Joe's Stone Crab: seafood at its crab-cracking finest
Published: Mar 31, 2009
Joe Weiss set up his lunch counter on Miami Beach in 1913 feeding customers fresh fish sandwiches and fries. In 1921 the restaurant florished after discovering that stone crabs were edible — and quite delicious.
Inside Joe's, the dark wood bar, bright tablecloths, antique-inspired chandeliers and formally dressed wait staff make you feel as if you're dining on board the Titanic (before the iceberg, of course) and not on the corner of Bicayne Street and Washington Avenue.
Stone crabs, which are clearly Joe's specialty, come in several sizes — medium, select, large, and jumbo — referring to the size of the individual crabs, not the quantity of the order.
Appetizers run from $10-$17, and you can munch tasty starters like oysters on the half shell, conch fritters, fried calamari, and coconut shrimp.
If you're in the mood for soup, sip on the Manhattan Clam Chowder or the Seafood Bisque, both $7. Entree house favorites include Jumbo Crab Cakes ($20), Ginger Salmon ($20) and Fried Oysters ($7).
At Joe's, the staff does the dirty crab-cracking work for you, so all that's left to you is the eating. Just maneuver the meat out of the claws unharmed, dip it into the savory mustard sauce, and devour.
Don't be surprised if your waiter brings out bibs, and don't be embarrassed to put one on. You may just be the only person leaving without crab juice and butter on your nice new shirt.
Sides come a la carte and are usually big enough to share. When you're taking a break from stone crabs, family-style sides like hashed brown potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, fried zucchini, and garlic spinach, will keep you satisfied ($6-$10). Tomato lovers, sample the Grilled Tomato side, sliced tomatoes topped with garlic spinach and covered in cheese.
Hopefully, you've saved room for Joe's homemade Apple or Key Lime Pie, $7-$8.
Joe's doesn't mind sharing his secrets; many of the restaurants recipes can be viewed here. Impress your friends and learn to create crab cakes, apple pie, key lime pie, ginger salmon, mustard garlic rub, and much more.
Joe's doesn't take reservations, and the house is packed most nights. For the shortest wait time, skip lunch and try coming for an early dinner.
Can't get enough of Joe's Stone Crab? Order online and have them shipped to your home. The complete package meals are shipped overnight and come with a cracking board, mallet, cocktail forks, bibs and instructions.
The restaurant closes down August through mid-October each year, so make sure you get your fill of Joe's the rest of the year!
Dinner Menu
- by Jessica Bates, Miami Reporter for HelloMetro
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