JohnMartin's Irish Pub & Restaurant is marking 37 years on Miracle Mile, nearly four years after the Coral Gables institution reopened following its 2020 COVID-19 closure.

Pandemic accelerated 2020 closure decision

The pub at 253 Miracle Mile closed on its 31st anniversary in April 2020 after co-founders John Clarke and Martin Lynch decided not to renew their lease, a plan the pandemic accelerated, the Miami Herald reported. Clarke and Lynch, childhood friends from Killinkere parish in northwest Dublin, had opened the pub in 1989 after moving to Miami.

Breakwater Hospitality Group, co-founded by Emi Guerra and Alex Mantecon, took over the space in partnership with Erick Passo, owner of downtown Miami's Black Market Miami. The group also operates The Wharf locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Renovation kept original bar and brass details

After a two-year renovation designed by Miami-based Bigtime Design Studios, JohnMartin's reopened Nov. 18, 2022, with a refreshed look that kept key pieces of the original. The 43-foot-long main bar stayed, fitted with a quartz countertop. Original brass railings were repurposed throughout the building, and portraits of Clarke and Lynch hang on the wall. A new skylight and large windows facing Miracle Mile brightened the interior.

"There's a lot of history here. We wanted to keep some of the original charm and respect what they did in the past," Guerra told the Miami Herald ahead of the 2022 reopening. "But you also have to build for a new generation that welcomes what it was."

The upstairs room, once used for meetings, became an invitation-only Whiskey Society and private dining space stocked with more than 300 types of whiskey. The space can seat up to 40 guests or hold 100 cocktail-style, according to the pub's website.

St. Patrick's Day tradition continues under new ownership

Lynch, who in the late 1990s helped repeal a 1926 Coral Gables ordinance that restricted independent bars, served as a consultant during the transition. At the pub's peak under original ownership, its St. Patrick's Day celebration burned through 200 pounds of corned beef and 125 kegs of beer.

That tradition has carried forward.

The city of Coral Gables promoted the 33rd annual JohnMartin's St. Patrick's Day Street Festival on March 17 at Salzedo Street and Miracle Mile. The pub also won Silver Favorite Irish Pub in the 2023 Miami Herald Miami-Dade Favorites competition.

Magazine profile highlights industry comeback story

A Food & Beverage Magazine profile published Sept. 14 framed the revival as a case study for the hospitality industry, noting that Breakwater chose to renovate rather than walk away from the shuttered space.

Hours and community giving program

JohnMartin's is open Monday through Wednesday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from noon to 2 a.m. and Sunday from noon to midnight.

The pub runs a monthly "Burger for a Cause" program, donating $5 from every specialty burger to a featured local nonprofit across 12 months.