This Fall, the Grove's Village Center Leans Toward McFarlane Road

For most of the year, the big "MIAMI SLICE" lettering across the windows of the Historic Engle Building told passersby that something was coming. The sign showed up on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in the former Harry's Pizzeria space at 2996 McFarlane Road, and Miami New Times read it as a sign that opening day was a few months off. It took until Wednesday, August 12.

That opening matters beyond the pizza. McFarlane Road is a short street, and its far end is Peacock Park. Over the past few months, the Grove's walkable center has added reasons to walk its length just as Fuller Street, a block away and the pedestrian street that became the village's default gathering place, has filled with café tables and moved toward a $5 million rebuild. This fall, McFarlane is the second route through the village center, and it ends under the oaks.

The Block, by Address

The useful way to read McFarlane is by street number, starting at the corner and heading toward the park.

Mr. C Miami covers more ground than its address suggests. The hotel's dining program lists Bellini Restaurant, Bellini Bar, Il Giardino and poolside dining, so the stretch beside the Engle Building already offers several kinds of evening, from a full dinner to a drink. The Engle Building now adds a place to drop in without planning ahead.

A Slice Counter That Grew Into a Dining Room

Miami Slice started in 2019 with founder Alejandro Diaz's recipes. By 2022, it had moved into a narrow downtown space at 1335 NE Miami Court, a 15-seat counter where walk-in lines often form before the doors open. Keep that 15-seat counter in mind when you walk into the Grove location. It is the brand's fourth location, after downtown, a takeout shop on Key Biscayne and an outpost at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Miami New Times called it the most ambitious of the four, with comfortable tables and room for people to stay a while.

The building helped shape the menu. Culinary director Jose "Chema" Cardenas uses the Historic Engle Building's wood-fired oven for dishes served only in the Grove, including wood-fired cabbage, a watercress Caesar, beef carpaccio and a Caprese salad. The slice bar is still there. For a weeknight, here is what helps:

• Dine-in is first-come, first-served, with no reservations for now.
• Whole pies and individual slices are available for takeout.
• The restaurant is dog-friendly.
• Dessert includes a pistachio tart and cookies from Liger's.

The tables outside are what tie it to the rest of the street. In August, the Miami New Times reviewer predicted that the outdoor tables along McFarlane would be packed once fall weather arrived. Late October is when that prediction gets tested.

The Cookie Shop That Is Still a Sign

Across the street at 2979 McFarlane, Levain Bakery is set to open its first Florida shop. The New York bakery, founded 30 years ago and best known for oversized chocolate chip walnut cookies, also plans to sell breads, brioche, pastries and seasonal items. Miami New Times put it on its September list of fall 2026 openings and said to expect cookie lines near CocoWalk.

So far, the opening date is still "fall." As of mid-October, Levain's own Coconut Grove page shows the address and "Coming Soon!" where the hours would be. If a pizza place with no reservations at one end of the block and a bakery known for lines in the middle both draw crowds, McFarlane will be busy at most hours. The bakery page is the place to check before planning a morning around it.

The End of the Street That Costs Nothing

Peacock Park, at 2820 McFarlane Road, is open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day. Glass & Vine runs its restaurant under the park's oak canopy, so the street's dining continues right into the green space.

The park already shows how many people it can hold. On June 13, 2026, more than 3,000 people came to the Grove Cup Watch Party at Peacock Park, according to the Coconut Grove BID. That kind of room counts for more this fall, because the village center's other gathering place is getting crowded.

Why Fuller Street Makes McFarlane Matter

Fuller Street has been a pedestrian street for about five years. Over that time, outdoor café seating has spread along its storefronts. Coconut Grove Spotlight reported in August that the city's rules require permitted sidewalk and street café seating to be "opened for use by the general public," not only for a business's customers. The same report noted that the GroveHouseArtists ArtWalk ended its monthly gatherings on Fuller Street last December, with organizers saying there was no longer enough room to stage the event.

The street is also headed for a rebuild. The Miami City Commission approved final designs in June for a $5 million redesign of Fuller Street and neighboring Kirk Munroe Park, led by Allen Morris Company, and the Coconut Grove BID approved the Fuller Street improvements in July. The plan raises the former roadway to sidewalk level, replaces the asphalt with stone pavers and adds trees and landscaping. City officials have said outdoor seating will stay a key part of the street after the work is done.

Fuller Street remains the Grove's main stage, with café tables, a redesign ahead and a busy fall calendar. McFarlane is the companion route. It runs from Mr. C and the Engle Building past a bakery that hasn't opened yet and ends at a public park with daily hours and an oak canopy. The walk along Main Highway feeds both. Manoli, at 3540 Main Highway, officially opened on July 22.

A Late-October Calendar Within a Few Blocks

The next few weeks put events on both streets and in the blocks between them. All dates are 2026.

1. Friday, October 23, through Sunday, November 1. Coconut Grove Harvest, presented by the Coconut Grove BID on Fuller Street, with a pumpkin patch and Halloween programming.
2. Saturdays, October 24 and 31. The Coconut Grove Farmers Market, run by Glaser Organic Farms at 3300 Grand Avenue at Margaret Street, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its site says the market has operated since the early 1980s.
3. Thursday, October 29, at 6 p.m. Rotary's 4th Annual Monster Mash at the Woman's Club of Coconut Grove, listed on the BID calendar.
4. Saturday, October 31, at 6 p.m. The Coconut Grove Harvest Halloween Celebration on Fuller Street.
5. November 13 to 15. The Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show at The Hangar at Regatta Harbour.

Halloween on Fuller Street will draw the biggest crowd of the month. If the tables at the Harvest are full, Miami Slice, the Mr. C dining rooms and the lawn at Peacock Park are each a short walk away along McFarlane Road.

At Jessica Adams Luxury Real Estate, we keep track of the Grove's village center one storefront at a time, from the Engle Building's new tenant to the day Levain finally opens its doors. If you live along Main Highway and would like to know what is coming to the blocks around you, or how changes like the Fuller Street redesign could shape the neighborhood, we would be glad to talk. Start Your Luxury Search with a team that walks these streets too.