Longtime Las Olas restaurant staple to close after 25 years

Fort Lauderdale restaurant staple Big City Tavern will close on Las Olas Boulevard after 25 years on September 30, 2026, shocking customers.

Provided by Big City Tavern

It’s the end of an era as long-running American restaurant and bar Big City Tavern will close September 30 after 25 years in business.

The Las Olas mainstay announced the closure on Instagram earlier today, giving regulars less than two weeks to visit its longtime home at 609 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.

That means one more round of ten-ounce burgers, rigatoni Bolognese, Asian chicken wings, jerk chicken pizza, and drinks at the sprawling bar before Big City calls it a night.

Led by executive chef Ladanna Lawas, the current kitchen serves the wide-ranging menu

Provided by Big City Tavern

One last bite

“We’re raising a glass to the guests, team members, and community who made Big City Tavern what it is,” the restaurant wrote in an Instagram Story announcing the closure. “Join us for one last bite.”

Big City Tavern did not give a reason for the decision or announce what might replace it. The restaurant’s website still accepts reservations through the end of the month.

Led by executive chef Ladanna Lawas, the current kitchen serves the wide-ranging menu that has been a hallmark of the place for years; think steaks, seafood, pizza, pasta, burgers, and weekend brunch. The kitchen makes breads, pastas, pastries, desserts, and gelato in-house daily.

The lunch menu includes plenty of dishes built for the final nostalgic order, including the Big City meatloaf sandwich with house-made ketchup and crispy onion rings, rigatoni Bolognese made with veal, beef, red wine, and herbs, and Ladanna’s jerk chicken with red beans, rice, plantains, and rum.

The restaurant belongs to Big Time Restaurant Group, the South Florida hospitality company founded in 1993

Provided by Big City Tavern

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Before Louie Bossi’s

Big City Tavern also served as an early ground for one of South Florida’s most recognizable restaurant names.

Before Louie Bossi had restaurants featuring his name, the self-taught chef worked his way through several kitchens operated by Big Time Restaurant Group. Contemporary coverage reported that Bossi started at Big City Tavern as a line cook and became its executive chef roughly a decade later, earning the nickname “The Hogfather” for his obsession with house-made charcuterie and pork.

The restaurant belongs to Big Time Restaurant Group, the South Florida hospitality company founded in 1993 by Todd Herbst, Bill Watson, and Lisabet Summa. The group now operates 16 locations across brands including City Oyster, Rocco’s Tacos, Elisabetta’s, Grease Burger Bar, and Louie Bossi’s.

Big City Tavern will keep serving lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and daily happy hour until its last call on September 30.

Big City Tavern. 609 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; bigcitylasolas.com. Closing September 30.