Wynwood's Dining Scene Spans Asian Food Halls, Spanish Tapas and Italian Classics

Wynwood has become one of Miami's leading destinations for eating and drinking. Over the past few years, the neighborhood has drawn inventive restaurants, craft breweries and unusual cocktails. A Miami New Times roundup published on 2023-11-29 says its dining options are as varied and colorful as the street art on its walls.

Asian cuisine is well represented. 1-800-Lucky, at 143 NW 23rd St., is a 10,000-square-foot food hall reached through a small record store and bodega. It has indoor and outdoor seating and several vendors, including Yip for dumplings, Gold Marquess for Chinese dishes and Usagi for ramen. The B-Side stall is run by siblings Nando and Valerie Chang with their father, Fernando Chang, and serves signature rolls and tiraditos. Uchi, at 252 NW 25th St., is the Wynwood outpost of chef Tyson Cole, who opened his first restaurant in a refurbished bungalow in Austin, Texas. Its popular hama chili combines raw yellowtail snapper, Thai chili, orange, ponzu and olive oil, and the menu also offers sushi, sashimi and six- or ten-course omakase options, including a vegan version.

Hiyakawa, at 2700 N. Miami Ave., comes from art dealer Alvaro Perez Miranda, who also runs the casual sushi spot Wabi Sabi. Its dining room is framed by curved wooden arches, and fish arrives daily from Tokyo's Toyosu Fish Market. A team of sushi chefs prepares it as platters or an omakase meal. ShÄ, at 97 NW 25th St., blends Mediterranean and Asian influences, with housemade pasta, pizza, bao buns, hamachi crudo and duck dumplings alongside natural wines and cocktails.

Spanish and Italian cooking each have a place on the list. Barcelona Wine Bar, at 310 NW 25th St., is part of a chain with locations across the country. Its menu of more than 40 dishes is built around tapas-style dining and includes seasonal items that nod to North Africa, South America and Southern France. Doma, at 35 NE 26th St., opened in 2018 and is marking its fifth anniversary. Owner Luca Lomonaco set out to offer top-level hospitality and a modern take on classic Italian dishes, and the review credits the restaurant with building a loyal local following in a changing neighborhood.

Latin American flavors are the focus at Chimba, at 2830 NE Second Ave., the first Miami venture from Argentina-based Grupo Alfoz. The all-day restaurant draws on Argentine, Mexican and Peruvian cooking, with empanadas, acai bowls, a choripán sandwich and a key lime tres leches dessert. Its drinks list features a gin and tonic menu and a signature cocktail called the Terré Collins.

Several other restaurants emphasize fire cooking, local ingredients and cocktails. Ossobuco, at 62 NW 27th St. in Complex Sentral, is led by chef Guillermo Eleicegui, formerly of the Hilton West Palm Beach. It serves shareable dishes cooked over an open fire, among them osso buco empanadas, Wagyu tartare, pollo a la brasa and grilled octopus. MaryGold's by Brad Kilgore, inside the Arlo Wynwood hotel, marks the chef's return to Miami. Its menu draws on Florida ingredients, with grouper al pastor, short rib vaca frita and a catch of the day.

At Beaker & Gray, at 2637 N. Miami Ave., partners Brian Nasajon and Ben Potts give equal weight to food and drink. Nasajon is executive chef and Potts oversees the bar. Cocktails are either shaken or stirred, and mocktails are also available. Dishes such as chicken wings, fried rice and gnocchi get more sophisticated treatment than typical pub fare.