The Miami restaurant that made the Design District cool is temporarily closing

Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink is closing. Wait! Don’t panic. It’s not forever.

The Design District landmark is closing for a couple of months for a big renovation. The restaurant plans to add more space for indoor and outdoor seating and will integrate the patio area more cohesively as part of the whole restaurant.

The kitchen will also be expanded, and you can expect a new menu, too (although we have it on good authority that some local favorites will remain for your dining pleasure).

But what’s really on the menu? Evolution.

“This place is a huge part of who I am personally and professionally,” says Chef Michael Schwartz, who opened Michael’s Genuine in 2007. “As time evolves, so should restaurants. We are excited to welcome our guests back soon.”

Michael’s Genuine was a trailblazer for the fledgling Design District. At first, Schwartz told Miami Herald food writer Carlos Frias on the restaurant’s 10th anniversary, he wasn’t sure the restaurant would draw a crowd: “This was my last-ditch effort to stay in Miami, to save face.” But it quickly became the spot that shaped the Design District into a dining destination.

Schwartz went on to open Harry’s Pizzeria (which later expanded into Genuine Pizza) as well as Amara at Paraiso in Miami, Traymore at the Como Metropolitan Miami Beach and Tigertail + Mary in Coconut Grove.

Schwartz pivoted again a few months ago after the COVID pandemic changed the restaurant landscape again, creating Genuine Burger, his first delivery only option with Reef Kitchens as ghost kitchens popped up all over Miami.

At the time, Schwartz said that despite the demand for delivery, dining out would return to Miami.

““There’s always a place for restaurants.,” he told the Miami Herald. “Restaurants are going to come back strong because of the social aspect. Dining out is never going to go away.”

Michael’s Genuine will halt service on June 28 and reopen sometime in September.

This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM.