MIAGuide
The Best Restaurants In Wynwood
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
The Wynwood of today is more of a playground for developers and loud clubs than actual artists. But even though the former arts district gets progressively weirder with each passing month, it is undeniably one of Miami's most popular neighborhoods. It's also absolutely stuffed full of restaurants, many of which are the kind of awful tourist traps you used to only find in South Beach. But we actually enjoy the ones on this guide. Some of them are even worth fighting for parking at 8pm on a Saturday.
THE SPOTS
After a painfully long renovation, Kyu is back. And the Wynwood classic will feel both familiar and a little unfamiliar to its former regulars. The good news is that the food is still great. The fried chicken, duck burnt ends, and Japanese sweet potato are all as good as we remember. The bad news is that, like Wynwood itself, Kyu is now cramped, loud, and a little chaotic. More tables squeezed into the space means antsy guests at the entrance and intense noise levels from the music and neighboring conversations. But thanks to its crowd-pleasing menu that still holds up, Kyu version 2.0 makes sense for most celebratory occasions—and it’s still one of your best Wynwood options.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
If you’re in Wynwood and don't stop by Zak the Baker, you better have a good excuse. Maybe you tripped over a selfie stick and fell onto a tour bus and woke up in Little Havana. Fine. But anything short of that is unacceptable. Zak is not only partly responsible for establishing Wynwood as a place to eat delicious things, but this minimal kosher bakery continues to make Miami’s best bread and an assortment of pastries that should absolutely be coming home with you. Get the babka, a bagel, or any sort of eggy sandwich. Crowds can be intense, but takeout is an option or they'll text you when your table is ready, so you can kill time by wandering around Wynwood for 30ish minutes.
Uchi is one of the best places to eat sushi in Miami—but there are more delicious things on the overwhelmingly large menu. Raw fish should be part of your meal here, but so should a couple hot dishes, which will help you get full without spending a lot of money on nigiri. Go for the excellent karaage chicken or the kinoko nabe, a hot bowl of crispy rice, seasonal mushrooms, an egg yolk, and your choice of foie gras or short rib. But everything is excellent. Plus, the restaurant is appropriate for special occasions, but also casual enough to walk in wearing a t-shirt and sit at the sushi bar for a solo meal.
photo credit: CLEVELAND JENNINGS / @EATTHECANVASLLC
Once the clock strikes midnight in Miami, people in this city often settle for garbage meals. Not at Li Cho, a Haitian fried chicken pop-up that lives inside Wynwood’s outdoor club, Brick, and makes one of the best fried chicken sandwiches we’ve eaten drunk or sober. Of the three options on the menu, go for the maduro sandwich with crispy chicken, spicy mayo, and sweet fried plantains between toasted brioche buns that look like an ad for tanning spray. Li Cho is open until 2:30am from Thursday to Sunday, and also for Sunday brunch starting at 1pm.
We tend to be as suspicious of big Wynwood restaurants as we are of an unknown number that wants to talk to us about the money we’re owed by the IRS. But dinner here is as delightful as finding out the IRS does, in fact, owe you $5,000. The big Aegean restaurant has some lovely outdoor seating and a spacious dining room that’s pretty enough for a date but casual enough for an easy Wednesday dinner. The best part about Doya, though, is the huge list of very good meze plates: octopus as tender as fresh mozzarella, a great lamb kebab, grilled prawns, and lots more.
Eating at another restaurant that claims to embody the "new Wynwood" feels a lot like getting the newest smartphone. They used to be exciting, but these days it’s more of the same. But MaryGold’s is different. It’s creative and upscale, while still being approachable. With its half-moon booths and small plates, it’s the perfect place for friends to catch up over delicious cocktails and creative pastas. Our favorite is the ribiolina tortellini covered in a creamy pistachio sauce that's topped with an escargot and pistachio ragout. And sure, you’ll want to take a picture of the food (with that new phone), but unlike most photogenic foods in Wynwood, it’ll taste even better than it looks.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
If we are ever approached by a genie who claims to only offer restaurant-related wishes, one thing we’d ask for is more great street food tacos in Miami—maybe like the ones LA are so blessed with. Someone apparently got to that genie before us, because Chito’s is exactly that. This food truck is permanently parked in an outdoor space in the North end of Wynwood, near Roberto Clemente Park. There are a handful of picnic benches where you can enjoy beautiful tripe tacos, cheesy vampiro tacos, and massive burritos. Plus, they’re open till 1am Thursday through Sunday, so it’s a great late-nightoption.
Restaurants on the very edge of Wynwood tend to feel a bit more peaceful than the ones in the center of the madness. This is the case with Lira, a very good Lebanese restaurant on the southern border of the neighborhood. It has one of the best patios in the city as well as really good Lebanese dishes like kafta, kibbeh, and all the dips your heart desires. They’re not stingy with the pita either, which we always appreciate. This is just a great spot for a casual, relaxing dinner—not the easiest genre of restaurant to find in Wynwood.
photo credit: Joshua Perez
Pastis is another entry into Miami’s big-name NYC restaurant repertoire. But unlike some, it’s pretty good. The French spot is kind of a clone of its Manhattan counterparts—subway tile, walls meant to appear stained with decades of cigarette smoke, and excellent steak frites flying from the kitchen like chocolates in I Love Lucy. You can come here for a martini and cheeseburger at the bar, or a big celebratory group dinner if you’re patient enough to hunt for the reservation.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
B-Side is the best place to eat sushi in Wynwood that isn't a $200 per person omakase. The little counter is smack in the center of 1-800-Lucky, an indoor/outdoor food hall with no shortage of alcohol options. But you don’t have to be in a party mood to appreciate B-Side. They have great sushi rolls, and some truly outstanding ceviche and tiradito options. B-Side is a perfect call for cocktails and sushi rolls before hopping between Wynwood bars.
