With over 1 million visitors a year, Wynwood is arguably one of the most popular neighborhoods in Miami.
As a person who is slightly obsessed with seeking out street art during my travels, I knew that no visit to Miami would be complete without traveling to see the street art in Wynwood.
During my most recent trip to Miami, I headed over to Wynwood with Miami Culinary Tours. I sought to understand the neighborhood’s history and also to try some of the best foods that the area had to offer.
How Wynwood Became The Center Of Street Art In Miami
The neighborhood of Wynwood has not always been the center of street art in Miami. Over the course of the past century, Wynwood has transformed from an industrial area to an artistic one.
Between the 1940’s to the 1970’s, Wynwood’s demographics shifted from middle-class whites to low-income Hispanics and African-Americans. As the neighborhood’s demographics shifted, the industries in the neighborhood also changed as it moved from manufacturing goods to manufacturing textiles.
During the 1980s, drugs and violence plagued the city of Miami. Riots broke out all over the city and many businesses in Wynwood were affected, causing the area to become depressed.
In 2009, New York developer Tony Goldman (who is credited with revitalizing the neighborhoods of SoHo and South Beach) set his eyes on restoring the declining neighborhood of Wynwood. Instead of tearing down and rebuilding the area, Goldman decided to turn the buildings that already existed into an open-air street art museum.
Miami’s Open-Air Street Art Museum: Wynwood Art District
There are two major areas of Wynwood’s Art District, the Wynwood Walls and Outside the Walls.
The Wynwood Walls Murals
The Wynwood Walls is a free open-air museum featuring massive murals from artists around the world. Some of my favorite artists in the area include David Choe, Dasic Fernandez (whose work I featured in my post on street art in Brooklyn), and Fin Dac. Every December during Art Basel, most of the works inside the Walls change, so every year that you go, you will see something completely different!
Codo a Codo, 2015 – INTI (Valparaíso, Chile)
2010 – Ron English (Decatur, IL)
2013 – Maya Hayuk (Brooklyn, NY)
Nothing Lasts Forever, 2016 – David Choe (Los Angeles, CA)
Catch the Wind, 2016 – Fin Dac (London, England)
Murals Outside the Walls
Outside of the Walls, visitors can see works by artists such as Alexis Diaz (whose work I featured in my post on street art in London), Jenna Morello, and Retna.
Striped Deli, 2014 – Haas & Hahn (Netherlands)
Blue Roses, 2016 – Jenna Morello (Brooklyn, New York)
Exploring Wynwood’s Food Scene
Not only did the Wynwood Food & Art Tour provide me with the opportunity to view some amazing street art, I also got to do one of my favorite things in the world: eat!
Dr. Smood
The first stop on the tour was to Dr. Smood, a healthy cafe chain whose catchphrase is ‘Smart Food for a Good Mood’.
During the tour, we sampled the Vegan sandwich which was comprised of gluten-free bread filled with avocado, homemade hummus, tomato, spinach, and pesto. It was definitely one of the most delicious vegan sandwiches that I ever had.
People that are trying to eat clean will appreciate everything that Dr. Smood has to offer; their food is light, dairy free, and gluten free.
GK Bistronomie
The next stop on the tour was to Wynwood’s first Peruvian restaurant named GK Bistronomie.
Founded by the famous chef Rafael Pérez Cambana, BK Bistronomie offers numerous savory Peruvian-inspired dishes.
During the dining experience, we enjoyed classic Peruvian ceviche made up of lime marinated Escolar, red onions, sweet potato puree, corn nuts Peruvian white corn, cilantro and limo peppers. A number of us also ordered Pisco Sours, a classic Peruvian cocktail.
Mister Block
Mister Block is a cafe specializing in coffee with ‘blends that stand out’.
In addition to coffee, Mister Block serves salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Additionally, they provide warm and crispy empanadas in various flavors ranging from corn to ham and cheese.
I sampled both the beef and spinach empanadas, with my favorite being the beef. The food was paired with beer from the local Wynwood Brewery.
Jimmy’z Kitchen
After leaving Mister Block, we walked through Wynwood over to Jimmy’z Kitchen, a restaurant that specializes in Nuevo Latino foods.
One of the dishes that Jimmy’z is well known for is their mofongo. Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican fried plantain based dish. Jimmy’z serves their mofongo with various meats including fish, chicken, and pork. The mofongo is then covered with a sofrito sauce comprised of vegetables and spices.
I thoroughly enjoyed eating the mofongo, which reminded me of my past travels to Puerto Rico.
Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop
The final stop on the tour of Wynwood was to Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop.
