Here are updates on up and coming places to explore and spend the day or an afternoon in Allapattah Miami. Before Mera Rubell and the Rubell Collection came on the scene there, in 2019, no one much talked about it. And now, it’s definitely on the move, enjoying a slow and steady growth and offering quality things to do, places to eat, and shop. Here’s a guide with ideas on where to go, third in my series of  five “A Day In”:

Where it Is:

Allapattah Miami is northwest of downtown,  and about five miles (8 km) east of Miami International Airport. Many of the businesses and educational institutions in the neighborhood are generally located on Northwest 36th Street (US 27). The boundaries are roughly the Airport Expressway (SR 112) to the north, the Miami River and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) to the south, I-95 to the east, and Northwest 27th Avenue (SR 9) to the west. A stretch in the neighborhood along NW 17th Avenue was nicknamed Little Santo Domingo in 2003,

Considered one of the prominent museums in Miami, the Rubell Collection started in NYC in 1964, moved to Wynwood as a pioneer in the area and then in 2019 moved to its home in Allapattah. It includes 36 galleries, a flexible performance space, an art research library, a bookstore, and Leku restaurant that opens onto a courtyard. The gallery space is filled with multiple exhibitions and an ever-changing array of collection highlights, drawn from the couple’s extensive holdings of more than 7,200 works by 1,000 artists. Among the highlights are examples by longtime Rubell favorites such as Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, Kehinde Wiley, Cindy Sherman, Oscar Murillo, and Richard Prince, alongside younger buzzed-about artists such as Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Cy Gavin, and Allison Zuckerman.  Open daily except Monday and Tuesday. Rubell Collection, 1100 N.W. 23^rd St., Miami

A short ride away is Jorge Perez of Perez Art Museum Miami renown’s private museum, El Espacio 23. It is home to thousands of works of contemporary art from around the world. The museum is located in a 28,000-square-foot warehouse, with plenty of room to display the various pieces in Pérez’s extensive collection including a variety of mixed media from sculptures to paintings to performances. The exhibitions showcase artists from different parts of the world including South America, Africa and Asia, highlighting global culture. The museum often features guest curators on all of its exhibitions working in collaboration with Pérez Collection curators and houses a residency program as well. El Espacio 23, 2270 NW 23^rd St., Miami

Sure enough, where you find museums there are quality art galleries and so here is one of the leading galleries in Miami, who also has exhibited in Design Miami, is the Mindy Solomon Gallery. Mindy specializes in contemporary emerging and mid career sarists and art advisory services. Media include painting, sculpture, photography and video in both narratiove and non-objective styles.There’s also Spinello Projects that has a contemporary art program and gallery with works by experimental artists; The Bonnier Gallery features international art dealing in primary and secondary market works with a principal focus on minimalist and conceptual works. One of my favorites which is a newcomer to Miami is the Andrew Reed Gallery  They feature contemporary art and Gallery owner Marks has very discerning taste level. Their works from the secondary market feature  artists such as Frank Stella, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol . They have a gallery in New York City as well.  Classic Miami gallery Pan American Art Projects has moved here.www.panamericanart.com

Other galleries and private collections include:

Private Collections:

Marquez Art Projects (MAP)

https://marquezartprojects.com/about/

Galleries:

Voloshyn Gallery (from the Ukraine)

https://voloshyngallery.art/eng.html

Platabanda

https://www.platabanda.org/

Chapel of Our Lady of La Merced Plus Concerts

A gem in Allapattah is the  Chapel of Our Lady of La Merced and the exceptional Martha/Mary Yamaha concert series that it hosts.  No ordinary venue this, it’s part of the Colonial Florida Cultural Heritage Center LLC in Allapattah that operates La Merced Chapel Miami and La Casa. The latter includes an exhibition space and art restoration and preservation studio. The Center focuses on times from the earliest Spanish Colonial influences throughout South, Central and North America and the Caribbean, with a special focus on Colonial Florida, through the 19^th century and in some cases the early 20^th.

