Toby's Cafeteria in Miami Beach

I only recently learned that after the last Dubrow's Cafeteria closed, my grandfather Irving Kaplan continued to run three Miami Beach cafeterias called Toby's.

Phillip Pessar on Flickr uploaded this picture and writes: "Anyone remember Toby's Cafeteria? They were a childhood favorite. I always chose turkey and stuffing or fried shrimp and always a side of macaroni and cheese. There were 3 locations. 2695 SW 8 St, 99 SW 12 Ave, and 674 NW 54 St."

Dubrow's in Miami

Dubrow's in Miami has been a little neglected by this blog.  A Google search today reveals some more information - such as this great article in the Miami Herald which describes Miami in the 1950's as a leader in the South in desegregation, and the part Dubrow's Cafeteria played in making it a comfortable home for Jewish families as well. 

And FYI, I have heard much about Rabbi Kronish over the years. He was the rabbi my family grew up talking about for many many decades.

"I really had never seen anything like Miami Beach. It was mostly desegregated for Jews by 1947, except for Bal Harbour. That unforgettable smell of fresh tobacco in the air was gone. Once our family checked into the rooms we reserved at The Georgian Hotel on Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue, I took one look out of the window at the ocean and knew that one day I would make the Miami Beach area my home.


The Georgian was at the heart of everything we did for fun that summer. It was a short distance to some of the Beach’s legendary eateries: the Crossroads, DuBrow’s Cafeteria, Huey’s Cathay House, Wolfie’s, Joe Hart’s Pickin’ Chicken and the Noshery at the Saxony Hotel. Between the hotel pool, the beach, miniature golf next door, and breakfast at the Liggett’s Drug Store counter, what’s not to like for a 9-year-old? I can still taste the fried chicken from Joe Hart’s and the corned beef sandwiches from DuBrow’s, sliced thin and piled high for a dollar." 

Dubrow's in Miami Beach

Jeff sends a link for a 1952 home video of Miami Beach. It is uploaded to Youtube by a user who goes by the moniker ReelNostalgia.  The photo above is a screen shot from the video, which is why it's so blurry. 

Amazing to see how things change. When I was growing up and visiting Miami Beach and Lincoln Road, the area was deserted of nightlife and shops. Now it's hip and bustling - as it was back in 1952, when this video was shot. Things come full circle.

(Re-posting this entry with new links)

Letter from the daughter of a Miami Beach Dubrow's employee

I received an email from Carole Chapman, who had this to say about her father Carl Kobitz:

"Hi
After my dad was discharged from the navy he moved to Miami Beach. The next day he got a job at dubrows in 1946. He worked the season and managed to save $3000! He started as a bus boy and moved up to be a server.
My dad is still alive and he is 91!"

Nice to hear from someone outside the family who worked at the Dubrow's in Miami Beach.  Anyone out there remember Carl?

Miami Beach Dubrow's reference

I found some writing about the Miami Beach Dubrow's Cafeteria, which was located on Lincoln Road.

"From the late ’40s through the ’50s and ’60s, the Collins area between 20th and 25th streets was one of the liveliest in Miami Beach. Martha’s Five O’Clock Club was on the corner of 20th and Collins; Collins and 22nd housed “Wolfies,” the quintessential New York delicatessen. The Grate, the Pin Up, the Place Pigalle and the Night Owls clubs were within blocks; the Embers restaurant and Dubrow’s cafeteria were nearby; Junior’s deli and the old Roney Plaza hotel were just off 23rd. The 22nd Street public beach, between the Roney and the Sea Gull hotel, was well known as the gay beach."

-- Max Dertke, Dec 31,2014 in a Miami Herald article titled "Miami Stories: Glamour and seaside adventures lured this Midwesterner to Miami Beach."

Dubrow's on Miami Beach

My cousin, Joe Adler, sent me this email:

"Ray Fisher, a photographer who has documented Miami Beach for the last 70 years, just mailed me the attached picture of DUBROW'S on Lincoln Road.  Does it bring back memories?"

Miami Dubrow's listing

This is a listing from Info: This Week in Greater Miami.  It calls itself "an official publication of the Miami Beach hotel association" and this listing was in the Vol. 1, Number 1 edition, dated November 18, 1950.  The text reads:

"Dubrow's Lincoln Cafeteria  330 Lincoln Road  58-271  Miami Beach branch of the New York chain. Nationally famous for the most tempting hot sandwiches, cold plates, and steaks and chops. "

Photo of Miami Dubrow's

This photo was sent to me by my cousin, Joe Adler. He received it from Ray Fisher, who took it in February of 1952. This is a rare photo of the Dubrow's Cafeteria in Miami Beach. It was located in what is now a hot area of Miami Beach. Back when I was a child and visiting my grandparents, I would walk down Lincoln Road to get to the beach. There wasn't much there then - including Dubrow's. The last Dubrow's to close was the Manhattan location, and that was in 1985, when I was only 12.

Matchbooks from Dubrow's

Purchased these off of eBay from two different sellers. The more faded one lists the Eastern Parkway (Brooklyn) and Lincoln Road (Miami) locations on them, and was dated as a 1940's matchbook. The third image is the inside of the more faded matchbook cover - war bonds! Proof that it it is from the 1940's. I love it. I especially love the use of "U'r" which allows it to spell out "DUBROW." The less faded one did not come with a date or have anything printed on the inside of the cover.

Dubrow's in Miami

I have found very few references to the Dubrow's Cafeteria in Miami, although I remember it vaguely, from my childhood. It was right on Lincoln Road, which is a stone's throw from where my grandparents lived for most of my childhood. I spent much of my childhood visiting from Texas, staying with my grandparents, and walking from their apartment all the way down Lincoln Road till I got to the beach. Back then, it was pretty dead - now it's become a hotspot with clubs and trendy restaurants.

I found this in the book Catskill Culture: A Mountain Rat's Memories of the Great Jewish Resort Area by Phil Brown:

"From all their years in the Catskills, these Mountain Rats were the insiders who really knew the scene. People had their favorite local bars and restaurants for hanging out after a day of hard work, where conversations typically turned to who was working where this year. The chatting and hanging out continued in Florida in the winter, where they met friends at Dubrow's Cafeteria on Miami Beach in Lincoln Roadand reminsced about last summer in the mountains. That magic pulled them back the next summer, and the grew old and infirm, along with the Catskills themselves. As the region declined in the 1970's, the Mountain Rats competed for fewer and fewer jobs, and many had trouble setting up permanent roots. Cubans displaced them in the Miami Beach hotels."