The Birdie Bistro Opens
The new Burger Bob’s opens with fanfare
On November 25, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the heavenly scent of grilling filled the air around the Granada Golf Course pro shop for the first time in two years. The Birdie Bistro, the long-awaited replacement for Burger Bob’s, was officially open for business, and it was packed.
Most Gableites can probably tell the story of Burger Bob’s along with their own anecdotes – how the old neighborhood joint stood for decades before it closed during the pandemic, how it charged depression era prices for good old American food, and how it took nearly two years to re-open. Owned by the city and previously leased to Bob Maguire, it’s now operated by Rita Tennyson, who ran things at the last place and was always the favorite to spearhead Birdie.

“A hundred times better and exactly the same,” said Connie Crowther, a Burger Bob’s regular declared, when asked what she thought of the new restaurant. “It’s brighter, it’s bigger, it’s a little more comfortable. The menu is pretty much the same. I had the same old, same old that I always had when I came in. The regulars are all here.” Jim Heacock, who had been coming here for decades, gave it a big thumbs up.
“I like the old place [but] It’s still Burger Bob’s,” said Bob himself, who was in attendance for the bistro’s opening along with his wife Mary Lou. “The food is just like it used to be,” she said. “It’s just perfect.”
Of course, there are some changes. Gone are the cracked red leather bar stools, replaced with modern wicker versions. There is now a bathroom – though on opening day it was out of order, which meant you still had to use the Pro Shop bathroom, just as before. The menu, though it does feature a section called “Burger Bob’s Corner” with original items (grilled cheese sandwich, homemade chili, and BB’s classic burger), has changed slightly (as have the prices). You can still get a relatively cheap burger here – $10 for the classic – but that’s still $5 more than it was under Bob. Added are a crispy chicken sandwich, a Caesar salad, a tuna melt, a vegan Impossible Burger and the Birdie Bistro SoBe Burger, which won the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Burger Bash award in 2022 (at $21, the most expensive item on the menu). And, of course, it’s now the Tennyson family you’ll see behind the bar, grilling up burgers and chopping tomatoes.
“It’s great to finally have Burger Bob’s open again,” said Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who was having lunch with his family at a table by the floor-to-ceiling windows. “The food is phenomenal. This is one of our community’s meeting places where everybody comes out to enjoy a burger or a hot dog and company together. It’s only going to get better.”
Despite the mad rush of opening day at the local favorite, we managed to grab a couple of burgers ourselves, as well as the chili, and were pleased with the familiar flavors. In between bites, we greeted other familiar faces, as it seemed the whole of Coral Gables descended upon the small bistro at once, clamoring for a burger. “It’s a lot busier than we expected, but it’s good,” said a slightly harried but smiling Tennyson as the lunch rush started to die off. “Awesome first day.”
To relive the legacy of Burger Bob’s and its closure, check out our article Goodbye to Burger Bob’s.