Wynwood Diner opens Friday, adding to area’s eateries

Wynwood Diner will open Friday at the newly redeveloped Wynwood Block, as the artsy Miami neighborhood expands with new eateries and shops.

Offering a “modern take on the classic American diner,” the restaurant said it has three distinct spaces, including a diner, cafe and ​patio. The diner space features tufted maroon banquettes, industrial lighting fixtures, unfinished concrete walls and an open kitchen tucked behind a wrap-around diner counter.

Wynwood Diner is leasing its 6,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor space, at 2601 Northwest Second Avenue, from Redsky Capital, Jerry Böck, Wynwood Diner’s general manager, told The Real Deal.

The Brooklyn-based investment firm has been quickly expanding its holdings in the district. In March, Redsky paid $26 million for the block-long retail property housing Wynwood Diner, marking its second purchase in Wynwood. Two months earlier, Redsky and London-based JZ Capital paid $11 million for a 0.3-acre site at 2407 Northwest Second Avenue across the street from Panther Coffee. And in June, RedSky purchased a 13,245-square-foot property at 2501 Northwest Fifth Avenue for $6 million.

Wynwood Diner said its menu will feature all-day-breakfast options, including nutmeg and bourbon French toast, and specialty omelets like the pork belly, feta and baby arugula omelet. Other dishes include a chicken and waffle club sandwich, served with a side of crispy truffle fries.

The restaurant’s head chef Michael Castino has trained with top chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Kerry Simon, and worked at Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis, Pride & Joy, and Tavern on the Green in New York. 

Wynwood Diner, which is owned by Mexican investors, said it will also will offer an all-day cocktail menu created by Vanessa Hulsey formerly of Broken Shaker and 27, featuring handcrafted cocktails, wines, and a craft beer selection.

“As a native from Holland, I am happy to be in a space that merges the charming European café culture with a cool, nostalgic vibe of an American diner,” Böck, who was previously general manager at Cecconi’s, Prime Italian, Nikki Beach and Prime 112, said in a statement.

In addition to Wynwood Diner, new restaurants heading to Wynwood include GK Bistronomie, a new chef-driven Peruvian seafood restaurant and Pisco bar, which plans to open at 218 Northwest 25th Street in Miami. Other recently opened dining spots nearby include Lunchbox and Coyo.

Wynwood is also seeing an influx of new shops, including Marine Layer, a men’s and women’s casual wear brand based in San Francisco. Later this month, the retailer is expected to open its first store in the Southeastern United States at 217 Northwest 25th Street next to Warby Parker, in a renovated building owned by Goldman Properties. And Shinola is opening at 2399 Northwest Second Avenue later this year.

Besides Redsky, Thor Equities and Moishe Mana have also been boosting their holdings in the district, as it undergoes a transformation.

The city of Miami’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board recently approved a slate of changes to zoning and land use designations that would allow denser residential developments on roughly 205 acres in Wynwood. The recommendations must still be finalized by the city commission.