The best time to come to Yann Couvreur is just after payday (and when you're craving something sweet). The fox-obsessed café makes good dainty French food like finger sandwiches, avocado toast, and a crab mille feuille—all elegant (and expensive) enough for tea time. When you’re done having several little bites, turn your head to the beautiful display of pastries. They make an excellent merveille with a hard chocolate shell of foxes running and a hazelnut and meringue filling (it’s a glorified Ferrero Rocher). You’re having lunch at the patisserie for the same reason you’re getting an expensive manicure or purchasing literally anything from the Design District—to indulge and pretend your father is a count and your last name is Hermès.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
This little pizza stand in the backyard of Gramps (our favorite bar in Wynwood) makes one of the best New York-style pizzas in Miami. Sure, we always seem to crave it after four Moscow Mules, but you can walk in here whether or not you're trying to drink. Even if you aren't really in a pizza mood, they also have great wings and garlic knots. But pizza is certainly the thing to get here—there are about seven varieties ranging from a pretty perfect cheese slice to one with spicy pepperoni and pineapple. You can order them as a whole pie too, in case you’ve got three friends who are also under the influence of Gramps’ excellent Moscow Mules.
Hiyakawa wins the award we just made up for “Most Interesting Ceiling In Miami.” But beyond the beautiful curved architecture of this upscale place (which kind of makes you feel like you’re eating inside a fancy cave), there are some excellent things to eat here. Try to hit just about every section of the menu when placing an order—especially the sugata-mori appetizer. It's a rotating fish that's presented whole, with delicate strips of sashimi you get to grab right off the fish's belly. You'll spend significant money here no matter how you order, but if you really have cash to blow, go for the outstanding $250 per person omakase.
Rishtedar utilizes every one of your senses. The dining room is filled with earthy incense. Colorful ceiling drapes and mosaic mirrors make you feel like you’re inside of a kaleidoscope. The food brings big flavors too. Our favorite dish is the mattar paneer. The paneer is tangy, squeaky, and sits in a bowl filled with peas and a rich sauce so spicy you’ll have to order a mango lassi to cool down. At the end of the meal, your server pours a pitcher of cinnamon and cardamom water over your hands and into a brass bowl. As the warm water trickles down your fingers, you’ll feel thankful for another great entree in Miami’s tragically small number of Indian restaurants.
Ted’s Burgers is a pop-up operating outside of the great brewery J. Wakefield on Sundays from 3pm until sold out. They do smashburgers here—the kind that are smashed within a millimeter of their lives, which makes the patty have these incredibly thin, crispy edges. It’s a technique we approve of because the result is delicious. They serve a classic cheeseburger, a fried onion burger with thinly sliced onions, and the occasional special. There’s outdoor seating available, and all the beer you could want is only a few steps away.
Sometimes, you just want a casual, tasty meal where you don’t have to spend more than $12. There really aren’t any places in Wynwood where you can reliably do that, except for The Taco Stand. That’s why this place is usually crowded—but the line out the door is also because the food is good. Plus, it's one of the only places in Miami for California-style tacos and burritos. So if you’re burnt out on $18 cocktails, come here and drop about $9 on a very good burrito, stuffed with beef, cheese, guacamole, salsa, and fries.
Before Wynwood was Wynwood, it was a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood known as Little San Juan, and El Bajareque is one of the last remaining reminders of that. This place has been around for more than 40 years and it feels like little has changed since then (this is a good thing). It’s a small spot with some tables and countertop seating. The food is mostly familiar classics like mofongo, chicharrones de pollo, and alcapurrias—order all three if you have a hungry eating partner or just want a ton of leftovers.
Hiden is one of Miami’s most expensive and hard-to-book omakase restaurants—but it’s also one of the most interesting dining experiences in the city. The eight-seat restaurant is located in the back of The Taco Stand, and you need a special code to even get in the door. You’ve got to book your seat weeks in advance and dinner here costs about $300 per person. The sushi is very good, but it's really the entire experience—which makes you feel like a secret agent on a raw fish mission—that makes it all so special.
Omakai is a good choice if you want to have an omakase experience without paying $300 and going somewhere that requires weeks of reservation hunting. A seat at this casual spot is much easier to find. They offer a few different omakase options ranging from around $26 for six courses to $95 for over ten courses. Don’t expect to sit at a sushi counter and receive your pieces of sushi directly from the chef. It’s table service here, and you can’t even see the kitchen. But the sushi is good and the $50 Oma Deluxe menu—which comes with eight pieces of sushi, sashimi, an appetizer, and a couple hand rolls—should be enough to fill you up.
Sometimes the hardest part about going out is finding that middle ground between a place that devotes half its menu to rare caviar and somewhere that considers a spork an acceptable form of silverware. Beaker and Gray is almost always a good call when caught in such a dilemma. We’ve never had a bad meal or cocktail at this place, which serves Latin-inspired dishes like cheeseburger croquettes, alongside very recognizable things like steak frites and miso cod. It’s good for big groups or parties of two. It’s also part cocktail bar, and the drinks are some of Wynwood's best.
