Lockdown hasn’t been kind to Miami’s hospitality community, but some restaurants are taking the hits in stride and evolving into something even better. The Spillover is one of those turning a new leaf, reopening as Kush Coconut Grove on June 17. It remains in the Kush Hospitality family but the seafood-centric concept is getting a complete overhaul—from the food menu and the bar program to the space itself. “This is far more than a new name and some menu items; it truly is a rebirth,” says owner Matt Kuscher.
The dining room goes from a fancy fish shack to a gritty, cool throwback scene, featuring walls stacked tall with VHS tapes, a vintage Zoltar machine dispensing fortunes and plenty of memorabilia strewn about. (It wouldn’t be a Kuscher spot without lots of tchotchkes.) A new mural by local artist Camilo Rojas titled “Miami vs. Everyone” also makes a debut in the fresh space.
On the food front, expect to see fewer dishes from the sea and more of the comfort food that Kush is known for, including the Hobo Frito Pie and a farm-style chicken sandwich. Thankfully, the grouper Reuben, the irresistible crab cakes and some other Spillover favorites made the jump, too.
The biggest change is happening in the bar, where the former mead and beer-heavy menu is being replaced with funky craft cocktails. For instance, there’s the Peanut Butter Old Fashioned (made with bourbon, Screwball whiskey and grape jam) that’s served in a Smucker’s jar, and the Purple Drank (Fords gin and Giffard Crème de Violette), which arrives in Capri Sun bag ready to sip.
And much to our delight, Coconut Grove’s infamous Moose Juice is rising from the ashes at the new Kush. The boozy punch was served at nearby Moe’s until it closed several years back and Kuscher has found a way to bring it back. No one knows what went into the original drink (except for presumably everything because it was sweet and easy to drink but strong as hell), so Kuscher asked a few bartender friends to give it a whirl and each came back with a similar recipe that embraced Moe’s kitchen-sink approach. It may not be the exact formula that sent you into a drunken stupor during your college years, but we’re sure the effects of Moose Juice 2.0 will be the same.
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