The surest sign that fall has reached South Beach is not the weather. It is the line outside Joe's Stone Crab. The restaurant at 11 Washington Avenue has been dark since September 14 and reopens for dinner on Friday, October 16, kicking off its 114th season one day after Florida's stone crab season opens.

The calendar every Miamian knows

Florida's stone crab season in state waters runs October 15 through May 1, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Only the claws are taken: the crab goes back in the water and can regrow what it lost, and claws must measure at least 2 7/8 inches. That is what makes stone crab one of the few delicacies whose season is something to celebrate rather than worry about. Joe's notes on its site that commercial harvesting happens almost exclusively in Florida and that a crab can regenerate its claws several times in its life.

Joe's is the restaurant most closely tied to that calendar. On October 16, the counter-service Joe's Take Away next door opens at 11:30 a.m., and the main dining room returns for dinner that evening.

A lunch counter that became a landmark

The story starts in 1913, when Joe Weiss, a waiter who moved south from New York for his health, opened a small lunch stand on Miami Beach before Miami Beach was even a city. He and his wife, Jennie, later moved into a bungalow and served meals from tables on the front porch. Stone crabs came into the picture in 1921, when a Harvard ichthyologist introduced Joe to them. Joe boiled them, the restaurant served them chilled and cracked with hash browns and coleslaw, and the rest is South Beach history. More than a century later, the format has barely changed: claws chilled, cracked and served with Joe's mustard sauce.

What to order

Claws come in four sizes. On the most recent menu posted on Joe's site, medium claws were listed at $49.95, select at $59.95, large at $74.95 and jumbo at $129.95, and prices can change through the season. The restaurant says it never serves underweight claws. Fill out the table with the classics people have been ordering for generations: hashed brown potatoes, creamed spinach, Joe's coleslaw and a slice of key lime pie. The menu even bundles them: add $30 to a full order of claws to make it a Joe's Classic with all four.

How to get in

Joe's takes reservations through OpenTable, and walk-ins are always welcome, seated as tables open up. During peak hours, the restaurant asks guests to allow up to 15 minutes for seating even with a booking. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows carry a $25 per person charge, and parties larger than 12 should call the restaurant directly at 305-673-0365. A drink at the bar while you wait is part of the ritual.

Posted hours on the restaurant's site list lunch Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Valet parking is $15 at lunch and $25 at dinner, and there is limited complimentary self-parking across the street for diners. Strollers are not allowed in the dining room.

If you want the claws without the wait, Joe's Take Away next door is counter service with café seating and a menu of Joe's favorites, no reservation needed. And if you have family up north who still talk about their last visit, Joe's ships nationwide.

The smart play for opening week: book early on OpenTable for a weeknight, or go to Take Away at 11:30 a.m. on October 16 and be among the first in Miami Beach to crack a claw this season.