Hank & Harry's Opens at Aventura Mall This Week

Miami Beach's Hank & Harry's Deli, a New York-style delicatessen founded by local restaurateurs Buzzy Sklar and Richard Booth, will bring corned beef and pastrami to Aventura Mall this week.

Opening Friday, January 19, the space is located inside the mall's new Treats Food Hall. The deli will be joined by other popular concepts such as My Ceviche, Shake Shack, and Zuuk Mediterranean, which are expected to debut soon.

Almost identical to the Lincoln Road location's menu, the Aventura outpost will serve a hodgepodge of traditional Jewish deli plates such as corned beef and pastrami sandwiches ($12), knishes, house-made bagels with cream cheese ($1.50 to $3), and black-and-white sugar cookies ($1.50), as well as hot Italian sandwiches and meatball subs ($10). The restaurant also offers custom-built salads and wraps, soups, burgers, and hot dogs, as well as coffee from Illy ($3 to $6). Decor will be similar: white-tiled walls, gold accents, and black-and-white checked tile flooring.

The Aventura location will also sell premade, grab-and-go wraps and sandwiches, drinks, and muffins for busy shoppers and mall employees.
The opening coincides with the launch of the Hank & Harry's Deli app, where customers can order in advance for take-out or eat-in to avoid long lines. After an order is placed (first-timers receive $5 off their initial purchase), the app will notify the user when it is ready for pickup at the counter. There's a separate area where customers can grab their food without waiting at the register. The app offers a host of other features, including a customer loyalty rewards program, a user-friendly menu, a store locator, geo-targeted news, and special offers.

The expansion marks somewhat of a resurgence in Miami's long deli history (along with proof of demand for a quality pastrami sandwich). Years ago, places such as Wolfie Cohen's, Pumpernik's, and Junior's served traditional deli-style meals like corned beef on rye bread and bowls of warm matzo ball soup to thousands of customers. But as Miami's Jewish population moved north, most establishments shuttered. This is Hank & Harry's second location, and a third is slated for 5958 S. Dixie Hwy. in South Miami this February.

Treats Food Hall joins about a half-dozen others scheduled to open in Miami-Dade, including La Centrale at Brickell City Centre, the Citadel in Little River, St. Roch Market in the Design District, and Time Out Market in South Beach.

Hank & Harry's Aventura Mall. 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura; handhdeli.com. Grand opening Friday, January 19. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.