This restaurant in shipping containers brings more than food trucks to Wynwood Yard

The who:  Restaurateur Ken Lyon branches out at The Wynwood Yard with Charcoal Garden Bar + Grill, a restaurant built entirely out of shipping containers. 

The space: The mostly al fresco spot is composed of shipping containers that function as either dining or kitchen space. There’s an open-air bar, an open kitchen, a “dining porch” with Cuban tile floor that seats about 24 and an indoor air-conditioned dining room that can seat about 40. Add to that ample tables on a cement brick patio, and it adds up to one of the city’s most eclectic full-service restaurants.

The dishes: Garden and grill-inspired cooking. The Josper grill (a Spanish grill/oven combination) is the focus here, with meats, seafood, veggies and even baked goods getting the grill treatment. There’s also a farm-to-table element with The Yard’s organic vegetable garden supplying some herbs and vegetable for the menu. Prices are reasonable with starters $9-$15 and mains $18-$30.

Bread service includes a Zak the Baker baguette or the baked-to-order skillet corn bread. From there it’s on to sharable boards of a variety of cheeses or charcuterie or the Florida staple of smoked fish dip and crackers. Salads are a colorful melange of blistered red and yellow beets, fresh greens and balanced vinaigrettes.

Middle Eastern flavors find their way onto the menu in a mezze platter of dips made of grilled eggplant, carrot hummus and tabbouleh. And the house specialty of Egyptian Kosheri rice rewards with a skillet of jasmine rice mixed with lentils, vermicelli, and caramelized onions perfumed with cinnamon and cardamom.

Josper-grilled meats and seafood include a whole branzino, filet of snapper, hanger steak, heritage chicken raised in Ocala and Florida-raised pork.

Desserts are large and keep the grilled thing going with a berry cobbler made in the Josper and a rich chocolate cremoso.

Bottom line: A smart, upscale spot that brings rustic grilled meats and produce to the funky Wynwood Yard space.

82 NW 29th St, Miami, FL 33127

(786) 646-2998

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 6:06 AM.