world famous' cheesecake. Restarateur Wolfie Cohen also opened Rascal House in 1954. A dining staple at Collins Avenue and 172nd Street — which outlived legendary delis like Pumpernik's, Wolfie's and Corky's — it closed in 2008.
Here is a look at some of the delis that thrived in South Florida through the years.
Rascal House
Wolfie's
Pumpernik's
Corky's
