Food Events in Miami This Labor Day Weekend

Welcome to the unofficial end of summer, AKA Labor Day Weekend.

For most of the country, this weekend is a chance to get in one last beach weekend before taking the sweaters out of mothballs. Here in Miami, it's mostly a great excuse to get together with friends over brunch or an old-fashioned backyard cookout.

Looking for stuff to do this holiday weekend? Drop by David Grutman's newest Miami venture: the Firestone Garage in South Beach, which houses three unique restaurants under one roof. Plus, Ch'i launches weekend brunch, Eleventh Street Pizza offers 50 percent off cheese slices, and Tripping Animals Brewing hosts the first-ever Skip the Line food and drink festival.

There are also some great deals on meats for your grill — and a taco pack, because every day is taco day (even Labor Day).

See them all below, listed in chronological order, Friday through Monday.

Firestone Garage Opens Friday

David Grutman's trifecta of restaurants at the former Firestone Garage on 16th Street and Alton Road in South Beach will finally open this Friday (today) after three years of planning. Three distinct concepts will share the same footprint underneath the Firestone sign: Sushi Fly Chicken, offering sushi, fried chicken, dumplings, and other bites; Winker's Diner, the largest of the three spots featuring deli-meets-diner fare, including pastrami on rye, a French-onion grilled cheese, and breakfast all day long; and Toothfairy, a dessert and bakeshop led by Miami pastry chef Dallas Wynne. There's also a full bar (at Winker's), plus weekly DJ performances. 1569 Alton Rd., Miami Beach; sushiflychicken.com; winkersdiner.com; toothfairybakery.com.

Saturday Pool Party at the Clevelander

On Saturday, the Clevelander South Beach hosts a pool party in partnership with Miami's party radio station Power 96. The event features music from DJ Zog and drink specials including $15 margaritas. Locals get 20 percent off all food and drink (with ID). Tickets are $20 on presale and start at $30 at the door. VIP packages and bottle service are available. Saturday, September 4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Clevelander, 1020 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, 305-532-4006; clevelander.com.

Ch'i Launches Weekend Brunch

Ch'i, in Brickell City Centre, is behind a new brunch experience, available Saturdays and Sundays. The menu, created by executive chef Rafael Perez Cambana, features avocado toast with poached eggs, sweet and sour sauce, and cotija cheese; fried chicken and waffles served with ginger maple syrup and spicy honey sauce; Chinese barbecue pork belly sesame balls; and peanut-crusted French toast. Cocktails include the "Picantini," with vodka, cucumber, lemon, and spicy Thai syrup and garnished with cucumber strips; and the "Fancy Nancy," with vodka, lychee liqueur, passionfruit, orange, pineapple, prosecco, and mint. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, at Ch'i, 701 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-257-8726; chibrickell.com.

Sunday Brunch at Maia House

Maia House in Coral Gables, has launched a Mexican-inspired Sunday brunch with a live DJ. Highlights include chilaquiles with spicy mango; huevos motulenos with mole, beans, and sweet plantains; and tajin chicken and corn buttermilk waffles with bacon maple syrup. Pair an entrée with bottomless mimosas and the restaurant's signature seasonal fruit sorbet drenched in prosecco for $35. Plus, there's a menu of cocktails, including "Maia Rose," made with prosecco, rose water, and nitrogen strawberry foam; and “The Grass,” with gin, cucumber, lemon and lime, elderflower liqueur, and tonic water. Beginning 11 a.m. Sundays, at Maia House, 2524 Le Jeune Rd., Coral Gables; 786-244-6860; maiarestaurant.com.

Volcan Tequila Sunday Brunch at Lona Cocina & Tequileria

On Sunday, Lona hosts a specialty Volcan tequila brunch takeover, complete with a specialty Lona Margarita with Volcan blanco and Volcan-infused snow cones, along with a variety of chef-attended cuisine stations and bottomless margaritas, mimosas, and bloody marys for $46 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Also on tap for Labor Day Weekend: $5 Mexican beer by the bottle, available all day from Sunday, September 5 to Monday, September 6. Reservations are encouraged and can be secured via OpenTable. Sunday, September 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lona Cocina & Tequileria, 321 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-245-3069; lonarestaurant.com.

National Cheese Pizza Day at Eleventh Street Pizza

Miami's Eleventh Street Pizza — from longtime local favorite Fooq's — celebrates National Cheese Pizza Day on Sunday with 50 percent off cheese slices all day (maximum two per customer and promo excludes delivery orders). The newly revamped space is restaurateur David Fouquier's answer to the dearth of New York-style pizza in Miami. Sunday, September 5, at Eleventh Street Pizza, 1035 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 786-536-2749; eleventhstreetpizza.com.

Lazy Sunday Bay-BQ at Baia Beach Club

Baia Beach Club will host a Lazy Sunday Bay-BQ with live DJs and an upscale menu of traditional favorites, from steak pinchos to Impossible burgers, along with cocktail and beer specials. On Monday, September 6, enjoy a Sundown Social happy hour of discounted food and drink specials from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, September 5, and Monday, September 6 at Baia Beach Club, 1100 West Ave, Miami Beach; 305-514-1959; baiabeachclubmiami.com.

Skip the Line Food and Drink Festival

Imagine a food festival where there are no lines, the vendors never run out of food, and the drinks are free-flowing. That's the idea behind "Skip the Line," a new South Florida event organized by Tripping Animals Brewing. The inaugural festival is set to take place Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m., featuring more than a dozen Miami-based food vendors alongside more than a dozen Florida breweries. Tickets for Skip the Line are on sale now, priced at $115 to $125 per person (21 and older only), which includes admission plus unlimited food and beer samples. 2685 NW 105th Ave., Doral; Sunday, September 5, from 2 to 6 p.m.; 305-646-1339; trippinganimals.com. Tickets cost $115 to $125.

Party at Home with Bodega Taqueria y Tequila

Beginning on Monday, September 6, Bodega will offer a 15 percent discount on all its catering packages with the special code SEPTEMBER. Offers include a Nacho Fuego box and a Best of Bodega option with a taco tray and elote and churro platters. Orders must be placed through the online catering store.

Barbecue Packs at Vecinos Market

If you're planning a weekend barbecue, Vecinos Market has meat specials by Meat and Bone throughout Labor Day weekend. Offers include a Wagyu burger four-pack ($25), an eight-ounce picanha steak ($30), and rib-eye steak ($46). To receive delivery by Sunday, place your order by 5 p.m. Friday via Vecinos' website, vecinosmarket.com.

Wild Fork's Labor Day Grilling Packs

Host your own backyard barbecue with one of Wild Fork’s Labor Day bundles. Among the options: the Backyard BBQ bundle, which includes fully-cooked beef hot dogs, beef chuck homestyle burgers, brioche hamburger buns and sweet hot dog buns ($22.47); and the Premium Grilling bundle, packing 7.5 pounds of USDA-choice Black Angus New York strip steak; USDA Prime Black Angus bone-in beef cowboy steak, and antibiotic-free pork back ribs ($136.33). Available at all South Florida locations or for same-day delivery or in-store pick up for those who order online. Various locations. wildforkfoods.com.