12 August 28 - september 3, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ CORAL GABLES HOW SWEDE IT...WAS? Swedish candy fever has officially hit Miami. Scandy Candy is the new Coral Gables shop devoted to imported sweets from Sweden. It opened on August 9 on Miracle Mile and al- most immediately went viral on TikTok and Instagram. It got so busy that by Monday, Au- gust 18, the store announced on Instagram that it would be temporarily closed after sell- ing out of its entire inventory. Yes — the shop is currently temporarily closed until the team “stocks up with an even sweeter assortment of Swedish candies.” People were so shocked by the sudden clo- sure that they went straight to TikTok to share the news. “Girl, the way I showed up, I was actually flabbergasted with the amount of sold-out signs and felt like I was getting punked,” wrote a Miami resident on a now vi- ral TikTok video depicting the new Scandy Shop’s window with over 20 “sold-out” signs. But don’t fret. The closure is anything but permanent. The shop said it expects to be closed for roughly a week while waiting on new inventory and encouraged customers to sign up online to be notified when the doors reopen. Scandy Candy is the creation of Calle and Wille Olsen. The two brothers grew up in Sweden with the tradition of lördagsgodis or “Saturday candy.” The weekly ritual meant setting aside a few coins to splurge on bags of gummies, sours, and chocolates. When they moved to the United States, they struggled to find the same flavors they remembered from home. That nostalgia turned into a business plan. They decided to import authentic Swedish candy and give Mi- amians a chance to experience the same Sat- urday excitement. Inside the Gables shop, the centerpiece is a massive pick-and-mix wall where custom- ers scoop their own bags of candy. Favorites include sour skulls, chocolate-covered marshmallows, and chewy classics. Part of the appeal is the ingredients. Swed- ish candy skips the corn syrup, fake sweeten- ers, and gelatin found in most U.S. candy brands. It relies instead on cornstarch and natural flavorings, which create a softer, fluff- ier chew. Many varieties are vegan-friendly, which broadens the audience beyond nostal- gic Swedes. The flavors lean bolder with sours that hit harder, salty licorice, and fruit gummies that taste closer to the real thing. The Swedes are so obsessed that The New Yorker reported that Sweden leads the world in candy con- sumption, with residents eating more than 30 pounds per person each year, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. The Swedish candy boom in the U.S. kicked into overdrive last year thanks to Tik- Tok. Videos of shoppers scooping gummies at New York’s BonBon or Los Angeles’ Sockerbit racked up millions of views. The viral atten- tion led to long lines and even reports of peo- ple flying across the country to get their fix. Miami’s Scandy Candy is the latest to tap into that trend — and the first one to do so in Miami. The brothers say their goal is to ex- pand the Swedish candy tradition beyond niche online orders and into everyday life in South Florida. For now, fans will have to wait until the store restocks. Based on the sellout, expect the reopening to draw another wave of candy-hungry crowds. Scandy Candy. 241 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; scandycandy.store. Reopening soon. OLEE FOWLER ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE LAST CALL AT LUCKY’S TAVERN After 15 years of late nights, dart games, and more rounds than anyone could reasonably tally, Lucky’s Tavern is preparing for its final call. The neon-lit and rowdy downtown Fort Lauderdale bar announced on Facebook on Wednesday, August 20, that its “Farewell Weekend” will take place August 22 through August 23, with the official last night set for Friday, August 29. “Thanks for the memories, the madness, and all the late-night chaos,” the Lucky’s crew wrote. “One last round. Don’t miss it.” The closure marks the end of an era not just for regulars but for the Historic Himmarshee District itself, a neighborhood that has worn just about every face over the last century. Long before tourists lined up for ghost tours and pub crawls, the stretch was Fort Lauderdale’s commercial hub. By the 1920s and ‘30s, the block had slipped into a grittier nightlife, with whispers of gangsters, bootleg liquor, and illicit gambling. According to HauntedHouses.com, a mobster was shot outside the very building Lucky’s now calls home, his restless spirit rumored to still lin- ger in the rafters. “The spirit of a gangster with an uncultured character has moved in- side,” writes the company. “He is a volunteer staff supervisor with a rough style and is a bit cheeky. Other spirits keep him company.” We don’t know about ghosts, but there are cer- tainly spirits (of the liquor variety) inside. The two-story, brick-and-wood structure on Second Street has been a drinking