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8 Great Wynwood Walk-In Spots When You’ve Had Enough Murals
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
If you’re visiting Miami, you’ll probably find yourself in Wynwood at some point. While this former arts district has been developed into oblivion over the last decade, it’s still home to a dizzying amount of street art—including the Wynwood Walls, an outdoor gallery where famous muralists have scribbled on everything in sight. Head to one of these walk-in friendly spots whenever you wrap up your afternoon of gawking at walls.
THE SPOTS
This Aegean spot is big—with both indoor seating and a small outdoor patio—so we’re pretty optimistic you’ll find a table for lunch or an early dinner. Especially if you’re cool with sitting at the bar, which is a huge oval with plenty of seats. Doya’s menu is a big list of very good meze plates split into hot and cold dishes, and we’ve liked just about everything we’ve ordered from it: grilled tiger prawns, sea beans with garlic yogurt, and all the kebabs. The cocktails are good enough to justify lingering at the bar after you eat too.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
This classic kosher bakery makes some of Miami’s best bread and rotating pastries that remind you you’re in Miami, like guava and queso pastelitos and mamey conchas. For these reasons, there’s a good chance you’ll have to wait for a table. But you can just give them your name, walk around, and they'll text you when your table is ready. Takeout is an option too, in case you’d rather just consume your incredible babka back in bed.
Lira is located at the very southern tip of Wynwood like a little reward for dodging tour buses and covering your ears as cars blasting reggaeton drove by. But, congratulations, you’ve made it, and your prize is a very good (and peaceful) Lebanese restaurant. Prioritize this place if it’s nice out because thanks to a lovely patio situation, they’re one of our favorite outdoor restaurants in Miami. Lira serves dishes like kafta, kibbeh, and all the dips your heart desires. They’re not stingy with the pita either, which we always appreciate.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
B-Side is located in 1-800-Lucky, a food hall with about six vendors serving different kinds of Asian food. There are a couple worth prioritizing. Jeepeny makes great Filipino food, but B-Side, a sushi vendor in the center of the space, is our favorite thing here. Their menu is mostly about sushi rolls, but there’s also some ceviche and rotating tiradito options. It’s a perfect call for cocktails and sushi rolls before stepping back out into the Wynwood jungle.
photo credit: Tasty Planet
Gramps, is a refreshing time capsule of everything that made Wynwood exciting in the first place. It’s colorful, fun, and you can come here just to eat too. They have a little wooden pizza stand on their back patio. Pizza Tropical serves a simple, satisfying NY-style slice that pairs just beautifully with the spicy moscow mules you’ll find here. But they also sell wings and garlic rolls too.
Unless you consider a single domestic beer to be a full meal, eating for around $10 isn’t that possible in Wynwood. Which explains the crowds at The Taco Stand. Things may look chaotic from the outside, but lines move quick and the tacos come fast. They make a solid al pastor, and the California-style burrito has never let us down. So if you’re burnt out on $20 cocktails, come here and drop about $9 on a very good burrito, stuffed with beef, cheese, guacamole, salsa, and fries.
photo credit: Kush
This spot is Temporarily Closed.
If your brief amount of time in Wynwood has already left you feeling a little claustrophobic and overstimulated, go unwind with a beer and burger at Kush. This burger and beer spot is a Miami classic and the tiny dining room is frozen-in-time—not much has changed at all since it first opened in 2014. No matter how many clubstaurants invade Wynwood, we can come here knowing what to expect: burgers, local beer, fried alligator, thick key lime pie, and a bathroom mural that never fails to scare us. Just don’t roll up here with a big group. Most tables in the dining room fit four at most.
photo credit: Joshua Perez
Quick warning: this is probably only a walk-in option for lunch, and even then it could be full during a weekend in winter. But Pastis is worth a try because it strikes a nice balance between being flashy and actually serving good food. The interior does a convincing French bistro impression and we like the steak frites, escargot, and onion soup. They also have a miniature martini called Le Petit Pickle, which is useful if you don’t want to commit to a full martini at 2:30pm on a Tuesday. There’s also pretty patio seating, and an outdoor bar (where you might have to sit if it’s busy).
