Bryson's Irish Pub - 3790 Curtiss Parkway in Virginia Gardens, 305-874-2271 - since 1947
Churchill's Pub - 5501 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, 305-757-1807 - http://www.churchillspub.com/
Frankie's Pizza - 9118 Bird Road, Miami, 305-221-0221 - since 1955 and operated by Frankie's daughter Roxanne
Jimbo's Place - Duck Lake Road, Virginia Key, 305-361-7026 - since 1954 - http://www.jimbosplace.com/ - - - Closed in 2012 and now history - RIP Jimbo's!
Jumbo's Restaurant - 7501 N. W. 7th Avenue, Miami 33150 - telephone 305-751-1127 - since 1955 - http://www.jumbosrestaurant.com/ - - - Closed in 201_ and now history - RIP Jumbo's!
Ranch House Restaurant - 1548 W. 84th Street, Hialeah, 305-821-8200 - since the 1970's - under new ownership as of 2015 and still open
Royal Castle (2)
1. Arnold's Royal Castle, NW 7th Avenue and 125th Street, North Miami - - - Closed, rebuilt and re-opened as Finga Licking, owned by Sean Combs (P. Diddy) in April 2014
2. Royal Castle, NW 79th Street and 27th Avenue, Miami - since the early 60's
Shorty's Bar B Que - 9200 S. Dixie Highway, Miami, 305-670-5125 - http://www.shortys.com plus other newer locations throughout South Florida
The Bar - 172 Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables, 305-442-2730 - since 1937
The Fox's Sherron Inn - 6030 S. Dixie Highway, South Miami, 305-661-9201 - since 1946 - - - Closed in 2015, photos coming if I ever find them again
The Hitching Post - 445 East Okeechobee Road, Hialeah, 305-884-0656 - since the 1950's - Barbeque still cooked on hickory wood - now Cuban menu items too - - - Hitching Post sign removed and it appears to be Cuban food items only now
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From the Miami Herald weekend section, February 27, 2009
Behind the music: A jukebox guide
By Kyle Teal
Like most everything in life, picking music from a jukebox is purely political. Of course, when you smooth out your crumpled, hard-earned dollar bill and feed it to the machine, your own self-interest is primarily at heart. But you also have your constituents to worry about - the fellow bar-hoppers who watch as the light from the jukebox illuminates your perspiring face. They'll remember if you pick Savage Garden, and like in any proud, musical democracy, they'll scorn you for it.
While choosing some songs may cost you your dignity, most TouchTunes (digital jukeboxes) machines only charge a buck for two song credits. Five bucks will buy you about 13 credits. At Fox's Lounge (see below), it'll cost you zilch.
In an effort to help you find the right crowd and jukebox for you, we've checked out 13 places around town. The list, in no particular order:
The Fox's Sherron Inn: shoobie doo wop
Opened since 1946, this dimly-lit South Miami lounge looks like the set of a movie from the 1950s, complete with the familiar baritone of ol' Blue Eyes, Patsy Cline, Neil Diamond, Jo Stafford and Bobby Helms (he sings about angels). The lounge boasts an archaic, charming (and free) jukebox that plays 45 rpm vinyl records. Fitting in with the enormous blue machine, the lounge has an old, elegant vibe with red, semicircle booths and a black and white striped floor. If you want to catch the game on a modest TV, Fox's is a quieter, classier venue than your typical sports bar.
Staff says late night hours bring in the younger crowds but early in the night, locals enjoy hearty comfort food such as prime rib, lamb chops and roast duck, as well as a full service bar (the lounge doubles as a liquor bar). Happy Hour is 4-7 p.m. everyday, and 5-7 p.m. Sundays.
The Bar: a professional hangout
Tucked away in the City Beautiful -- Coral Gables -- The Bar entertains loud tunes and attractive professionals. Introduce your friends to the 62-year-old bar, and instantly you're Abbott and Costello performing "Who's on First."
Come meet us at The Bar... which bar? The Bar! You get the idea.
The well-lit, blue and wood space hosts a live band on Saturday nights. "Friday Happy Hour Extravaganza" from 5:30-7:30 p.m. means ladies drink free. On that night, the bar and restaurant is packed with hardworking folks, co-workers and friends. And while it's mostly bumping bass, the sleek TouchTunes jukebox also has a heavy amount of Rolling Stones and George Strait albums.
