Daniel Gallagher

Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House – An amazing deli in Sunny Isles, Florida served up charm and excellent food. The restaurant opened in 1954 and developed a very loyal customer base over the years. One loyal customer happened to be myself. The corned beef sandwich was nothing less than amazing.

Last Saturday I drove by the Rascal House only to find it had tragically closed its doors after 54 years. I pushed my disbelief aside and snapped some photos of the aftermath. After exploring what used to be one of my favorite restaraunts, I searched the internet at the adjacent Starbucks only to find out that the last meal was served less than a week previous. The news was published in the Miami Herald article “Death of a deli: Rascal House closing for good”.

These photos were taken less than one week after the closing of the restaurant. It is amazing to see how fast over a half century of fond memories can be demolished in less than a week. I contemplated taking a porting of the awning with the ‘lil Rascal mascot on it, but it reaked of mildew. In fact there was a lingering smell as I walked around the building. Below are a few photos taken. Additional photos can be found in my Rascal House flickr set.

News Coverage of the Closing

• Miami Herald: “Death of a deli: Rascal House closing for good”
• New York Times: “A Deli Destination, Now a Pastrami-Scented Memory”
• Save the Deli Blog: “Death of a Deli: Rascal House”, Rascal House: The Final Indignity and various other posts