Beloved Miami burger spot Lokal will close after 15 years in Coconut Grove on Commodore Plaza this summer due to unaffordable rent hikes.

Kush Hospitality Group photo

After 15 years of burgers, craft beer, and neighborhood memories, Coconut Grove staple Lokal will close its doors this summer.

Kush Hospitality founder Matt Kuscher shared the news Thursday in a video message posted to social media, calling the decision “bittersweet” after more than a decade serving the Grove community.

“To our Lokal family and Coconut Grove community, after 15 incredible years, we’re sharing the bittersweet news that this summer will mark the final chapter of Lokal, our Coconut Grove location,” Kuscher says.

The closure of Lokal comes after a dramatic rent increase and the newfound popularity of Coconut Grove

Rent Increase Forces Closure After 15 Years

According to Kuscher, the closure comes after a dramatic rent increase that made the restaurant’s long-term future financially unsustainable.

“We would have loved the opportunity to stay here, but the rents were raised 50 percent, and honestly, it’s just no longer sustainable as a business,” he explained.

Lokal first opened in 2011 and quickly became a defining spot in Coconut Grove’s dining scene. Known for its Florida-focused menu, craft beer selection, and locally sourced ingredients, the restaurant built a loyal following among Grove residents, University of Miami students, and burger lovers across Miami.

The Birthplace of Kush Hospitality

For Kuscher, Lokal represented more than just a successful restaurant. It was the birthplace of Kush Hospitality in 2011, the company that would go on to launch concepts including Kush by Spillover, Kush Wynwood, and other restaurants across South Florida.

“This was our very first home as a company, the place where it all began,” Kuscher explains in the video.

Over the years, Lokal became a gathering place where regulars celebrated birthdays, first dates, anniversaries, and every day moments. Kuscher reflected on watching families grow up at the restaurant and seeing children who once visited with their parents return years later as college students.

“Lokal has always been more than a restaurant. It’s been a gathering place for stories and the center for connections,” he adds. The good news is that all Lokal employees will be transferred to Kush, another Kush Hospitality Group restaurant in Wynwood, once it reopens.

Longtime customers have until just after summer to hang out at Lokal, grab a beer, a burger, and support the business

One Last Summer in Coconut Grove

Despite the closure, Kuscher encouraged longtime fans to visit over the coming months and share memories from the restaurant’s 15-year run. “Join us as often as possible over the next few months. Celebrate what we’ve built together,” he ends the video.

Longtime customers immediately flooded the Instagram post with comments, ranging from “Thank you for being one of the OGs and preserving Miami culture,” to “The Grove won’t be the same without Lokal.”

Lokal will remain open through the summer before officially closing its doors in Coconut Grove.

Lokal. 3190 Commodore Plz., Miami; 305-442-3377; kushhospitality.com. Will remain open through the summer.