Mike Gordon Seafood - Miami, FL

Welcome

A Touch of Cape Cod on Biscayne Bay • Miami's Oldest Seafood Restaurant

Mike Gordon Seafood Restaurant began in 1946 as a small bait shop on the dock of a marina. Ann Gordon and her son, Mike, sold bait to local fishing boats, but when business was slow, they cooked the fish and sold "bait sandwiches" for 20 cents. Before long, the sandwiches became more popular than the bait, and fried shrimp and chowder were added to the menu. A dining room was then built next to the bait shop, which was known as the "Snack Shack". The menu specialized in local fish with a dinner price of $1.50 . Florida lobster was priced at $2.00. Every Sunday, Mike hosted an "old-fashioned clambake", cooking in 55-gallon drums and serving customers on wooden picnic tables in the parking lot.

The fishing boats eventually moved, and the dining area was extended over the water by building on the existing marina pilings. This new room had ceiling-to-floor windows on three sides, and a full bar running the length of the room. A Steinway piano was played during cocktail hour and dinner. The menu now included Maine lobster, oysters, steamers, and other cold-water delicacies. Local red snapper, grouper, snook, yellowtail, and Key West shrimp remained the favorites. With the moon rising over the bay, and the gentle sounds of the water, the restaurant gained international acclaim for fine seafood dining in a beautiful, subtropical atmosphere.

sketch of dock

In 1965, a raging hurricane hit the coast. The storm destroyed the restaurant, leaving just a shell of the building, with the tables and chairs floating down the bay. Within two months, the business was up and running. The family was not as lucky three years later. On a cold Halloween night, fire ravaged the entire property, including the Snack Shack. Again, the restaurant was rebuilt, and stands as you see it today. Although construction over the water was no longer allowed, the view of the moon over the water is still the same, and the seafood is still as fresh. The Gordon family welcomes you. Thank you for coming.

In Memory of Mike Gordon 1911-1993

Mike Gordon Seafood Restaurant

1201 NE 79th Street • Miami, FL 33138
(305) 751-4429 • Fax: (305) 751-7650

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