Wood Tavern says it won't reopen again after city shutdown
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Wood Tavern's original location in Wynwood seen in 2016. Photo: Scott McIntyre/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The iconic Wynwood bar Wood Tavern is closing again after the city of Miami shut it down last month.
Why it matters: The pioneering bar, which first opened in 2011, helped usher in Wynwood's transformation into a nightlife destination, per the Miami Herald.
Catch up fast: In 2021, Wood Tavern closed its original location at Northwest Second Avenue and 26th Street and briefly reopened at nearby Pizza and Beer.
- The bar reopened again as a pop-up last December at the former Shots Miami space, while announcing plans to open a permanent space in Allapattah this year.
The latest: The bar revealed its latest closure Sunday in a statement on Instagram, citing a "complicated situation" regarding its business license.
- "Wood officially closes its doors and will not reopen ever again, not in Wynwood or anywhere else."
Context: The bar said the city shut it down on April 26 "over the name on the licenses/permits."
- A city of Miami spokesperson tells Axios that Wood Tavern and the nearby Willy's Neighborhood Bar, which share an owner and folio number, had been operating without a required certificate of use and business tax receipt.
What's next: Both businesses have since failed to obtain the proper paperwork, the city says.
- And the city is now raising separate concerns over "fire code violations, to include egress/ingress issues and occupancy load concerns."
- "Once those are rectified with the Fire Department, they 'should' be able to operate," the spokesperson wrote in an email. "Please note these businesses remained closed and should not be operating."
In its statement, Wood Tavern said "what started as a simple issue with the name on the licenses turned into a more complicated situation."
- The bar says the ordeal could take up to two months to clear up and that "we are not in a position to sustain that."
Of note: Wood Tavern and owner Cesar Morales did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the city, which earlier said Wood Tavern and Willy's Neighborhood Bar had obtained the proper paperwork, now says they have not.