Firehouse Mrkt Bringing Spain's TriCiclo to the Historic Fire Station No. 2

In September, Firehouse Mrkt will open, transforming downtown Miami's historic Fire Station No. 2 into a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and marketplace.

The market, located at 1401 N. Miami Ave. in the growing Arts + Entertainment District, will offer several cuisine and restaurant concepts in the form of five stations: fish and meat, fruits and vegetables, bakery cafés, a salumeria, and a tapas bar. The market will also offer a bar and a flower shop.

The first two concepts to be announced inside Firehouse Mrkt are Spain's TriCiclo, which will be the main meat-and-fish restaurant, and Omar Montero's La Santa Taqueria. The Mexican chef is best known for his culinary work at Cantina La Veinte and Copper 29.

Ximena Estadella, the concept developer for Firehouse Mrkt, describes the marketplace as artisan yet accessible to all people across Miami and South Florida. "We are handpicking the tenants to ensure the highest quality across the market but keeping the prices reasonable. People will be able to taste and feel the great quality at a reasonable price."

Estadella says she chose the historic firehouse because the owners loved the idea of bringing the building back to life. "There is something mysterious about the building, and the location is great because it is in the middle of everything. It's close to Wynwood, downtown, Brickell, and even Miami Beach via the Venetian Causeway."

As an interior designer, Estadella was also intrigued by the style opportunities an older fire station could afford. "The design is going to be amazing, very different from anything in Miami."

The developer adds that her inspiration was her hometown in Spain. "I imagined the local market from the neighborhood where I grew up in Madrid. There's always a lot happening. They have vegetables, meat, bakeries, everything. This one isn't going to be as big as say the San Miguel Market, but it is going to be a local, neighborhood European-style gourmet market."

As a prelude, Firehouse Mrkt is launching a three-dinner series in April. Each pop-up dinner will feature TriCiclo's chefs Javier Mayor and Javier Goya collaborating with Miami's best culinary talents who plan to have their own outposts at Firehouse Mrkt.

The first dinner, which will take place April 7 and 8, will feature the chefs alongside Montero. The 14-course menu, complete with wine and beer pairings, costs $100, and menu items include watermelon Thai gazpacho with lime and mussels; grilled prawn, passionfruit, and trout spawns; salpicon de res; shellfish rossejat; and fresh fruits with mojito. Details for the other dinners, scheduled for June and August, have not yet been released. Tickets for the pop-ups can be purchased at eventbrite.com.