Shorty's Bar-B-Q has set a date for the end of an era: the barbecue joint's Dadeland flagship will serve its final meal on Sunday, December 27, 2026, closing the doors on a restaurant that has anchored that stretch of South Dixie Highway for 75 years. The West Miami and Davie locations will remain open, so fans of the hickory-smoked ribs and creamy coleslaw won't have to go without entirely — just without the original.
According to Miami New Times, Shorty's said it had been part of South Florida's story since 1951 and that generations of families had gathered at its tables for barbecue, special moments, and lasting memories. The restaurant encouraged Miamians to visit before December 27 and share their favorite memories and photographs as the flagship winds down its run at 9200 S. Dixie Hwy.
A Landmark Dating Back to 1951
Shorty's was founded in 1951 by E.L. “Shorty” Allen, and it became known for hickory-smoked ribs and chicken, creamy coleslaw, and a rustic dining room built around communal wooden tables, according to miaminewtimes.com. Over the decades the restaurant racked up ten New Times Best of Miami awards, most recently winning Best Barbecue in 2019. The outlet also reported that the original structure burned down and was rebuilt in 1971, though the Miami Herald has dated that fire to 1972 — the two accounts disagree on the exact year.
Back in September 2025, Shorty's confirmed that its flagship would eventually close and be demolished, but at that point there was no official closing date, and the company said it would share the news with guests once it was confirmed. CEO Mark Vasturo reassured customers at the time that the Dadeland restaurant would keep serving for about another year under its existing lease — a promise that now has a firm end date attached to it.
The Deal Behind the Demolition
The property's fate was effectively sealed back in January 2022, when Florida Value Partners and Atlantic Pacific Companies purchased the site housing Shorty's, along with an adjacent parcel, for $14.5 million, as reported by the Miami Herald. That sale reportedly came with a five-year lease for Shorty's and an offer to include the barbecue joint in future redevelopment plans once the site was rebuilt. Florida Value Partners' own newsroom, however, describes the transaction differently, listing it as a $15 million sale-leaseback of the original restaurant — a discrepancy in the reported price that has never been reconciled between the two accounts.
It remains unclear whether the finished redevelopment will actually make room for Shorty's to return, despite that early offer to include the restaurant in future plans.
What's Replacing the Pit
The project slated for the site is called Ocean Dadeland, planned for the properties at 9180 and 9200 S. Dixie Highway. Floridian Development has described the project as one 25-story tower and one 20-story tower adding 500 multifamily units, 665 parking spaces, and 4,850 square feet of retail space combined. Florida Value Partners' own project page puts the residential count at the same 500 units but lists different totals for retail and parking — 3,300 square feet of retail and 668 parking spaces — leaving the two developer-linked sources at odds over the project's exact footprint.
Floridian Development has reported that final plans for Ocean Dadeland were quietly submitted on March 20, 2024, and that two general construction permits remained under review as recently as March 31, 2025. A proposed permit schedule has construction running from September through March 2027, though the same report cautioned that it was unclear whether that timeline was accurate.
For now, the countdown is simpler than any permit schedule: Shorty's Dadeland location has a little less than two months left to serve the ribs, chicken, and coleslaw that built its reputation, before the wooden tables that hosted generations of South Florida families go quiet for good.
