Best restaurants in Wynwood: the definitive guide

Doya is pretty and modern and beautiful inside and out. But don’t think that glitz makes it any less excellent when the Aegean food starts to arrive because here, it’s all about good ingredients cooked well. Chef Erhan Kostepen is the former executive chef of the always-good Mandolin Aegean, which explains the high level of dishes rushing out of this kitchen.

Since it opened in 2016, KYU has consistently been on everyone’s list of the best restaurants in Miami. Dishes that have stuck around pretty much since the beginning are on the menu for good reason, including the roasted cauliflower, duck breast burnt ends and a mile-high coconut cake. After the departure of a couple of big-name chefs, though, little has changed, and that means a menu most of us have already burned through. Still excellent, though? Oh yeah.

Hate it because you hate chains, or hate it because you hate Texas, but this Austin export slices up some of the best sushi in town. It’s got a cool modern vibe, creative dishes from chef de cuisine Dina Butterfield and a happy hour with prices that are sort of like the freebies weed dealers give first-timers.

At once traditional and edgy, this Japanese restaurant is both upmarket but not stuffy, as its streamlined decor and oak-washed interiors suggest. For those who find the extensive sushi menu intimidating, a delightful $175 omakase experience will ease you into things. Beyond the raw stuff, chefs here wow with full tempura presentations, grilled meats and other dishes.

Beaker & Gray works great for date night, happy hour bites, a late dinner or simply as a trendy place to get some amazing cocktails with equally impressive food. In a culinary scene where concepts either go super barebones or way too overboard in aesthetic choices, Beaker & Gray’s design is balanced and its atmosphere inviting. The menu of shareable plates also straddles a smart line between flair and functionality. You can’t go wrong with an order of cheeseburger croquettes paired with one of the low abv drinks from the lunch cocktail menu.

This buzzy Mexican restaurant is a cross between a boho taco spot and a flashy Mexico City restaurant—equal parts laid-back and showy, like Wynwood itself. The tortillas are made in-house using organic blue corn and there are more than 200 different types of mezcals on the menu. The pairing possibilities are endless, and we’re here for it.

Sitting on the edge of the neighborhood, Wynwood O.G. Kush does the burger and beer combo well, in a space that’ll add some funky charm to your Instagram posts. Every burger variation is worth drooling over. Plus, in the sometimes likely event that you’ll have to wait for a table at this tiny spot, there’s a quirky botanica-inspired waiting room a couple of doors down where you can enjoy a beer.

This funky Asian food market is stacked with vendors dishing out mouthwatering options such as ramen, dim sum, matcha ice cream, sushi and more. Here, everyone will find something they can enjoy—even your one friend who just wants to skip dinner and go straight to drinks, like boxed sake and frozen Kirin beer. Maybe the best of it comes from B-Side, that Nikkei stand in the center by the Chang family, the same ones behind Itamae.

The Freehold looks like a hotel except without any rooms. Instead, the ground-floor restaurant and bar stands in as an uber-hip lobby and pool deck, though there’s no actual pool. It’s the ideal spot to meet for a drink, first date or a night out dancing to music from the DJs. Score a Counter Culture coffee with pastries from the cafe, grab a drink from the “front desk” or devour a NY-style slice from the Pizza Shop, which was created with help from the famed pizzaiolo Anthony Falco.

Comfort food and cocktails are a heck of a combo, and here at this snug eatery specializing in rotisserie chicken, you’ll find both done properly in an atmosphere that’ll keep you awake. You can also order your chicken fried or skip chicken altogether and go for tasty ribs or a juicy burger. The rotisserie chicken does deliver huge flavor but we also wholeheartedly endorse the Royale with Cheese, a double cheeseburger that never fails to blow us away.

Even some breweries in Wynwood feel more like a dance club, but luckily there’s Spanglish to hold down a more adult cocktail bar vibe. Expect multi-ingredient drink creations, like an old-fashioned spiked with cold brew. There’s also a fine food menu with everything from a frita to a ribeye for two. And while it’s more chill at happy hour than lots of Wynwood’s bass-pumping bars, Spanglish still breaks out into a late-night fiesta.

Miami’s buzziest taco shop is well known for lines that snake out the door for casual Mexican street fare and killer micheladas. The merciful Coyo Taco is open until 3am most days of the week, which makes it an ideal spot for a booze-soaking fourth meal. But at any hour, chef Scott Linquist’s tacos and burritos (especially the duck carnitas) are worth waiting in line for.

Perhaps your group can’t decide between some of the best Greek dishes in town (from Mr. Mandolin) or a damn fine pizza (Prince Street), and so, luckily, you get that and more in one spot with The Oasis. This outdoor food hall and entertainment venue in Wynwood features six dining concepts, a commanding Tower Bar and a stage where big-name acts perform nearly every weekend.

What was once Cuba’s oldest brewery has joined a whole lot of its countrymen and made its way to Miami, where it became the city’s slickest taproom and 10,000-square-foot garden. Famed chef Cindy Hutson running the kitchen is reason enough, but there might be no prettier outdoor areas anywhere in the city.

Masaharu Morimoto made a name for himself in fine dining and then became internationally known on “Iron Chef,” but here he’s got something far more chill with this ramen concept. Although to be clear, it’s not just about killer ramen, because Morimoto himself is often the one doing tableside presentations on dishes you’d expect at fine-dining spots, including a hotpot rice dish mixed up and then reassembled to look like a flower.

This is the nexus of Miami’s doughnut obsession is where hand-made confections are rolled fresh and baked daily. Pick from assorted flavors, vegan varieties and boozy holes, plus freshly brewed Intelligentsia coffee. Get Salty staples like the maple bacon brioche with Miami Smokers’ bacon crackling topping or the guava-and-cheese doughnut, which is basically Miami in dessert form. The bakery is known for secret releases and special collabs, so keep an eye on their Instagram page for deets.

Hiden is a top-secret omakase counter tucked behind the back of the unassuming Taco Stand. Only a handful of diners can sit at the counter so reservations are a must (and hard to come by). The day of, you’ll receive a code that’ll get you in the door. It's steep, at $300 per person, but Hiden does offer an undeniably cool dining experience. You'll get unique, made-to-order sushi and cooked dishes served by true pros. Oh, and you'll get to pick your own sake vessel from an assortment of adorable vintage cups.

This hip kosher bakery produces loaves of the best bread you’ll find in Miami. The minimalist shop has a delightfully odd following of old-school Jewish deli aficionados and young Wynwood hipsters. While the popular challah sells out in hours, you can always find a selection of incredibly tasty and fresh sandwiches, toasts, soups and more Jewish classics with creative twists.

The beloved Portland creamery began with a pushcart and now arrives in Miami as a phenom. There are the lauded seasonal flavors (we’re partial to the festive vegan chai eggnog), the old standbys (you haven’t lived until you’ve tried the chocolate gooey brownie) and also some downright insane creations (blue cheese and pear is, we dare say, actually kind of awesome).