Miami’s Oldest Bar Closes After 102 Years
As of Saturday October 25th, the once-oldest bar of Miami – Tobacco Road – is now officially closed. Since it opened in 1912, Tobacco Road was located at 626 South Miami Avenue, and for the past 102 years it was the best of hosts to those whom happened upon it in search of alcohol, delicious food, and live music. Sadly though, the tavern will bid its goodbye as a new condo building will soon occupy the lot on which it sat.
Back in 2012, this land was purchased for $12.5 million by developer Carlos Mattos. Shortly after he bought the land, Mattos struck a deal with the Road’s owner, permitting the bar to stay around a couple of more years while Mattos weighed his options for his newly acquired asset. Now that he has made his decision, the apartment building-to-be will fit in nicely into the area, as across from where the tower will be raised, the Brickell City Centre is undergoing construction (a mega-project which includes 780 condominiums, 263 hotel rooms, 260,000 square feet of office space, and a shopping-center).
For those who were regulars at Tobacco Road though, do not despair! The Road’s general manager, Joel Rivera, bought the bar’s name and plans to reopen it not too far from its original location. Rivera has shown interest in a locale at 69 SW Seventh Street, which is right across from the Brickell City Centre. Additionally, the bar’s name will also live on aboard a Norwegian cruise ship, the Escape. The Tobacco Road that will open on the ship in November 2015 however, will not be the same as it was in Brickell. This bar will not serve the Road’s trademark burger, or any food at all for that matter, and will not host live music, but rather it will focus on serving exquisite cocktails and drinks of the like.
