Stone crab claws are the reason to come to Joe's, and the medium order is currently $49.95 before sides, rising to $59.95 for Select, $74.95 for Large and $129.95 for Jumbo. The claws arrive chilled, cracked and paired with mustard sauce, which makes this South of Fifth institution a more considered meal than a quick plate by the sea. Joe's Stone Crab is at 11 Washington Avenue, close to South Pointe, with a formal dining room, an outside patio and a separate takeaway operation. The practical details matter here: official pages show conflicting service hours, the restaurant takes bookings only 14 days ahead, and OpenTable lists a summer hiatus beginning September 14, 2026.
Karpo can check the latest hours, help with the live wait and suggest Joe's Take Away or another nearby seafood stop if the dining room is unavailable.
What to order at Joe's Stone Crab
The defining order is stone crab with mustard sauce. Choose the size by appetite and budget rather than assuming Jumbo is automatically the better meal. Joe's Classic is the simplest way to make the order feel complete: it adds $30 to a full stone-crab order and includes cole slaw, hashed brown potatoes, creamed spinach and a slice of Key lime pie. The Seafood Trio is another sensible route at $74.95, combining stone crab, half Maine lobster and shrimp cocktail. It gives a table more variety without turning the meal into a long list of separate decisions.
There are good reasons not to order crab at every visit. The fried half chicken is $8.95 and is the standout value for an off-season meal or a diner who simply does not want shellfish. At dinner, Joe's Burger is $18.95. Key lime pie costs $14.95, while Joe's Apple Pie is $17.95 and comes à la mode. Lunch prix fixe is $40 per person for a starter, entree and Key lime pie or guava cheesecake. Dinner prix fixe is $65, with a starter, entree and dessert; Joe's Experience is the stone-crab entree option.
The dining room, dress code and wait
Joe's is not a place to treat the booking time as the exact moment of sitting down. During peak periods, the restaurant warns that seating can take up to 15 minutes, even with a reservation. Walk-ins are welcome when availability permits, but reservations through OpenTable are accepted only 14 days out. Cancellations or no-shows within 24 hours incur a $25-per-person charge, so the sensible approach is to book once the plan is firm and leave a little space around the meal.
The room asks for more intention after 4 p.m. Beachwear, flip-flops, hats, shorts and sportswear are not suitable for dinner, and strollers are not permitted in the dining area. The bar opens at 4:30 p.m. for dinner service and at 11 a.m. for lunch, which gives waiting diners somewhere to have a cocktail rather than standing by the entrance. Ask about the East Wing if you want the seating area associated with the site of Joe's original house; the full menu is also served on the outside patio.
When to go, and when the claws disappear
The calendar needs checking before setting out. As of September 11, 2026, Joe's is operating, but its official pages show conflicting schedules. One lists lunch Friday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Another lists lunch Wednesday through Sunday, with dinner Sunday through Thursday until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. That discrepancy is worth treating as a planning issue, not something to guess around.
OpenTable says the restaurant begins its summer hiatus on September 14, 2026, reopening for dinner on October 16, 2026. That makes seasonal availability central to the decision, particularly for a trip built around stone crab rather than a general Miami meal. The restaurant's history gives the dish its place here: Joe Weiss opened his original lunch counter in 1913, and in 1921 began serving chilled, cracked stone-crab claws after live crabs were brought to him by a Harvard ichthyologist.
Arriving on Washington Avenue
Joe's Stone Crab is at 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, in South of Fifth at the southern end of South Beach. The free South Beach Trolley serves the Washington Avenue and South Pointe Drive stop, runs daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and arrives about every 20 minutes. That is the cleanest option when the meal is part of a day on foot around South Pointe, and it avoids building the evening around a parking search.
For drivers, valet parking costs $15 at lunch and $25 at dinner. Limited complimentary self-parking is available across the street, though the lot closes at 11:15 p.m. The closing time matters if dinner runs late or the table lingers over dessert. Joe's own practical rhythm is also worth noting: the bar opens before the evening dining service, so arriving early can be more comfortable than aiming to arrive exactly at the reservation time during a peak period.
Joe's Take Away and the nearby seafood choice
Joe's Take Away is the natural alternative when the dining room is full, closed for its seasonal break or simply more ceremony than the day requires. It is at the same 11 Washington Avenue address and is a casual 80-seat companion market with a full bar and coffee bar. It was created in 1987 for people who could not get a dining-room table or wanted a faster meal. That makes it a genuine second format for the same institution, rather than a distant substitute, though it will not offer the same dining-room occasion.
For a different seafood experience, The Lobster Shack South Pointe at 40 South Pointe Drive is more casual and focuses on hot and chilled lobster rolls, oysters, snow crab and tropical cocktails. Stiltsville Fish Bar at 1787 Purdy Avenue is another option, with Key West-inspired drinks and daily service. Joe's wins when chilled stone crab, its classic sides and a carefully planned occasion are the point. The alternatives win when a shorter, looser meal or a different seafood emphasis matters more.
A measured South Beach institution
The appeal of Joe's is not only the crab. It is the continuity between the original lunch counter, the old-house association of the East Wing and a dining format that still makes the claws the centre of the meal. Jo Ann Weiss is credited by the restaurant with creating Joe's Take Away and originating its Key lime pie, while the business remains family-run, with Stephen Sawitz identified as the fourth generation steering it.
That history does not remove the practical tradeoffs. Prices climb quickly with larger claws, seating can take 15 minutes at busy times, and the schedule needs checking around the September-to-October hiatus. Still, the meal is easy to plan when the details are handled in advance: reserve within the 14-day window, choose the order before arriving, allow time for the trolley or valet, and keep Joe's Take Away in reserve if the formal room is not the right fit.
- Address: 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, in South of Fifth.
- Hours pattern: official pages conflict; one lists lunch Friday-Sunday and dinner Wednesday-Sunday, while another lists broader lunch and later Friday-Saturday dinners. OpenTable lists a summer hiatus from September 14 to October 16, 2026.
- Reservations: OpenTable bookings open 14 days ahead; walk-ins are accepted as availability permits, with up to 15 minutes' seating time during peak periods.
- Getting there: the free South Beach Trolley runs daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and reaches the Washington Avenue and South Pointe Drive stop about every 20 minutes.
- Parking: valet is $15 at lunch and $25 at dinner; limited complimentary self-parking across the street closes at 11:15 p.m.
- Price band: stone crab is $49.95 for Medium, $59.95 for Select, $74.95 for Large and $129.95 for Jumbo; prix fixe menus are $40 at lunch and $65 at dinner.
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Ask Karpo first
Before heading to Joe's Stone Crab, ask Karpo to check today's hours, the live wait, the best route or a nearby seafood backup.