Tours are given the second Sunday of every month from Noon to 2 p.m. It’s also available for  weddings, concerts, art exhibits and presentations, as well as docent led group viewing of its art by appointment (305-635-1331). For a list of upcoming concerts, click here.

Eating:

My top dining recommendations are as diverse as the neighborhood in Allapattah, Miami as you’ll see, a good thing for mixing it up.

If you like barbecue and comfort food, Hometown BBQ Miami, an import from Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, is the place. It’s super casual, relaxed and friendly. The menu is divided into  smoked meats, ribs, sandwiches, tacos, smoked wings, housemade pork rind and sides (no desserts) . New York specialties are all here — brisket, beef ribs, pulled pork, and smoked turkey. Smoked meats are ordered by the half pound or in the case of thick slab pastrami bacon, by the slice.Other specialties include housemade sausage , queso mac n’cheese, watermelon salad with queso fresco,  and the cornbread. A perfect accompaniment to the sandwiches is the watermelon ginger limeade, fresh and light. 1200 NW 22^nd St. #100, Miami 33142.

Craving seafood and on a budget? Plaza Seafood Market is the one for you. In another side of the fish market is the eatery with its walk up window where you can order everything from fried butterflied fish, grouper steak and lobster to fish and crab soups and seafood empanadas. The main dishes come with rice, beans or salad and fried plantains (prices in the low teens) Place your order and sit at one of the wood or concrete tables with tile inlay.3114 N.W. 17^th Avenue, Miami

To read more about Plaza, click here.

Drinking:

Nothing ordinary for Allapattah, so no surprise  Tropical Distillers, not your usual distillery, .Jointly owned by NFL All-Pros Mike and Maurice Pouncey and luxury real estate expert Kim Rodestein, it is Miami’s first distillery offering guests a one-of-a-kind premium liqueur brand experience that includes tastings, tours, events, an indoor-outdoor cocktail bar, food trucks and a gift shop. Tropical Distillers is home to J.F. Haden’s Liqueur, America’s Craft Liqueur Company ™,  featuring Mango, Espresso and Citrus liqueur available onsite and for distribution nationwide.

The 8,000 square-foot experience features a fully automated craft distillery with an in-house cannery, as well as a 30-seat bar and tasting room decked out in colorful vintage wallpaper and old school Florida tropical touches throughout. 2141 N.W.10th Avenue, Miami 33127

Shopping:

If you’ve driven through Allapattah Miami, it’s likely you’ve seen all of the wholesale and second hand stores that offer low priced attire and accessories. Where you’ll snag some deals is at Lotus House Thrift Chic Boutique, the thrift shop of Lotus House. They specialize in furniture, designer, vintage, like new and gently used clothing, home decor, collectables and much more –  as they say, “all at beautiful prices!” 2040 N.W. 7th Avenue

With everything you could ever want and more, Berkeley Florist Supply will have you making arrangements like you’re a professional! With over 100 varieties of fresh flowers across 20,000 square feet of retail, you’ll be sure to find absolutely all you need. 2360 NW 23 St., Miami / Website

One of the best seafood markets is right here in Allapattah, Miami, Plaza Seafood Market (which has the eatery around the back). Nothing fancy here, but there’s a  wide variety of very fresh whole fish, shellfish including various kinds of shrimp, crab and conch and the prices are cheap. Customers pick and pickup the fish they want, put it in a plastic bag and take it to be weighed and pay. Then, if you want it cleaned, you walk around the building where you’re met with a sign, clean fish for tips.

There’s a very wide selection of whole fish, conch, crabs and shrimp including U.S wild caught shrimp. The biggest sellers are the conch which comes from the Turks & Caicos Islands or the Bahamas and in fin fish, the yellowtail. The other seafood comes from the Florida Keys, Miami, Jupiter and Mexico.

For more “A Day in”, click on the links:

An Afternoon at the Miami World Center

A Day in Little Havana

A Day in Little River

A Day in Downtown Miami