Jake Hawkins

On a typical Sunday night, the local Miami establishment, Captain’s Tavern, can be found filled with customers and families of all generations, purchasing food from the restaurant or its seafood market.

Opening its doors on April 1, 1971, Captain’s Tavern celebrates its 53rd birthday this year. Since 1998, Dean Sage has worked as a bartender at Captain’s Tavern. He has seen many families and people walk in and out of the restaurant and market — new faces and old.

“A lot of families have been coming here for years, as a family-owned business open since 1971,” Sage said. “There’s a lot of people who come in, who came in as babies and now have their own children. So you see a lot of regulars, a lot of families that you get to know very well over the years.”

The restaurant gets all their seafood fresh and cooks it on the spot. If not opting to sit down, people walk into the seafood market which carries a variety of seafood and other snacks for any occasion.

“In addition to the restaurant, there’s a seafood market and there’s a lot of people from the neighborhood, locals and then coming into here again as families, as kids, who always come to the tavern; maybe for very special occasions, market to buy food for parties, and so on,” Sage said.

Captain’s Tavern’s longevity can be attributed to the community created over the five decades. According to Sage, the restaurant creates an environment similar to the one seen in the sitcom “Cheers.”

“The bars, described as ‘Cheers,’ it’s a lot of people from the neighborhood, they all know each other. People come in here three, four or five days a week and they all know each other, [they are] all friends,” Sage said.

Captain’s Tavern is a staple for various Miami residents.

“There’s people at the bar right now that I’ve known for 20 plus years, and there’s people that have known each other there for 10 years, so I would definitely say a community, both for the restaurant and for the market,” Sage said.