MIAGuide
The Miami Flanigan’s Power Rankings
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Let’s establish an essential truth upfront: there is no such thing as a bad Flanigan’s. A Flanigan’s is, in fact, always a good thing—a green glow in the distance that promises affordable bar food, fast service, and safe spaces for any South Floridian who’s ever impaled a shrimp with a hook. Also, the best Flanigan’s is generally the one closest to your house. That being said, some Flanigan’s are better than others. And we visited each one in Miami-Dade County to come up with this highly official, intensely scientific ranking of our Flanigan’s, from best to hey-it’s-still-a-Flanigan’s.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: one hour & 20 mins to one hour & 45 mins
One immediate thing that separates the Grove Flanigan’s from its brethren (other than the intense Saturday night wait times) is that it’s open until 4:30am every day. So this Flanigan’s is here to party. If you’re looking for a quieter meal, go early and ask to be seated in the room with the rainbow fish tank, where you can sit with your kids and not worry about them asking why that loud man called the referee on TV a “comemierda.” But if a drinking scene is what you’re looking for, head to the opposite room, where you’ll find a giant bar and strangers with the same mindset. A lot of people think this is the original Flanigan’s—it’s not (that’s in Pompano). But there is something about this one that shines brighter than the rest. Maybe it has more green twinkle lights per square foot (they’re even in the parking lot). Or perhaps this is one of the few places left in the Grove that still feels true to its days of rickshaws and moose juice.
photo credit: Courtesy Flanigan's
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: 15-30 mins
All our Flanigan’s are pretty landlocked, which is counterintuitive for a restaurant that feels like the hull of a pretty chill pirate ship. But the Surfside location is just across the street from a literal ocean, and its carefree beachy-ness comes through. The wooden exterior puts you in a nautical mood before you even walk in, and the segmented dining rooms give the big space an intimate dive bar feel no matter where you sit. But the service is what sets Surfside apart. They say hello and goodbye like they mean it, the juicy wings are stacked with the care of an architect, and bartenders wordlessly sling napkins your way just as you feel sauce dripping down your chin. We could sit at the bar for hours staring into the fish tank, nodding along to dad rock, and striking up conversations with sunburnt strangers that inevitably go in very weird directions.
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: 10-30 mins
The amount of karate uniforms and varsity football jerseys here on any given weeknight is impressive. In our estimation, Pinecrest has the family-friendliest location—complete with an arcade by the entrance. But it’s not just the smell of recycled breeze shooting from the air hockey table that makes us swoon over this particular Flanigan’s. It’s also the only one we’ve found that has Trivial Pursuit cards. But the cards, for some reason, are from the early ‘80s. So bring grandpa, who'll whoop all your butts with his knowledge of Patty Page’s 1950 hit song, “The Tennessee Waltz.” It was also the busiest location when we called to check wait times during an afternoon Dolphins kickoff, so come early for big games, or you’ll end up at (sacrilege) Duffy’s in Kendall.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: 30-45 mins
The North Miami Flanigan's is a solid baseline Flanigan's. The food, service, atmosphere—it's all par for the course in terms of Flanigan's expectations. There's also a big parking lot, including exclusive Flanigan's overflow parking, so even if it's busy you don't have to stress about whether or not you're getting towed while you polish off a rack of ribs. The one thing that does make this location a little unique (other than the glorious green marlin who guards the entrance) is its big patio, where there are plenty of TVs. So keep this one in mind for watching a Dolphins game on a particularly lovely afternoon.
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: 30-45 mins
We’ve tried the rib rolls from nearly every Miami location, and the ones at the Kendall Flanigan’s were the best. But we also discovered an entirely new favorite Flanigan’s order here: the pasta caesar (not to be confused with the caesar salad, pasta salad, or plain old salad salad). And now, not unlike the colorful lures displayed on the booth dividers, we’re hooked on it. But another thing we enjoy about this Flanigan’s is the hidden back patio—the perfect place to sit at a long picnic bench that looks like it was constructed from an old kitchen prep table while enjoying a cool winter night under a giant American flag. Plus, it’s completely covered and quite a bit quieter back there. It’s also where you’ll find the liquor store ventanita, connected to the Big Daddy’s next door.
Wait time on a random Saturday at 8pm: 10-15 mins
This one feels smaller than most locations, which gives it a Cheers of Westchester sort of feel. So expect to strike up a conversation with a regular at the bar who’ll warn you that you really shouldn’t take those leftover rib rolls home—and they’re right (it’s like eating wet socks). But this location makes good use of its space. It has large high tops, where the whole office team can sit over a pile of tumbleweed onions after work and talk about how Yadira really shouldn’t wear open-toed shoes. It’s not as hectic here, but it also gives us the same feeling as going to a casino during the day. The blinds are drawn, there are enough dollar bills stapled to the bar to open a money market account, and you can easily forget what time it is after a few beers.
Average wait time when we called on a random Saturday at 8pm: 10 mins or less
This is the worst parking situation to ever exist at a Flanigan’s (even worse than the Grove). The restaurant itself is perfect for large parties, but for the love of god, carpool if you can. Finding a spot is like playing a slow motion game of Grand Theft Auto. There’s all sorts of cursing, fist-wagging, intense makeout sessions, and surprisingly little actual parking going on. Luckily, it’s all visible from the back patio, which makes for excellent people watching. But once you get past the equally chaotic host stand (and maybe this is because of the uniformed police officer standing with his arms crossed by the bar), things are docile. The main dining room is big, with plenty of tables that can be combined to fit really large parties. Even the hightops by the bar can fit eight. So come here with friends and arrive with plenty of patience and time to find parking.
photo credit: Courtesy Flanigan's
Average wait time when we called on a random Saturday at 8pm: 25-45 mins
The Hialeah Flanigan’s isn’t the biggest, and the focal point of the space is the huge oval bar, which makes this feel more like a drinking Flanigan’s than an eating Flanigan’s. This probably explains the surprisingly large amount of search results for the keywords “Hialeah Flanigan’s arrest.” So maybe stick to lunch if you’re trying to have a reasonably calm meal—although the food here wasn’t quite as good as some of the locations above. So maybe just come to this one if you want to scream angrily at TVs during a stressful sporting event. Still, while this might not be our favorite Flanigan’s, it is, in fact, a Flanigan’s. And is that ever a bad thing?
