Joe's Stone Crab

Joe's Stone Crab at 11 Washington Ave in Miami Beach's South of Fifth neighborhood has operated continuously since 1913, making it not only a Florida institution but one of the longest-running restaurants in the United States. The restaurant's founding dish — the stone crab claw, harvested from Florida waters with a singular sustainable method where one claw is removed and the crab returned to sea to regenerate — remains the star of the menu after more than a century. Joe's operates only during stone crab season, which runs from October through May, a calendar that has never changed. During those months, the stone crab claws arrive in three sizes — medium, large, and jumbo — always served chilled and cracked, with Joe's legendary mustard sauce alongside drawn butter and lemon. The queues outside on weekend evenings can stretch to two hours or more, as Joe's does not accept reservations and never has. The dining room is grand without being formal — white tablecloths, dark wood paneling, and the efficient hum of one of Florida's busiest kitchens. Beyond the crabs, the menu of classic American seafood sides includes creamed spinach, hash browns, coleslaw, and the essential key lime pie that has remained on the menu for generations. The takeout counter on the restaurant's side street is a genuine alternative — the same chilled crab claws and mustard sauce, no wait, available to take to the nearby waterfront. Joe's is genuinely irreplaceable: no other restaurant offers the same combination of history, quality, sustainability, and Miami Beach atmosphere.