The first thing you should know about the new Okeydokey food hall is that it's not, technically, a food hall. It’s a large, sprawling, three-story Brickell entertainment venue with multiple vendors and bars selling very different lineups of food—which, we admit, sounds a lot like a food hall. But stick with us for a minute.
Instead of the traditional food hall arrangement—wander around and order whatever you want, receive a beeper and grab a table (and repeat each time you want another plate or cocktail)—there’s a bit of a new setup at Okeydokey. It starts with a hostess who leads you to a table where there’s a server, food runners and busboys. So, like, a restaurant. Maybe a hall-staurant?
Whatever you call it, Okeydokey is worthy of a trip. It’s full of quality vendors and laid out in a handsome space where you’ll want to spend a weekend night.
Most likely, you spotted Okeydokey as it rose up very slowly on the western edge of Brickell, with its sideways “OK” logo looking like a little stick figure dude. The 15,000-square-foot, three-story building is all glass on its northern side, filling the place with lots of light during the day and the twinkly lights of the skyline at night. Its design is industrial and modern, full of leather, wood and concrete, sort of like a modern men’s club.
Three bars and vendor kitchens dot the downstairs space, creating divided dining areas. The more open second floor splits its space evenly as a dining room and lounge full of cushy leather couches. There’s a 21-plus entertainment venue on the way for the third floor, along with a 3,000-square-foot outdoor area out back. All those various spots create options that run from a more chill hangout for a casual meal to pumping music parties near the DJ booth (because this is Brickell).
Ordering here involves the typical post-pandemic tech tools: Scan a QR code to put everything in through your phone, so you’ll never be too far from that TikTok feed. But you also have the option of asking for a book-sized menu and ordering directly from the server, boomer-style.
For the six food vendors at this non-food hall, Okeydokey brought in a few recognizable names that have done well elsewhere. Dal Plin (from MIA Market) bring their excellent pasta, plus equally as good pizzas. Similarly, Jaffa reimagines its Mediterranean offerings from MIA Market to serve up falafel, whole-roasted turmeric cauliflower and a shakshuka that makes a trip here worthy on its own.
There’s also Cuban-ish rotisserie chicken from Little Bird, bowls of noodles from Yoso Ramen, Chef Michael Castino’s Asian fusion kitchen, MAC, and an all-day cafe serving coffee, juices and pastry spot called Coffee Break.
Opting for a mismatched smattering of dishes from all these vendors—curry ramen, Margherita pizza, ahi tuna tacos and sliced garlic flatiron steak—will make the place feel a whole lot like a food hall, and definitely isn't the worst way to experience the food here. Above all, Okeydokey is pretty stunning to behold, a fun venue for food and drinks that doesn’t require actually standing up to go fetch your food. Maybe we’ll just call it the Food Hall 2.0.