News Cafe is almost ready to make a triumphant return! The iconic South Beach haunt shuttered temporarily during the pandemic, but the good news is that locals and tourists alike will soon be able to come in for its American eats and stay for the people watching.
News Cafe will open on the ground floor of the newly renamed Tony Hotel South Beach. Formerly known as Hotel of South Beach, the hotel was given an upgrade in honor of its founder, real estate developer Tony Goldman, by owners Goldman Properties.
Goldman established himself in the hospitality world in the ‘80s after buying and revamping 18 rundown hotels in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, which is now one of poshest enclaves of Manhattan. In 1985, Goldman came to Miami and did the same with the art deco buildings along South Beach.
Goldman Properties CEO Scott Srebnick, who is also Goldman’s son-in-law, told Miami New Times recently, “At that time, people saw a South Beach filled with crack houses, decaying buildings, and senior citizens. Tony saw art deco buildings and outdoor cafés.”
In 1989, Goldman’s good friend and restaurateur Mark Soyka opened News Cafe. As an establishment within South Beach’s burgeoning tourism and vacation scenes at the time, News Cafe became the place to “see and be seen.”
The cafe was recently acquired by Goldman Properties, who’ve enlisted Vida and Estilo Restaurant Group to oversee operations. “Our agreement with Vida and Estilo is that they are going to be faithful to the legacy that Mark [Soyka] created. There may be some different touches, some updating, but we love the brand and we want to be faithful to the past that it represents,” Srebnick said. News Cafe reopens in May.
