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November was an incredible month for restaurants with 15 spots opening, and it looks like January will be no different. Southern food and hospitality are landing in Wynwood with the arrival of Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley on January 1, just in time for New Year’s Day brunch. The restaurant, with locations in six other cities and founded in Dallas, offers a modern take on Southern comfort food, with an ethos that invites guests to feel at home the moment they walk through the door.
“We’re excited to bring this concept to Miami — a city that feels like home,” says founder Kevin Kelley. “The diversity, the culture, the energy, there’s nothing like it. With Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley, we want to bring Miami the very best in Southern comfort food and hospitality, creating a space where everyone feels welcome.”
Kelly is a Dallas-based attorney and hospitality entrepreneur, also the brains behind the sports bar Kanvas by Kevin Kelley and the Latin nightclub Club Vivo, both located in Dallas. In addition to Miami, Kitchen + Kocktails has locations in Dallas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, and, most recently, Philadelphia.
Kitchen + Kocktails photo
What to Expect at Kitchen + Kocktails
The Wynwood outpost will span 8,000 square feet and feature a signature Blue Onyx Bar with a bold, luminous design. The restaurant’s Rose Wall, an element found at all locations, will provide the perfect backdrop for photos. Overall, expect the decor to blend modern luxury with Southern warmth thanks to rich textures, dramatic lighting, and vibrant artwork.
That said, you can’t eat decor. Thankfully, the menu will feature more than 50 dishes, including shrimp and grits, fried chicken and waffles, Southern-fried catfish, mac and cheese, collard greens, and fried green tomatoes.
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Kitchen + Kocktails photo
The “Kocktail” Menu
Its “Kocktail” menu (yeah, I’m not calling it that) includes the “True Flame,” a concoction of premium spirits, warm citrus, and spice, served over a torch-kissed orange peel and crafted tableside with a live-fire presentation. Other offerings include the “Blackberry Margarita” and “Peach D’usse Frosé.”
While Kitchen + Kocktails isn’t exactly reinventing things with its offerings, there’s no question that Kelley knows how to please the majority of diners. The Dallas location is one of the city’s top-grossing restaurants, beating out even Carbone’s Dallas outpost. Still, there are some things that may irk diners, with the Infatuation noting that the Philadelphia location enforces a 90-minute table limit—no word on whether the Wynwood spot will have the same rule. The spot will be open Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Kitchen + Kocktails By Kevin Kelley. 2838 NW Second Ave., Miami; 316-333-5460; kitchenkocktailsusa.com/miami. Opening January 1, 2026.
