KYU is launching outdoor seating with more Wynwood spots to follow

Your next date night at KYU might happen on the street—but that’s a good thing. On Tuesday, the popular Wynwood restaurant unveiled a modest outdoor seating area on NW 25th street located right near its entrance. It’s small, bordered by barricades and has three high-top tables shaded by a striped tarp. It’s an unremarkable space by most accounts, but it’s poised to be the beginning of a greater dining trend in the neighborhood this summer.

KYU is Wynwood’s first restaurant to receive permitting under the City of Miami’s Restaurant Reopening and Recovery Program. Launched to help restaurants mitigate the state’s dine-in capacity restrictions, the plan gives businesses permission to repurpose outdoor spaces for extra seating. Private walkways, parking, sidewalks and street parking spots can be used to set up tables and chairs as well as coverings with the proper permits, which the city is granting in as little as 48 hours. In Wynwood, the BID is helping make it possible by coordinating with the City and restaurant owners on the initiative and covering the cost of the spaces to support area businesses. Permission to expand is still available to restaurants until August 20, and the program may be extended even longer if the county continues its closures. 

KYU launches its mini patio tomorrow, July 8, just as Miami-Dade shuts down indoor dining for restaurants and only allows outdoor service to resume. Zak the Baker and the Butcher Shop are among the other Wynwood restaurants that have received permits but, so far, KYU is the only one ready to pull the trigger on its temporary set-up. Takeout and delivery are still available but dine-in reservations are available Monday through Saturday from noon to 9pm and on Sundays from 11am to 4pm and 4:30pm to 8:30pm by calling 786-577-0150.

If you thought getting a reservation at KYU was impossible before, wait until there are only three tables to choose from.

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