The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House brings 70 years of deli tradition — pastrami on rye, chicken soup, Broadway ambiance and all — to the heart of the Rosemary District.
There are certain dining experiences that go beyond food. Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House in Miami Beach was one of them. For decades, it was a cultural institution — a place where the Bee Gees stopped in, where the Golden Girls were spotted, where Meyer Lansky was a regular, and where generations of families from New York to South Florida made memories over towering sandwiches and steaming bowls of chicken soup. When the original closed in 2008, a lot of people mourned.
Now, the spirit of Wolfie’s is very much alive — and it has landed, improbably and wonderfully, in downtown Sarasota. The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House opened in the Rosemary District in late 2023, and it has been filling a culinary and cultural void ever since. For anyone who grew up making pilgrimages to a great Jewish deli, or who simply knows what a properly made pastrami sandwich tastes like, this place is a revelation.
A Legacy Worth Reviving
The original Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House opened in 1954 in the Sunny Isles section of Miami Beach, drawing celebrities, politicians, mobsters, and ordinary families in equal measure. It was the kind of place that existed before the concept of “dining experience” was a marketing term — it simply was an experience, defined by abundance, noise, warmth, and the particular pleasure of great deli food made the right way.
The Sarasota revival is the work of CEO Jonathan Mitchell, whose history with these beloved brands runs deep — he was previously an owner of both Jerry’s Famous Deli in California and the original Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House in South Florida. Executive Chef Sol Shenker, a Culinary Institute of America graduate with a devoted following in Sarasota from his earlier Sol’s NYC Delicatessen, brings the kitchen expertise. Together, they’ve curated recipes from some of America’s most storied deli institutions: Wolfie’s, the Rascal House, Pumpernik’s, Epicure Market, and Jerry’s Famous Deli.
The result is not a pale imitation. It’s the real thing, rebuilt from the original blueprints.
Broadway Comes to Boulevard of the Arts
Step inside Wolfie’s at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts and the design does exactly what Mitchell intended: it makes you feel like you’re stepping onto a stage. The exterior is fashioned to evoke a Broadway theater marquee, and the interior carries through the theatrical conceit — stage lighting overhead, and on the walls, larger-than-life character portraits of regulars, friends of Mitchell, and notable figures who have been immortalized as the “audience” watching you dine.
New York posters and photographs line the walls. A display of Meyer Lansky photos and memorabilia gives the space a knowing, slightly roguish wink. It’s a room full of references and in-jokes for those who know — and an engaging visual education for those who don’t. Indoor and outdoor seating are both available, and the energy skews lively: this is not a hushed fine-dining room. It’s a deli, and it looks and sounds like one.
The Food: Everything Made Fresh, In House
Mitchell is emphatic on this point: almost everything at Wolfie’s is made from scratch. The bread is baked in house. The chopped liver is made in house. The soups, the latkes, the knishes, the desserts — all made fresh, using the original iconic recipes. In an era when so many restaurants cut corners invisibly, the commitment to in-house production is both a point of pride and a tangible difference in the eating.
The menu anchors: Pastrami on rye. Corned beef on rye. The Reuben (and the Combo Reuben — corned beef and pastrami together, for the committed). Matzo ball soup. Latkes with house-made applesauce and sour cream. Chopped liver on toast. Stuffed cabbage. Knishes. Pickles and pickled tomatoes. These are the pillars, and they deliver. Reviews from diners who ate at the original Miami locations consistently note that the flavors are true — the stuffed cabbage, in particular, described as tasting just like the old days.
The sandwich menu pays tribute to New York and Broadway with names that double as a cultural syllabus: the Stephen Sondheim, the Barbra Streisand, and others that combine corned beef, pastrami, and turkey in various celebrated configurations. Portions are deli-generous — that is to say, large. Sides of French fries, onion rings, potato salad, and coleslaw round things out in the expected fashion.
The number-one seller? The chicken soup. Mitchell’s story behind it is worth knowing: the recipe came from the mother of his late business partner, and it was the same soup served at Jerry’s Famous Deli in Los Angeles. When Jerry’s closed, people lined up outside with five-gallon containers hoping to bring some home. That soup is now in Sarasota. Order a bowl.
The menu also nods to modern tastes without abandoning its DNA — avocado toast with smoked salmon appears alongside the classic deli fare, and the brunch menu offers breakfast items that bridge old and new. Freshly baked desserts, including cheesecake and rugalach, complete the picture.
The Rascal House: Where the Night Gets Going
Wolfie’s dual identity is part of what makes it special. The daytime deli gives way, come evening, to the Rascal House bar — a moody, atmosphere-rich space with an expansive cocktail menu, beer, wine, and the kind of late-night energy the original Miami Beach location was famous for. Live entertainment — local musicians and other attractions that Mitchell promises most New Yorkers will recognize — rounds out the after-dark offering.
The combination is genuinely unusual in Sarasota’s dining landscape — a place that is legitimately great for a weekday lunch, a weekend family dinner, and a late-evening cocktail, all under the same roof.
Good to Know Before You Go
Location: 1420 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236 (Rosemary District). Street parking plus a free lot nearby. Phone: (941) 312-4072.
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 11:30 AM–7:00 PM. Closed Mondays.
Also: Wolfie’s Bakery & Take Away at 5318 Paylor Lane, Lakewood Ranch — pre-made sandwiches, soups, bagels, salads, and select frozen items, with DoorDash delivery available.
Catering: Full catering menu available — lox and bagel platters, cold cuts, deli sandwiches, and more for events of all kinds.
Don’t Miss: The chicken soup. The Combo Reuben. The latkes with house-made applesauce. The cheesecake. And arrive hungry.
The Verdict
What Mitchell and Shenker have built at Wolfie’s is more than a restaurant. It’s a piece of American deli history, thoughtfully resurrected and genuinely executed. The food is the real thing. The space has personality to spare. And the emotional resonance — for the many Floridians who grew up making memories at the original Rascal House, or who simply love the tradition of a great deli done right — is something that no amount of marketing can manufacture.
Sarasota is a city that takes its culture seriously. Wolfie’s belongs here.
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House · 1420 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236 · (941) 312-4072 · originalwolfies.com
