Overtown may soon again be sizzling with the smell of smoked ribs and soul food staples as the historic People’s Bar-B-Que prepares for a long-awaited revival.
The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (SEOPW CRA) has opened a request for proposals (RFP) to lease and operate the historic restaurant site at 350 NW 8th St., reviving a cultural landmark that has been shuttered for years but never forgotten.
The property, located along Interstate 95 at the main off-ramp into the neighborhood, has deep roots in Miami’s Black history. For decades, People’s Bar-B-Que served pork, chicken, beef, souse, and sides to generations of Overtown families and visitors.
A historic landmark
In 1925, North Carolina native Bobby Lewis Sr., Miami-Dade’s first Black pharmacist, opened People’s Pharmacy across the street from the current location. He later expanded the business by selling barbecue next door, renaming it People’s Pharmacy and Barbecue. His sons and daughter-in-law carried on the business, focusing on food after Lewis’ death at age 99.
It eventually closed for renovations around 2016. The SEOPW CRA later negotiated to purchase the property as it had become difficult for the owners to operate the space.
SEOPW CRA Executive Director James D. McQueen said that when the restaurant closed, “it really changed the face of Overtown,” and recalled people stopping him on the streets to ask about the reopening…