Fireman Derek’s is a famous bake shop owned by a Miami fireman named Derek. The famous Miami shop has been hailed as ‘Wynwood’s sweet hidden gem’ by CBS, and according to all of the high reviews this shop receives, it is easy to see why.
During the tour, we tried Derek’s most popular item: the Key Lime Pie. Andrew Zimmern raved about this pie calling it the ‘perfect Key Lime Pie’. The pie was definitely on the rich side full of a bold tart key lime flavor.
Final Thoughts
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the neighborhood of Wynwood with Miami Culinary Tours. I learned a lot about the history of the area, I got to try delicious food by popular Miami chefs & bakers, and I also had the chance to explore the street art. My guide, Jennifer, was very knowledgeable about both the food and the arts.
If you are traveling to Miami and you are interested in exploring the neighborhood of Wynwood with a knowledgeable guide, I highly recommend taking the Wynwood Food & Art Tour with Miami Culinary Tours.
Miami Culinary Tours also has a few other tours around Miami including tours on South Beach, in Little Havana, and around Miami City. Book here today, and tell them Chanel sent you!
Wow! Those wall murals are amazing! The ones in Los Angeles are graffiti! lol! I’ve been to Florida many times but have never been to Miami which is actually the one place I truly wanted to go! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It’s definitely something I’d love to check out for sure!
They truly are amazing aren’t they Karlyn? When you do make it to Miami, you definitely should check them out!
I want to go here so bad. My husband and I Love going into the city to see art so this has been on our list for a long time! The wall murals are so cool!! One day we will go. Plus my husband wants the food! ALL THE FOOD!
You will enjoy the murals and ALL the food Censie. Hope you get there soon!
That street art is amazing, they are really a great piece of art. I would love to visit this place when I travel to Miami. The food also looks great and I will for sure look into taking one of this culinary tours in my next trip. Nothing like art and good food to make sure your vacation is complete. Having a knowledgeable tour guide is always important, glad yours was.
Art and good food definitely do make for a great trip Monica!
These events are always so much fun! I think I’d end up planting myself at Mr. Block and with the cheesecakes lol. The empanadas are my absolute fave! Thanks for sharing!
You would have a great time with those empanadas and that cheesecake Jacqui!
I’ve been doing some traveling this summer as well and taking pictures in front of wall murals have become my ‘thing.’ The wall murals in Miami are so beautiful and you took some great photos! Dr. Smood’s food looks delicious as well! I’ve now been vegan for 3 months, I’ll definitely have to check-out that spot when I’m in the area.
Thanks so much Gemille, I love street art too! Dr. Smoods is the perfect place for vegans in Qynwood! Enjoy 😀
Now those wall murals are AMAZING Beautiful! I would love to visit the Miami Culinary Tours, the food looks so delicious! I would love to try the Dr, Smood and Mister Block café. Great images also!
Thanks so much Lisa and I agree, they are amazing!
I didn’t know about Miami Culinary Tours!! Wynwood is an awesome neighborhood. We’re moving back to Miami in April, so I’ll definitely have to check out the Culinary Tours. It looks like a lot of fun. Those murals are gorgeous!
You definitely will have to check out some of the tours when you move back to Miami Kimberly! They offer multiple tours outside of Wynwood too!
What beautiful murals! I would love to visit here. The food looks absolutely delicious too! I was in Florida in April and wish I had headed to this area, maybe on my next trip. It looks amazing!
When you head back you definitely have to check it out Allison!
I love history tours when we go on vacation or visit a new area! It’s not for most people, but for me I love it. Those photos are so beautiful and the food. I would love one of those Empanadas from Mr. Block and that Key Lime Pie. 🙂
This tour will provide you with a lot of history about the area Tina, much much more than I included in this post!
Wow looks like a fun day! I live in West Palm Beach, we have murals on SO many buildings. When the new train is up and running it will be an easy way for me to travel to Miami to have a fun day trip. The food is my favorite part, love experiencing different vendors.
I will definitely have to check out the art in WPB when I am back in Florida, April!
I have been to Wynwood several times and I love the area! it is so unique and a great change to the South Beach scene. I will have to check out this tour the next time I am in Miami!
You definitely should Nadeen, and it was great to learn about the history of Wynwood because, during my first trip there, I only took pics + ate!
i love the art i saw here in miami because i lived here about a year so this city is really fascinating one the visitors so i suggested all to please have a look here to enjoy a very healthy trip of city of art
Agreed, the art here is great Zax!
Great piece! Really enjoyed reading this the photos were amazing.
Thank you so much Abedin!