Icebox Cafe, Oprah's "Best Cake in America," Closes in Miami Beach After 25 Years

It's the end of an era for Icebox Cafe, a Miami Beach staple that has served its community with delicious cakes and elevated comfort food for over 25 years. The café has shut down both its Miami Beach and Hallandale Beach locations permanently.

Icebox Cafe's locations at Miami International Airport, located at gates D-8 and D-28, will continue to offer signature Icebox menu items, according to a statement from the Icebox Group. Since 2010, passengers departing from Miami International Airport's Terminal D have been able to enjoy Icebox Cafe en route to and from domestic flights.

The café was best known for its diverse offerings and desserts, including Oprah's favorite cake. At the Hallandale restaurant, they had designed a new menu around the restaurant's best-selling dishes.

Founder and owner Robert Siegmann announced the closure to his customers in an email, in which he said, “It’s been an honor and a privilege serving you for over 25 years and now it’s time to turn our focus on to new adventures."

In 1998, Siegmann opened Icebox Cafe as a full-service restaurant in Miami Beach with Siegmann’s from-scratch cakes and elevated, better-for-you comfort food.

Fast forward to 2010, and Icebox Cafe quickly became widely known nationally after being featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show’s "The Best Cakes in America" segment.
According to Oprah.com, it all started in February 2006, when "Gayle King went on a mission in search of the best burger in America — but after traveling coast-to-coast, Gayle realized she had a higher calling...to uncover the country's best cake!" This is when King visited Icebox Cafe for the very first time. She tried the cinnamon butter bundt cake, the strawberry shortcake, the coconut buttercream cake, and then the cake that launched the national fanfare, the "Bomb," a cheesecake brownie sandwiched inside of a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. Soon, the brand was even known internationally, as well.

In 2013, after 15 years at its original location, Icebox Cafe relocated to a larger space in Sunset Harbour in Miami Beach, where it was located until its closure. In 2017, Icebox opened a location in Doral, which closed soon after, and in 2020, the brand opened the now-closed Hallandale Beach location.

"The Icebox Cafe brand has connected with the community for more than two decades," reads a statement, in part, from the group. "While on-premise operations will come to a close in South Beach and Hallandale, customers can continue to enjoy offerings and services through new touch points, including numerous Icebox Pantry locations and through special event and celebration space available in Hallandale."

In 2019, the Icebox Group launched Icebox Pantry, an automated smart fridge vending system selling healthy, restaurant-inspired food. Icebox Pantry, which offers wholesale opportunities to office buildings, universities, hospitals, and more, will continue to serve communities through operations in Hallandale, Orlando, and Atlanta.

Fans of Icebox Cafe's famous cakes can still order full cakes and desserts for nationwide delivery on Goldbelly.com.