South Miami Staple Deli Lane Café To Be Demolished

For nearly 40 years, Deli Lane Café & Sunset Tavern has been the beating heart of South Miami — a place where families, friends, and entire generations have gathered for breakfast, brunch, or a late-night beer. Tucked along Sunset Drive and 59th Avenue, its brick-paved, one-way street feels like a scene ripped straight from a European postcard. Tables with umbrellas dot the charming wrap-around patio, where every South Miamian, at some point, has lingered over pancakes, mimosas, or post-bicycle ride coffee.

But that chapter is coming to a bittersweet close within the next two years. According to a report by Miami Herald, Virginia-based developer AvalonBay Communities has purchased the 1.25-acre lot that Deli Lane Café & Sunset Tavern has called home since 1988, with plans to demolish it to build a rental apartment building. The beloved local institution will eventually vacate its current address at 7230 SW 59th Ave., marking yet another seismic shift in a neighborhood already grappling with change. Soon, Sunset Place will be demolished, along with it gems like the coffeehouse Tea & Poets, which will have no choice but to relocate or close down permanently. Just a few blocks north along U.S. 1, the legendary neighborhood deli Bagel Emporium has been forced to relocate from its home of nearly 50 years. It will be moving to a brand new location in downtown Coral Gables, which longtime customers will, of course, support, but its nostalgic, old-time home from a bygone era will be no more.

It makes us wonder: Is this the future of Miami? Will every historic restaurant and bar, including Duffy's Tavern, be sold to a millionaire developer? Is any business safe, even if they've signed a contract for a longer lease — even if they've been key asset to the community for decades?

Thankfully, Deli Lane Will Live On Nearby

Fortunately, this isn't the end of the story. Owners Jahn Kirchoff and Mike Maler have secured a new location just around the corner, inside the historic Dorns building on South Dixie Highway. Once home to a bank, drugstore, and post office in the 1920s, the space will allow the duo to design a modern, code-compliant restaurant while maintaining their neighborhood presence. Construction is expected to take about two years, with a planned reopening in late 2027. In the meantime, the current Deli Lane will keep flipping omelets, making some of the most delicious pancakes in town, and pouring coffee until moving day arrives.

For those wondering what else to order, you must try the eggs Benedict, Maxx's Omelette, the famed Mighty Wrap, the steak and egg wrap, a side of house potatoes or tater tots (always), and the brie and fruit appetizer (it's legendary any time of the day). The Reuben sandwich and the "Deli Turkey Melt" are classic lunch staples, as are the wings, quesadillas, burgers, and chicken finger wraps. You truly can't go wrong. 

The Move Is Still Worrisome

Still, losing Deli Lane's iconic cobblestone-lined home stings. The area around Deli Lane has already been struggling, with neighboring restaurants like Bar Bella relying on pizza pop-ups to draw crowds, and several storefronts sitting empty despite foot traffic from hotspots like Salty Donut, Pura Vida, Cecile Bakery + Cafe, and the Grape Ape. Longtime regulars fear that the loss of one of the few truly communal gathering spaces in South Miami will have a ripple effect on the neighborhood.

South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández, like many locals, echoes this sentiment. He sees Deli Lane as more than a restaurant — it's part of the city's DNA. "It's where people meet for breakfast, play dominoes, and share a drink. It's everybody's go-to watering hole," he told the Herald.

Deli Lane's next chapter may be exciting, but it's hard not to mourn the red-bricked corner that made it a South Miami treasure. We also fear that other longtime businesses could be next.

Deli Lane Café & Sunset Tavern. 7230 SW 59th Ave., South Miami; 305-665-0606; delilane.com.