Seeing as this spot has the latest and greatest in jukebox technology, a simple touch of the screen and you can discover the top five most played songs, starting with No. 1.
Top five plays: "Green Light" by John Legend; Kanye West's "Love Lockdown;" Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" (there's a theme here); "Whatever You Like" by T.I.; and 50 Cent's "Get Up."
Keg South: yeehaw
Keg South, a hole-in-the-wall in suburban Pinecrest, holds an annual Christmas party at the request of its most loyal patrons. Truly a neighborhood bar, a roasted pig and baked beans lay out across a pool table for families and children to eat. When it's not a special occasion, the bar serves up tasty-yet-affordable wings, burgers, etc.
After examining the old-school, CD-playing jukebox, it was clear that Keg South entertains a crowd all its own. Management allows customers and friends to bring in their own burned CDs to add to the collection. Some of the homemade album covers show scantily clad country girls and proclaims the names of outlaw CD burners like "Arthel Doc Watson" and "David 'Dawg' Grisman."
Manager Sam Diedrick says the nearly 15-year-old machine usually sounds a Marshall Tucker tune, "This Old Cowboy." Diedrick has been working at the tavern long enough to know nearly every song by its number: "Twenty two, six!" he shouted for the Tucker tune (he was right). A lot of greatest hits albums by Willie Nelson, David Allen Coe, Stone Temple Pilots, Johnny Cash, "Redneck Yacht Club" by Craig Morgan... you get the idea.
Large TV screens visible from anywhere in the bar make it a popular hangout for sports fans, buzzed and sporting colors for their alma mater.
Mac's Club Deuce (aka, the Deuce): the world is yours, mang
Welcome to The Deuce and back to 1980s Miami Beach, with tacky neon lights forming the shape of busty women and a dingy checkered floor.
As for the jukebox, TouchTunes claims yet another unpretentious bar. Soul singer D'Angelo's mellow voice carried "Devil's Pie," and intimate friends held quiet conversations around a curvy, pink bar. "You can actually express how you're feeling at any given time," said Orlando resident Joe Esposito of the usefulness of jukeboxes. Whenever he visits from Central Florida he makes a stop at The Deuce.
It's easy to embrace the bar's authenticity and easier to embrace the buy one, get one free happy hour, which is every day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Top five plays: "Rockstar" by Nickelback (why?); Buck Cherry's romantic song "Crazy B----;" "Hang me up to Dry" by Cold War Kids; Bob Marley's "No woman, No Cry;" "Bongo Bong" by Manu Chao (interesting stoner song).
Ted's Hideaway: shhhhhh
Many of the affable patrons in this colorful South Beach tavern are locals who work in the hospitality business themselves. They love their South Beach hideaway because it's their secret spot for decent drink prices, a pool game or watching the big game.
When the large bar is not entertaining the local crowds of all ages, co-owner Bob Wilcox readies his staff for the onslaught of travelers bunking up at a nearby hostel. Even the dive's own off-the-clock employees perch at the bar to enjoy drinks with their good friends or coworkers. It seems they use the TouchTunes jukebox more than their own customers.
Top five plays: "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock (yes, he's still around, ruining Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" forever); Peaches' "F--- the Pain Away;" Lil Wayne's "Mrs. Officer;" Kings of Leon's "Taper Jean Girl;" and "Wonderwall" by Oasis.
Churchill's: feeling hip, or British?
British owner David B. Daniels is a likeable, white-bearded bloke who's quite fond of Winston Churchill, hence the pub's name. The spacious bar boasts two pool tables, a full-size stage where punk bands perform frequent concerts and Jazz bands take center stage Monday nights. Bartender Chris Funk (real name, he swears) mixes a mean sazerac with bourbon and absinthe: one of the oldest cocktails around.
There are also TVs showing the game - this is the place to go for that 10 a.m. Sunday soccer match. Overall, Churchill's emanates a unique, friendly feel and its TouchTunes box reveals a refreshingly alternative list of most popular tunes.
Top five plays: "Got to Give it up" by Marvin Gaye; "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.; "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age; "El Telefono" by Wisin & Yandel; and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (the mother of all epic bar songs).
