Bird Road Forever

By Sef Gonzalez & Melissa Gutierrez | August 10, 2023

Westchester sign in PINCHO

Sure, I’m a Westchestrian, but anyone who appreciates longtime neighborhood businesses has to give credit to Westchester’s Bird Road (SW 40th Street), between the Palmetto Expressway and the Turnpike. While most of South Florida tears down its history, this four-mile stretch has endured and evolved without sacrificing landmarks that have created memories for many generations.

To kick off this east-to-west tour, we start at Tropical Park. The property was originally the Tropical Park Race Track from December 1931 through January 1972. In 1976, the land was purchased by Miami-Dade County, and by 1979, it was a public park. The Equestrian Center, originally the racetrack stables, now hosts more than 30 horse and rodeo events a year. Tropical Park was one of the first places to embrace the food truck scene in South Florida. Even today, you can catch two dozen food trucks every Friday night at the Food Truck Friday Fiesta, a great family event and something I frequent. Tropical Park hosts more than a million visitors a year, which to me is mind-blowing. This is where I learned to ride a bicycle and to drive a car. Man, I love Tropical Park and have so many memories, like my sister rolling down the giant hill. (OK, she’s going to kill me for that, but totally worth it.)

Across the street, the Tropicaire Shopping Center was named after the 1949 Tropicaire Drive-in and later became a Flea Market. Today, it’s home to Best Buy and other big-box retailers.

A good starting point for the cuisine is Kon Chau or Tropical Chinese, arguably two of the best dim sum spots in Miami, located a few blocks from one another. Longtime Asian grocery, Lucky Oriental Mart, is located in the same shopping center as Kon Chau.

If you’re looking for dinner and a show, check out Pueblito Viejo for Colombian food. It’s housed in a repurposed 1970s Pizza Hut building with an explosion of colors inside and out. My suggestion? Bring a couple of friends, take a load off, enjoy some drinks and snacks, and take it all in.

One of the true legends of Bird Road is Arbetter Hot Dogs. Twelve years after its founding near downtown Miami, Arbetter’s would eventually make its permanent home in Westchester. Many folks don’t know it was briefly a drive-in about a block down. One thing is for sure, if you can drive by and not stop in for a chili dog, you’re a better person than me. Don’t forget to get a free refill by saying, “I Love Larry Bird!”

You can’t talk about Arbetter’s without mentioning the other legend on Bird, Frankie’s Pizza. While its original location was near the University of Miami, founder Frank Pasquarella found a recently shuttered neighborhood grocery store named Norman’s Market on Bird Rd. near 92nd Ave. a few years later and opened their second pizzeria. More than 60 years later, we still pick up pizza pies from that spot. When talking about the iconic strip in the 305, I can’t ignore Bird Bowl. Since 1956, millions of folks have bowled their hearts out this Miami landmark. And some of those folks, like me, enjoy watching their friends miss all the pins. El Rey de las Fritas is in the same mall, and their food doesn’t get any more Miami than the Frita Cubana, our regional specialty burger. Right across the street, you’ll find Sergio’s, where I’ve been enjoying pan con tortillas (omelet sandwiches) since I was a teen.

Photo 1: Arbetter's Illustration: Melissa Gutierrez

Photo 2: Frankie's illustration: Melissa Gutierrez

Those Papitas!

When Pepe Acosta sold his Lila’s restaurant in Little Havana, he planned to retire. He quickly grew bored, and within two years, he was back in the restaurant game. Rio Cristal featured the same famous French fry papita-covered steak that popularized Lila’s. At Rio Cristal, it’s the #51 Super Rio Cristal steak, and that’s what any respecting steak-and-potatoes person will order. Once upon a time, there was a second Rio Cristal just a couple of miles down the road; you can find Sports Grill there now, where you should order the Special Grilled wings when you visit.

You’ll also find PINCHO in the Rio Cristal strip mall. Not many people gave them a chance when they launched a pincho (kabobs), bowls, burger, and hot dog concept as Pincho Factory. All OG fans knew there was something there, and now they’re a homegrown burger joint spreading the South Florida flavor all the way to Texas, where they just opened in the Houston suburb of Cypress.

I haven’t even gotten into street food talk about spots like Chicken Pollo (2018), which serves up killer boneless fried chicken, crispy chicken skins, and fresh-cut green plantain fries. Or Tamales Criollo A Lo Cubano (2013), who sells his chunky hot sauce-smothered tamales from a hot dog cart right off the corner of 112th Avenue and Bird.

Memory Lane

My friends, I could continue discussing why I love Bird Road forever. I haven’t even dipped my toe in gone-but-not-forgotten businesses like the A&W Drive-in, Black Angus, Burger Castle, China Maid, GABE’s, La Suiza Bakery, Lila’s, Luria’s, Pizza Palace, Royal Castle, Scott’s Fried Chicken, Tropicaire Drive-in and flea market and XTRA Super Food Centers, plus more recent losses like Casa Paco (1987-2022) and Nunzio’s (1974-2022) and their Zupetta. Some folks claim to have left their heart in San Francisco or New York. Not this fella. I’m Westchesté through and through. So come by! I’d love for you to experience my favorite part of Miami and see why Bird Road is the best.