9 August 27 - september 2, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ DOWNTOWN SOFT OPENING Flagler St. Bakery has a permanent address. The downtown bakery and coffee shop, which spent this past spring running a Sunday pastry kiosk outside Over Under, opened its own space at 12 NE First Ave. on Friday, Aug. 7, and owner Julian Gheiler says it has been slammed almost every day since. “The opening hype is real for sure,” Gheiler says. “We’re really lucky.” Everything is made on site, which, Gheiler says, makes it the only bakery in downtown Mi- ami that produces all of its bread and pastry from scratch. Pastries and bread come out first thing in the morning, and sandwiches start getting served after 10 a.m. And when it comes to said pastries, get ready to experience flavor combinations as you’ve never had before. If there’s one pastry everyone must try, it’s the medianoche croissant. It’s made with ham, Swiss, roast pork, pickles, and mustard folded into cross-laminated croissant dough. The delicacy takes many, many steps and, like every pastry here, at least three days to create. “It’s kind of like the medianoche sandwich, but in a crispy, cross- laminated croissant version,” Gheiler says. “It’s one of my proudest creations for sure.” Other pastry highlights include his chocolate babka, made with croissant dough swirled with Nutella and bittersweet chocolate. It’s the pas- try he’s been known for in Miami for the past few years. There’s also a delicious miso caramel bar that has an oat cookie base filled with brown sugar miso caramel custard. It’s Gheller’s current favorite. There’s also a labneh za’atar Danish with lab- neh, za’atar, cucumber, tomato, and mint, and a tahini babka with white chocolate, cardamom, and rose. Oh, and don’t forget the morning bun, an Earl Grey bun, a lox bagel croissant, and ube butter mochi. The bakery truly has one of the most unique pastry displays in the city. As for sandwiches, think classics with a twist. The “Morty Sammy” features mortadella, burrata, pistachio pesto, arugula, and balsamic glaze on rosemary focaccia. Then, there’s the “El Mikel,” made with jamón serrano and queso Cabrales on pan de cristal con tomate. “La Rustica” is the veg- etarian option, a focaccia sandwich with roasted eggplant, confit tomato and garlic, goat cheese, and mozzarella. Lastly, a turkey avocado club on sourdough rounds out the menu. The coffee pro- gram uses beans from Panther Cof- fee, but the syrups and drinks are made in-house, such as the “Fla- gler Fog” made with double espresso, Earl Grey syrup, and Earl Grey cold foam, and a “Mamey Matcha” with mamey syrup and mamey cold foam. Gheiler estimates the bar staff has about 80 years of combined barista experience. “This is not like a bakery that also does cof- fee,” he explains. “We’re very much a coffee shop as well.” The idea started at the end of 2023, when Gheiler saw the rendering for the Flagler Street redesign and registered the Instagram handle that same day. In July 2024, Over Under manag- ing partner Ashley Richardson invited him to vend at a summer block party market, and he named the booth Flagler Street Bakery. He has been talking to Over Under owner Brian Griffiths about a permanent version ever since. Gheiler has been baking for eight years, start- ing at Gigi at 19 before stints at True Loaf in South Beach and the Barcelona Baker’s Guild. Most re- cently, he ran the bakery at Four, the North Miami collective in the old Paradis Books & Bread space. When that closed, he went back to Over Under and launched the Sunday coffee pop-up, Lazy Brew, which is where he found out downtown would show up for a bakery. The bakery is small, with counter service and limited seating, in a storefront that was supposed to be a Cuban restaurant but never opened. He is easing in for now, calling this period a soft open- ing and holding back the most labor-intensive pop-up pastries until his staff settles into a good rhythm. Flagler St. Bakery. 12 NE First Ave., Miami; fla- glerstbakery.com. OLEE FOWLER ▼ MIAMI BEACH OUT FOR SUMMER Miami’s brutal summer of restaurant closures continues, and it’s even impacting New York im- ports. Two high-profile restaurants that opened in Miami Beach last year have temporarily closed for the summer. Caribbean-inspired restaurant and nightlife spot Las’ Lap says it is “closed for sum- mer” on Instagram, while French restaurant La Grande Boucherie calls its closure a “brief sea- sonal pause.” Neither restaurant has announced a reopening date. Both arrived from New York in 2025, and both are sitting out at least part of Miami’s slow- est stretch. The timing also overlaps with Miami Spice, the two-month promotion created to bring diners into local restaurants during Aug. and Sept. Las’ Lap opened in Aug. 2025 inside the Day- drift hotel at 2216 Park Ave. It was the second lo- cation of the Lower East Side bar, with at the bar, and Mary made him manager af- ter Mac died. Angel died suddenly this past January at age 60, and Ashenoff, who pre- viously served as the bar’s social media manager and merchandise coordinator, took over his role. A hundred years in, the Deuce is a full- blown tourist destination — Bourdain ob- sessives, “Miami Vice” fans, and the walking tours of Miami Beach all stop in the bar constantly. It has never become a tourist trap, and Ashenoff credits the regu- lars. “They don’t want the bottle service, they don’t want the clubs, they don’t want the lines,” she says. “They wanna be able to sit down, have a drink, have a conversation without paying $22 for a beer.” Ashenoff says 14th Street will close to celebrate all day, with a stage where bands will play through the evening, DJs between sets, and a late set inside after the street party wraps up. The Deuce will sell 100th- anniversary merchandise and hand out sponsor giveaways throughout the day. A raffle benefits Heart Heroes, Inc., which supports children and families af- fected by congenital heart disease, and the Florida Chapter of the Human Trafficking Foundation, which empowers survivors of human trafficking by providing a safe ha- ven where they can rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. “This event is really for everybody who’s ever stepped foot through the door,” Ashenoff says. “None of us that are here will ever see this again. But I might see 150 if I’m lucky.” Whatever the next 100 years hold, Mary made the bar’s future plans very clear days after Mac died. “I’m not going to change that bar,” she told New Times. “The only competition I ever had for Mac’s affections was that bar, and I’m not changing a hair on that beautiful woman’s head.” Mac’s Club Deuce’s 100th-Anniversary Block Party. 4p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at 222 14th St., Miami Beach; macsclubdeuce.com. Admission is free. [email protected] Photo by David Suarez A hundred years in, the Deuce is a full-blown tourist destination, but it still draws its regulars each day. Still crazy after all these years from p8 | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Café EVERYTHING IS MADE ON SITE, WHICH, GHEILER SAYS, MAKES IT THE ONLY BAKERY IN DOWNTOWN MIAMI THAT PRODUCES ALL OF ITS BREAD AND PASTRY FROM SCRATCH. Flagler St. Bakery New downtown Miami bakery Flagler St. Bakery is already drawing long lines for its housemade bread, delicious pastries, and croissants. >> p10
