Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House, Miami Beach 1970s
Product Description
Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House was a Jewish delicatessen located at the intersection of 172nd Street and Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. It opened in May 1954 and closed on March 30, 2008. Sporting a large neon sign in the front, the building was designed in the 1950s Miami Modern style.
The establishment catered to vacationing New Yorkers of Jewish descent; Pan American Airlines offered Wolfie's Cheesecake as a menu item on flights between Miami and New York, while Northeast Airlines had the restaurant cater its same flights exclusively. Wolfie's restaurants served an "Early Bird" menu from 3-6 that appealed to more frugal diners. The neon sign makes an appearance at the beginning of the video for "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees.
Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House was established after the original Wolfie's, another famous Jewish deli and restaurant in Miami Beach, started by Wolfie Cohen on the corner of Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue in South Beach and another at 21st Street and Collins Avenue, a few blocks North. For several years, Wolfie's featured a sign that read "The only thing that needs to come dressed is our chickens!" (meaning dining was casual, not clothing optional). The restaurant at 21st Street closed in 2001. Cohen also founded a third Jewish deli, Pumpernik's, at 67th Street and Collins Avenue, which is also closed.
Courtesy Private Collection.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.