Pincho Wins the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash For the Third Time
Plus, SOBEWFF Tips, and a Cat Named Eli
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival kicked off last evening with one of its most popular events - the Burger Bash.
There was no beef with attendees, who enjoyed an evening scarfing down burgers. And, for the third time, Pincho won the People’s Choice award for its “Jalapeno Delight”, a signature beef patty topped with jalapeno jack cheese, jalapeno bacon, jalapeno bacon jam, and jalapeno cilantro aioli. The fast-casual restaurant previously won in 2015 and 2019.
Pincho’s Otto Othman said that each year his team works on a unique burger to serve at the Bash. “We take this seriously. It’s the Oscars of the burger world.” Othman added that when he first sized up the competition last evening, he wasn’t sure that there would be a charmed third win. “This was the best Burger Bash lineup,” he said, adding, “There were incredible burger joints there.” The tables turned in Pincho’s favor when people started lining up for a burger, returning to drop their chips in the voting box. Pincho is on a roll these days. The fast-casual restaurant has expanded to Texas, recently opening its third location in the Lone Star State.
The Burger Bash judges voted Cowy’s Burger the best of the evening, with Hate Mondays Tavern winning the Plant-Based Violife award. Here’s the Beef!
SOBEWFF Road Closures on Saturday
If you’re heading out to the festival, there are a few tings you should know. First and foremost — plan for road closures if you’re headed to Miami Beach on Saturday morning., be prepared for road closures due to the fifth-annual Miami Dolphins Cycling Challenge. It’s a two-day event, with Miami Beach most affected on Saturday (on Sunday, the race heads north to Broward County).
People headed to the Grand Tasting Village on Saturday will be most inconvenienced since the race will travel from Biscayne Boulevard to Miami Beach via the MacArthur Causeway. and will cause road closures on Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive.
Here are the Saturday road closures — be prepared to detour and/or wait. Find a complete list of all weekend closures here.
Eastbound SR 112 from NW 36th St. to NW 12th Ave. in Miami, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m.
Ramps from Okeechobee Rd., NW 36th St. and LeJeune Rd. to eastbound SR 112 in Miami, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Detour traffic southbound on LeJeune Rd. and eastbound on SR 836.
Ramps from NW 27th Ave. to eastbound SR 112 in Miami, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Detour traffic southbound on NW 27th Ave. and eastbound on SR 836.
Ramps from NW 22nd Ave. to eastbound SR 112 in Miami, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Detour traffic northbound on NW 22nd Ave. and eastbound on NW 62nd St.
One eastbound lane on SE 8th St. from Miami Ave. to Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m.
One northbound lane on Biscayne Blvd. from SE 8th St. to MacArthur Cswy. beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Maintain traffic in three northbound lanes until lane drop just north of NE 6th St. / Port Blvd. Maintain traffic in two northbound lanes from just north of NE 6th St. / Port Blvd. to MacArthur Cswy. / SR A1A.
Northbound Biscayne Boulevard ramp to eastbound MacArthur Cswy. / SR A1A in Miami, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Detour traffic north on Biscayne Blvd. to east on NE 14 St. to south on North Bayshore Dr. to east on MacArthur Cswy. / SR A1A.
Two lanes on eastbound MacArthur Cswy. / SR A1A from Biscayne Blvd. to Alton Rd. in Miami Beach, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Maintain traffic in one eastbound lane.
Northbound Ocean Dr. from 4th Ave. to 12th Ave., and southbound Ocean Dr. from 12th Ave. to 5th Ave. in Miami Beach, beginning at 4 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m. Detour traffic to Collins Ave.
10th St. between Collins Ave. and Ocean Dr. in Miami Beach, beginning at 4 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. Road Rage!
SOBEWFF Survival Tips
Just a few tips and tricks to make sure you have the most fun out of your day at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
Bag Policy — The festival has a strict small bag policy that only allows a bag, wallet, or clutch no bigger than 6.5” long so plan accordingly. The festival does hand out a plastic tote for all your swag, so keep that in mind. There are also no bag checks so if your bag is too big, they can deny entry so don’t try to show up with your LV Neverfull GM.
Please, No Heels - I don’t know how many times I have to say this but do not wear heels to the festival. Most events are directly on the sand and there’s plenty of walking at all the other events. The same goes for any shoes that you don’t want sand embedded in so leave the Gucci loafers at home and show up in a comfortable pair of sneakers or flip-flops.
Hydrate and Sunscreen — The weather is not blistering hot, but the sun is out. Wear sunscreen even if you think you don’t need it and keep drinking water as a chaser for whatever alcoholic beverages you’re enjoying. Cheers!
A Cat Named Eli
In case anyone out there thinks that I’m partial to doggos, they would be right, but it’s time to give some love to cats. And Eli is the most adorable little kitty ever. Eli is a one-and-a-half year-old black cat and his number is A2447231. He’s in foster care, but available for adoption and waiting for his furrever home! Cattastic!
Batch Gastropub is the sponsor of our dog adoption section. If you adopt one of these guys (or any dog because of Miami Checklist), Batch will supply you with a gift card for the amount of the adoption from MDAS. So get a dog, get a burger…or something like that. Contact me for details.
Get lucky at Miami-Dade Animal Services. 3599 NW 79 Ave., Doral; 305-884-1101; miamidade.gov/animals
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