Why South Florida Can’t Seem to Get Enough Flanigan’s | Eater Miami

"A South Florida institution and rite of passage, Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill has been a constant in my life since childhood and feels like home: with 25 locations and roots going back to 1959 when it started as State Liquors (now Big Daddy Liquor Stores), it’s beloved for its laid-back, family-friendly, fisherman-themed atmosphere—massive aquariums, walls of fish photos of Big Daddy Joe’s friends and family—and a local-first mentality. The value plays are legendary: all beer, wine, and liquor are 50% off from 9 p.m. until close (and the same half-price deal runs Mon–Fri 4–7 p.m.), late-night from 10 p.m. to midnight you get free curly fries, Tumbleweed Onions, or chicken wings with every pitcher, and weekly promotions include Mexican Mondays (free loaded nachos with your first pitcher), Tumbleweed Tuesdays (free Tumbleweed Onions), Wing-It Wednesdays (10 free wings with every pitcher), and Dip & Draft Thursdays (free smoked fish dip with the first pitcher). The Lunch Club gives 10 stamps for a free 11th lunch—weekday $7 lunches with a beverage include options like a soup-and-sandwich combo, a 10-ounce burger, barbecue chicken sandwich, half barbecue chicken, 10 wings, or a blackened tilapia sandwich—while Joe’s Meal Deals (ranging from $16 for wings to $25 for a full rack of ribs) come with your choice of potato or rice, Caesar salad, garlic rolls, and a free drink (available Sunday–Thursday). As for the food, Joe’s Rockin’ Rib Rolls—deep-fried egg rolls stuffed with baby back rib meat, pulled pork, cheddar, onions, and barbecue sauce—are a must and they serve 400 pounds of them daily; the baby back ribs themselves are slow-cooked, smothered in tangy-sweet barbecue sauce and chargrilled (snag a full rack for $25 as part of Joe’s Meal Deals), the loaded nachos are a mountain of white corn chips layered with beef-and-bean chili, melted cheese, pico, jalapeños, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream, and the Big Daddy Burger is a reliable 10-ounce flame-broiled classic best paired with curly fries. Finish with the warm triple-chocolate brownie piled with Edy’s vanilla, Oreo chunks, Kit Kat bars, Hershey’s syrup, and whipped cream or the decadent Shenanigan walnut-candy apple pie. It’s not the fanciest food in Miami, but it’s consistent, reliable, and affordable; small touches—like servers bringing a bag of ice to float in your pitcher so it stays cold—add to the hospitality, and dishes like the strangely watery but delicious Caesar (yes, say yes to the bacon bits), Chicken Stickers drenched in hot sauce, and garlic rolls keep me coming back for that nostalgic, comforting vibe." - Amber Love Bond