Kush Wynwood Returns: Matt Kuscher Transforms a 1926 Landmark Into Kush Korner

Kush Wynwood is coming back — and it's bringing a whole neighborhood with it. Award-winning restaurateur Matt "Kush" Kuscher will reopen his flagship restaurant this October at 2003 N. Miami Avenue, returning after two years to the historic 1926 building the restaurant called home for nearly a decade. The reopening anchors "Kush Korner," Kuscher's most ambitious project to date: a 7,500-square-foot mixed-use property that pairs a newly designed 2,200-square-foot restaurant with 10 workforce studios for hospitality professionals, a new cocktail bar, and a tattoo studio — all wrapped in an extraordinary collection of street art and commissioned works.

The building itself is a piece of Miami history. Constructed in 1926 by Samuel Dubbin, a pioneer of Miami's early Jewish community, the flatiron-style structure once anchored a residential pocket known as Little San Juan. Over the decades it housed Dubbin's Apartments, restaurants, a pharmacy, and — according to local lore — a brothel, with a reported connection to James "Whitey" Bulger, one of America's most notorious mob bosses, who is said to have lived there around the time of his mid-1950s arrest in Miami Beach. The property survived hurricanes, riots, and successive waves of redevelopment before eventually becoming home to Kush Wynwood. When the city later slated it for demolition, Kuscher spent four years fighting to preserve and reimagine it.

As the project evolved, Kuscher looked beyond the restaurant. After watching his employees contend with rising housing costs, unreliable transportation, and lengthy commutes, he built 10 micro-units above Kush Wynwood specifically for hospitality workers. Developed in partnership with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency and supported in part by the Public Benefit Trust Fund, the apartments will remain protected under a 50-year affordability agreement. Completing the mixed-use vision are two independent concepts joining Kush Wynwood in the building: Broth and Bitters, the first bar from bartender Erika Holtz, and Creative Souls, a tattoo studio from celebrated local artist James Moyer.

The exterior of Kush Korner is a mural tour in its own right. A larger-than-life Walter Mercado mural by Lalone overlooks North Miami Avenue, while a colorful work by Krave honors Little San Juan and Wynwood's Puerto Rican roots alongside a revival of the iconic Cano piece that was previously removed. Around the corner, a black-and-white "Welcome to Wynwood" mural by Camilo Rojas marks the entrance as the gateway to the neighborhood. On the building's side, SNEAK brings Kuscher's superhero alter ego — Kaptain Kush — to life above the street, with the tagline: "The kind of superhero Miami always needed."

The story continues inside the entrance corridor, where Rojas has hand-lettered the names of 180 artists who helped transform Wynwood into an international arts district — a collaboration with eight longtime Miami artists to ensure the list was complete. Inside, a 12-seat island bar clad in dark green tile anchors the 50-seat restaurant, set against walls of dark red brick. Kuscher's signature eccentricities are everywhere: wallpaper made from his first fake IDs, restroom walls covered in pages from his book, vintage cassettes, and an old-school telephone that plays your horoscope when lifted. Upstairs, Rojas's "Home Sweet Home" lines the staircase, with commissioned works extending into the residential hallways. The most unexpected installation is hidden inside a closet: a replica of Whitey Bulger's jail cell, featuring his prison-issued ID and fork — both acquired by Kuscher at auction.

The menu is a greatest-hits collection drawn from across Kush Hospitality's portfolio of more than a dozen concepts, with everything made in-house from scratch. The Johnny Utah — voted Best Burger in Miami by Miami New Times — returns, made with corned beef, cheddar, white onions, lettuce, tomato, and LoKal sauce. The Frita by Kush, named among Food Network's Best Burgers in America, pairs guava jelly with potato stix, bacon, Swiss cheese, and LoKal sauce. The Jewban Sandwich — ranked No. 3 sandwich in the world by Time Out — layers pulled pork and corned beef with Swiss cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, yellow mustard, and Russian dressing on grilled rye. Florida Alligator Bites, Reuben Croquetas, and Chicken N Waffles (voted Best in Miami by Miami New Times) round out the returning favorites.

Cocktails carry Kuscher's signature sense of humor: Coming Home From Tootsies (Papa's Pilar Blonde Rum, guava, honey, lime), Mexican From Miami (Mi Campo tequila, watermelon, jalapeño), and Sana Sana Culito de Rana, a cheeky nod to the familiar Latin childhood rhyme. Local craft beers brewed exclusively for Kush Wynwood by Tank Brewing and Rocketeer Brewing — the Kaptain Kush and Dr. Dank respectively — join THC drinks, zero-proof cocktails, and Kush's Mommy Juice, a peach and cabernet sangria served in a 32-ounce souvenir cup. For $2, guests can send a beer back to the kitchen staff.

Kush Wynwood opens this October at 2003 N. Miami Avenue, Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until midnight, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until late. For more information, visit kushhospitality.com. Check our Events Calendar for more upcoming openings and events across South Florida.