Why You Need to Visit the Wynwood Neighborhood of Miami
With the recent snow storm we had here in Minnesota, it’s hard to believe I was enjoying the sunny streets of Miami a little over a week ago! I would gladly go back for another dose of “Vitamin Sea”. In addition to the sun, sand and surf, I did not get enough of exploring Wynwood!
Wynwood, now one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Miami, used to be part of the warehouse district. Instead of a place to see and be seen, it was a place to avoid altogether. That is, until Tony Goldman saw potential in the tall, concrete buildings and graffiti. He believed that as long as there was “tagging”, there was still creativity in the neighborhood and hope for a revitalization. In 2009, Goldman took a six-building complex and turned it into the beginning of Wynwood Walls, a place for people to explore and appreciate street art.
Ten years later, Wynwood Walls has been host to over 50 artists and covered over 80,000 square feet of walls. In addition to expanding beyond the “walls”, the Wynwood neighborhood is home to a number of craft breweries, vibrant restaurants and cute coffee shops.
Wynwood Kitchen + Bar is a tapas-style restaurant featuring Latin-inspired cuisine and colorful artwork. As part of the Wynwood Walls, Wynwood Kitchen was created by Tony Goldman and his daughter Jessica Goldman Srebnick. A floor to ceiling mural created by Shepard Fairey decorates the bar area and stunning street-style art fills the rest of the restaurant, including the brightly colored patio. The tapas-style concept allows patrons to sample many different dishes, a definite plus! Shrimp ceviche served with platano frito, homemade guacamole with housemade chips, red quinoa and a tropical salad comprised of avocado, hearts of palm, tomatoes and spiced balsamic emulsion were all highlights. Don’t forget to save room for latin misu for dessert!
Craft breweries are such a growing business in Minnesota that I was excited and curious to try out some Miami craft beer! Veza Sur was one of the only two breweries we had time to visit but it was such a fun stop. While they are based in Miami, they have many ties to the Latin American roots of the Wynwood neighborhood. Their menu boasts a number of IPAs and sours but my favorite (of course) was the Mangolandia, a mango blonde ale. It’s the perfect fruity brew for a hot, humid afternoon of exploring!
Concrete Beach had a completely different vibe than Veza Sur but was just as enjoyable! They have a huge outdoor patio as well as a large bar with plenty of seating inside. Featuring high ceilings and picnic-style benches, it’s the perfect place to bring a larger group. Even the variety of beer on tap was very different than Veza Sur, featuring a larger range of flavors. The most unique (and one of my favorites!) was the rose wine inspired Rose Ale. This innovative brew has a splash of Zinfandel grape and is even PINK!
While we only had a very short amount of time at GKB, I had to mention it because the place was beautiful and I’m obsessed with the terraza! The restaurant itself is Latin and Asian “with a Peruvian flair”. All of the food is made from local, organic ingredients and it looked amazing! Our table ordered the roasted duck spring rolls and the pork taquitos so I didn’t get to try any (still vegetarian) but the truffle mushroom ceviche had my name all over it. If I wasn’t still so stuffed from our four course lunch (and beer sampling), I would’ve gotten an order for myself alone!
Wynwood Street Art
One of my favorite things about Wynwood is that the art is not just contained to the walls. I found myself taking just as many pictures of the sidewalks and fire hydrants as the murals!
Seriously, I need to get back to Wynwood and just patio hop around all the amazing places while snapping photos in between. The best part is, the walls are constantly changing so it could be all new artwork in less than a year!
Have you ever been to Miami? What are your favorite art districts to explore?
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