destina- tion in one form or another for decades. Before Lucky’s, it housed Coyote Ugly Saloon, where bartenders poured body shots and danced on the bar. Lucky’s deliberately flipped that script. (The original, infamous Coyote Ugly Saloon officially opened its doors on First Avenue in New York on January 27, 1993.) With 18 beers on tap, more than 50 craft bottles, frozen drinks, and a late-night kitchen slinging burgers and wings until 2 a.m., Lucky’s became the antithesis of its pre- decessor: a no-frills, everyone’s welcome wa- tering hole. However, over the years, dancers wearing fishnets returned to the scene, and rowdy, fun nights at Lucky’s ensued, just like they had at Coyote Ugly. What made Lucky’s special wasn’t just the drinks or the pool tables, but the way it kept the old spirit of Himmarshee alive. This was a bar where you could grab a quick shot before catching a show at Revolution Live, linger over a frozen piña colada while listening to a local band, or end up at 3:30 a.m. in a darts match you didn’t remember starting. It was messy, unpolished, and exactly what a his- toric district bar should be. Now, with its closing weekend ahead, Lucky’s invites its “local legends” to pack the house one last time. For a district built on wild nights and whispered ghost stories, it feels like a fitting sendoff: loud, drunk, and laughing, just the way Himmarshee has always liked it. Lucky’s Tavern. 214 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale; luckystavern.com. Closing Friday, August 29. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ KEY LARGO LIVING LARGO: VICKY BAKERY BRANCHES OUT TO THE KEYS For Miamians, a trip down to Key Largo is practically a rite of passage. It’s the closest es- cape to turquoise waters, salty breezes, and a slower pace of life just an hour south of the city. Many South Florida residents, especially those of Cuban descent, have spent decades shuttling back and forth between Miami and the Upper Keys, whether for a weekend fish- ing trip, a beachside barbecue, or just to breathe in that island air. And now, for the first time ever, we can pair those memories with a cafecito and pas- telito from Vicky Bakery, the Cuban bakery institution that has defined Miami mornings since 1972. Located at 97630 Overseas Hwy. in Key Largo, the new bakery, coming off the heels of winning New Times’ Best Croquetas 2025, marks Vicky’s 30th store, and its very first in the Florida Keys. Even more special about this location? It’ll be home to Vicky Bakery’s first-ever, full-service bar. Because down in the Florida Keys, a piña colada is necessary with your cafecito. For those who’ve packed coolers full of pastelitos to haul down U.S. 1 before hitting Key Largo, this feels like a game changer. No more pit stops along Bird Road before hitting the Turnpike; no more praying the guava fill- ing doesn’t ooze all over the Tupperware. Now, Cuban coffee, croquetas, empanadas, and fresh-baked breads are waiting for you the second you roll into the island. The story of Vicky Bakery is the story of Mi- ami’s Cuban community itself. Founded by Antonio and Gelasia Cao, who once worked side by side at Havana’s famed La Vencedora bakery before migrating to Miami as exiles, Vicky was born from a determination to carry Cuba’s flavors into their new home. The cou- ple opened their first bakery in Hialeah in 1972, naming it after their daughter. What started as a single neighborhood shop soon be- came a staple for Cuban families across South Florida, with recipes passed down through generations and baked fresh every morning. Today, Vicky is run by the Cao family’s next generation, and its expansion has been nothing short of impressive. But for many of us, the heart of the bakery remains the same: the buttery flakiness of a pastelito de guayaba, the satisfying crunch of a croqueta, the strong sweetness of a café con leche. That Vicky Bakery is now in Key Largo is more than just convenience; it’s a piece of home trans- planted into paradise. And in true Keys fash- ion, this location will even debut something new in September, a full-service bar, where piña coladas can be paired with pastelitos. So the next time you hop onto the Over- seas Highway, you’ll be greeted not just by mangroves and marinas, but by the smell of fresh Cuban bread wafting through the air. For Miami residents who have long consid- ered Key Largo their backyard escape, this is history in the making. Vicky Bakery Key Largo. 97630 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo; 305-735-4052; vickybakery. com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Scandy Candy photo Part of the appeal is the ingredients. Swedish candy skips the corn syrup, fake sweeteners, and gelatin found in most U.S. candy brands. Vicky Bakery photo Popular Miami Cuban bakery Vicky Bakery opens its first Florida Keys location in Key Largo at 97630 Overseas Hwy., with its croquetas and a bar coming soon.
