Cigar World's Must See Neighborhoods- Part One: Wynwood Art District

One of the places that you must go when you’re in Miami is an area called Wynwood. It’s known for the multitude of murals, eclectic shops and restaurants. Every year there is Art Basel (known to be North America’s most comprehensive international contemporary art fair, that takes place around the Wynwood and Miami Beach, but you can visit them anytime you’re in Miami due to the Wynwood Walls, home to the Goldman Global Arts Gallery and Wynwood Walls Shop. 

You can also find many different bars and restaurants with outdoor seating to make day and night dining entertaining and give you those Miami feels. Of course, outdoor seating also means smoking is usually allowed. Miami is one of the friendliest cities for smokers in the US. Every time I asked a server or bartender if I could smoke on their patio, they immediately said, “Of course.”  

So back to Wynwood. It is not cheap to park in Wynnewood, so if you’re staying nearby, I would suggest getting a ride share. You could spend all day barhopping, grabbing snacks, checking out unique stores, and there is a multitude of smoke shops. Many of these smoke shops are not for cigars, if you know what I mean. There are plenty of tobacco shops that you can check out that do carry cigars, though such as Francos Cigars, Moallis Smoke Shop, and Purobar Lounge if you want to grab a drink while smoking.

 There are also many tattoo shops (we spent time at Wynwoods Ink and Ashes Tattoo Shop, which doubled as a smoke shop but only carried one cigar,) art galleries, and pop-ups that happen in Wynwood. There’s a market that is open Thursday- Sunday open until 2-3 AM that is completely outdoors and has all different kinds of pop-ups each weekend from different retailers, food, vendors, bars, and entertainment. If you want to get a table at the deck, one of the most hopping places for nightlife, make sure to make a reservation!

The real draw for visiting Wynwood is the art. This is an art district, so you can see artwork everywhere you go in Wynwood. Yes, you can visit the actual Wynwood Walls space, but every building is adorned with street art/graffiti. It’s beautiful. Some of the murals are huge, some of them are QR codes to websites, and some of them are done by famous graffiti artists. There’s something for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are into traditional street art, landscapes, or more realistic, portrait-style artwork. There are also numerous art galleries that you can visit while there, from The Bakehouse Art Complex, Art Fusion Galleries, The David Castillo Gallery, Dot Fiftyone Gallery, Spinello Projects and the Museum of Graffiti.

There are plenty of places to eat and grab drinks that are not outrageously expensive but if you want a five-star dining experience, you can find one and Wynwood as well. Head to R House for a drag brunch with a La Pina Loca (not on the regular menu) that has an entire pineapple, 5 additional shots, and sparklers that you can share with your friends! Be aware that you must reserve this in advance, and it is about $100, so enjoy every sip. 

Check out 1-800-Lucky, which is a small Asian food hall with rotating vendors. Enjoy dim sum, ramen or even ice cream, but check out B-Side, the sushi counter that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. We also loved Zak The Baker, a kosher bakery with amazing bread, pastries, and bagels. Don’t wait until you are starving, though, because the wait can be long. Takeout is an option if you want to enjoy an egg sandwich from your hotel though. 

Grab a drink at Dante’s HiFi if you are a music lover. You MUST make a reservation here because the experience is one of a kind. It is a “listening room” decked out with state-of-the-art sound equipment and an extensive library of vinyl from resident Music Director, Rich Medina’s, personal collection. Finally, you must visit Gramps when you are in Wynwood. This bar has been around forever and is a classic. They have a great outdoor patio, fantastic DJs and live music. Plus, if you get hungry, you can grab a slice from Pizza Tropical, a little pizza stand in the backyard. There are so many amazing spots though, so walk around and explore.

Not everyone wants to spend their Miami time on the beach, so for those of you looking to take in some unique and eclectic sights, Wynwood is a must in your places to visit.