Joe's Stone Crab

Joe’s Stone Crab is older than Miami Beach itself. It has been serving since 1913, two years before the city was even incorporated, and a meal here is less a dinner than a piece of living Miami history. Over more than a century it has grown into one of the highest-grossing independent restaurants in the United States, yet it still feels like the same bustling, democratic institution it always was.

The vast dining room runs on career waiters in white tuxedo jackets and a famous no-reservations policy, which means a line out the door through the winter season. It is loud, busy and full of life, equal parts locals, families and visitors who have made the pilgrimage. The energy is part of the appeal: this is not a quiet, intimate room but a great American seafood hall in full swing.

The reason everyone comes is the chilled Florida stone-crab claws, cracked and served cold with the restaurant’s legendary creamy mustard sauce, in sizes from medium to the giant ‘jumbo’. Around them is a menu of timeless classics: crispy hash browns, creamed spinach, fried chicken, grilled fish and a key lime pie among the best in the city. It is generous, classic and unfussy.

Joe’s is ideal for families, groups and anyone who wants an essential Miami Beach experience rather than a scene. Because it takes no reservations, go early, especially at weekends, or order from Joe’s Take Away next door for a beach picnic. Stone-crab season runs roughly October to May. It is a short drive from the residence, and a ritual no first-time visitor to South Beach should miss.