The Lunchbox Opens Friday in Wynwood

When the Lunchbox opens this Friday, June 19, at 78 NW 25th St., Wynwood will get its most high-tech restaurant yet. 

Restaurant owner Carlos Dorado has spent months building out the restaurant to exact specifications in the hopes of creating the first zero-waste eatery in Miami. The Johnson & Wales graduate, best known in Miami for his Arepabox food truck, is using repurposed furnishings as well as recycled and compostable materials for plates and utensils, which are available by request for to-go orders. If you don't ask for them, you'll have to use your own dishes and forks.

The no-waste concept also translates to the Lunchbox's ordering system. Dorado has no plans to print paper menus. Instead, the restaurant's offerings will be posted online and on downloadable apps. The apps, available for both iOS and Android, will allow you to peruse the menu and order food. The restaurant will also store your preferences so you won't have to re-explain your peanut allergy or preference for extra dressing.

The chef calls the fare "neo-traditional." It's prepared using local, seasonal ingredients, with a Spanish flair. Soups, served in reusable mason jars, include gazpacho with croutons and cucumber ($7), potato and leek ($8), and tom kai gai ($8).  

Tapas offerings range from broken eggs with potatoes and shredded prosciutto ($8) to shrimp taquitos with shaved purple onions, mango, and cream of wasabi ($10). Entrées include arroz caldoso ($12), a vegetarian dish of bomba rice cooked with carrots, sweet peas, broccoli, diced mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes that's finished with homemade béchamel; grilled churrasco ($18), an organic skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, rice pilaf, and avocado tomato salad; chicken paillard ($15), served with arugula salad and house potatoes; and a seasonal fish dish ($18), with sautéed spinach and rice pilaf. 

The Lunchbox will also offer a selection of salads, sandwiches, and wraps.

To celebrate the restaurant's opening, Dorado will host a special event this Friday, June 19, from 7 to 9 p.m.. To introduce himself to the neighborhood, the chef will serve complimentary tapas and wine. The event is free and open to the public. No RSVP is necessary — simply show up and enjoy.

The Lunchbox will be open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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