Michael's Genuine – the wood oven that started Miami's local food movement

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink opened its doors in 2007 in a corner of the Miami Design District that was then little more than quiet streets and art galleries. Chef Michael Schwartz, a Philadelphia-born cook who had trained at Wolfgang Puck's Chinois before settling in Miami, built the restaurant on a simple premise: let good, local ingredients speak for themselves, cooked mostly over an open wood flame. That philosophy helped pioneer the city's farm-to-table movement and, in 2010, earned Schwartz the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: South award. Almost two decades on, the restaurant is still the clearest expression of his cooking, even as his Genuine Hospitality Group has grown to include other kitchens across Miami. It holds a Bib Gourmand distinction in the MICHELIN Guide, recognition for cooking that is both skilled and good value, in a room that remains as unpretentious as the neighbourhood it helped put on the map.

01The room and the setting

The dining room is built around action rather than hush. The action emanates from our open kitchen, and our cooks bustling about, stoking the wood oven's flames as whole fish, chicken, vegetables and pizzas fly in and out. Guests can take a table or booth inside, or head for the courtyard at the back, which the restaurant's own description calls sun-speckled and shaded through the day. A 2021 renovation reworked the layout: in 2021, the Miami location underwent a renovation to refine the décor, reinvent the kitchen space and expand the airy dining room.

The restaurant marked a further milestone the following year. Recently awarded by Michelin a Bib Gourmand, Michael's celebrated its 15th anniversary this year with a full remodel. The welcoming bar remains a fixture for anyone dropping in outside full meal times, lunch, dinner or a midday break.

02The chef

Michael Schwartz arrived in the restaurant trade as a busser before training seriously on the West Coast. Starting in the industry as a busser at DiLullo, he then trained at Wolfgang Puck's Chinois in California before he moved to Colorado, New York, and Miami, where he finally settled. Schwartz opened Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in 2007, attracting diners to the newly developed Design District. Three years later his seasonal, farmer-led cooking was recognised nationally: Schwartz won the 2010 James Beard's Best Chef: South award for his seasonal, locally driven meals at Michael's.

Insider tip

Open daily for dinner; lunch and brunch served on varying days, with a Sunday-only brunch.

Day-to-day the stoves are now in the hands of Executive Chef Randy Zuniga. Over the years, he has honed his craft under the guidance of celebrated chefs including Michael Schwartz, Michael Beltran, and Niven Patel. Pastry comes from Marlena Bella, a Johnson & Wales graduate whose dessert programme draws on family recipes and training across artisan bakeries.

03The cooking

The kitchen has always worked backwards from the market rather than forward from a fixed menu. Menus change daily because they start with what's in season and arriving on the doorstep from nearby farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. Miami's climate, with no hard seasonal breaks, has shaped that approach as much as any culinary trend: relationships with local farmers and fishermen, letting the ingredients dictate the menu. Miami's lack of defined seasons made sourcing a challenge, but it also forced creativity.

The wood oven remains the engine of the room. Central to the operation is a powerful wood oven, which turns out perfectly charred, whole roasted fish and pizzas that let the quality of their components speak for themselves. Schwartz is not afraid to push beyond comfort food either: Alongside crowd-pleasers, he'll slip in dishes like beef tongue, venison, or tropical fruits like soursop – flavors that push past the expected without alienating guests. While the restaurant's burger has developed a loyal following, Schwartz is clear: if half the menu turned into burgers, they'd be doing something wrong.

04What to order

The dinner menu, read on the restaurant's own site in October 2026, runs from raw bar to wood oven mains. The Chilled Seafood Platter brings together maine lobster, large stone crabs, oysters, ceviche and crudités with mignonette sauce; crispy pork belly arrives with kimchi, crushed peanuts and cilantro, and a country pâté is served with stewed prunes, cornichon, dijon and grilled bread.

From the mains, the slow roasted and grilled short rib comes with charred cipollini onion, cress, romesco sauce and crushed smoked almonds, while a truffle pizza is finished with fontina, taleggio, cipollini and a parmesan breadcrumb crust. The MGFD ceviche plays on kimchi flavours with avocado, sweet peppers, red onion, orange and cilantro, and spiced lamb is served with charred eggplant, pickled onion, herbs and house pita.

05Wine and drinks

The bar runs its own list of house cocktails, including the Bulletproof Manhattan, built on bourbon, cherry-rosemary and lemon, alongside a dedicated wine list and a Genuine Wine Club for regulars. Guests who prefer their own bottle can bring one in under the house policy: a corkage fee of $35 applies, with a maximum of three standard 750ml bottles per table, excluding any label already on the restaurant's own list.

Sunday to Friday, happy hour runs from 4pm to 7pm with $10 cocktails, $6 snacks, $9 wine and $5 beer, making the bar one of the more accessible ways to try the kitchen's output outside a full dinner.

06When to go and booking

Dinner runs Monday to Saturday from 5:30pm to 10pm and Sunday from 5pm to 9pm; lunch is served Monday to Saturday from 11:30am to 3:30pm, with an afternoon menu bridging the gap from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. Sunday is given over entirely to brunch, 11am to 4pm, built on a weekly-changing menu of small plates. As the restaurant's own description puts it, Sunday Brunch runs the gamut: including everything from breakfast pizza topped with a local farm egg and house smoked bacon to decadent treats like sticky toffee buns and lemon ricotta pancakes—it's the perfect, memorable way to spend the last day of the weekend.

The restaurant sits a short hop from both directions of Miami travel. The restaurant is located in the heart of the Miami Design District and easily accessible whether for a quick layover meal from the airport or zipping over the causeway from Miami Beach.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.