Cactus Club Cafe plans South of Fifth restaurant at 850 Commerce St., with city review pending

Cactus Club Cafe, the Vancouver-based restaurant chain that opened in downtown Miami in February, plans a second South Florida restaurant at 850 Commerce St. in South of Fifth, opening in 2027, The Miami Guide reported Monday, citing the company’s announcement. No opening date has been set.

According to the announcement, the restaurant will fill nearly 9,000 square feet and seat more than 200 people in a lounge, dining room, mezzanine and patio.

City records show the work is already under way. Miami Beach issued an interior restaurant build-out permit for the address in January, followed this fall by permits for a new mezzanine and rooftop steel supports, a storefront window and a kitchen hood fire-suppression system the permit labels “Cactus Club.”

A seating count of that size needs more than a building permit. On Oct. 6, an application was filed with the Planning Board for a conditional use permit for a “neighborhood impact establishment,” the city’s category for large venues, along with a traffic study. Both are listed as under review, and neither is on an upcoming Planning Board agenda. That hearing is where neighbors can weigh in on hours, noise, deliveries and parking.

The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser lists the two-story building as built in 1920 and owned by Limestone Plant LLC, which bought it in April 2022 for $12 million. A restaurant with 172 seats and alcohol service until 2 a.m. was licensed there in 2018, according to city records.

The Miami Guide’s report rests on the company’s announcement; Red Sidewalks has not independently confirmed the seating and opening plans with the company.