Popular David's Cafe on Lincoln Road closing

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- It's the end of an era for those who enjoyed the Cuban cuisine at David's Cafe II on Lincoln Road.

David's Cafe II has been a hot spot in Miami Beach for 35 years. Locals who enjoy getting their daily Cuban fix, flocked to the restaurant. But on Saturday, the restaurant will be closing its doors for good. "I'm shocked. I come here all the time, every morning. I live on the other side, but I guess it is what it is," said Hillary Newton.

The cafe on Lincoln Road has seen hike after hike in its leasing price since opening in 1993. "Our lease has come to an end," said owner Adrien Gonzalez. "We tried to re-negotiate to possibly do something that we could survive here, but unfortunately, there's no chance we can stay in this corner any longer."

Now what's left are national chains, which some argue take away from that wholesome community feel. "It's awful. It's like one of the last places. There used to be another little Cuban restaurant around the corner and that also closed down," said Sergio Martin.

Gonzalez said he is going to miss this restaurant's location. "It's kind of sad because unfortunately, that's kind of what happens. We came here when it was desolate, there was nothing going on here. Now, it's thriving, and it was like a ticking time bomb and eventually pushed us out. Unfortunately, these areas die out, and it becomes a big national area for big national chains," he said.

The cafe was loved by many, from celebrities like Ricky Martin to locals from down the block. "Yeah, this was always a local watering hole. You'd never know who you were gonna run into from celebrities to a regular person down the street, politicians. I mean it's just been one melting pot of people," said Gonzalez.

Luckily, the original location of David's Cafe on 11th and Collins will remain open, but some customers are still mourning the loss of the Lincoln Road location. "Very sad, really sad," said Martin.

Now, everyone is wondering what's going to happen in the future for David's Cafe. "Right now, we're going to regroup on 11th and Collins, and then we're going to focus on doing other locations elsewhere, but you know, maybe just find new areas that we can build upon as well as we did over here," said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said the closing will be low key with no special goodbye.

David's Cafe on 11th and Collins remains open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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