The Restaurant Anthony Bourdain Ranked Above All Others In Miami

The late Anthony Bourdain was arguably one of the best-traveled gourmands of our time. The chef and writer ate his way around the world for various television shows and stories. So it's no question what a major compliment it would have been to hear that he liked your restaurant, let alone called it the best one in a major foodie city like Miami. That's exactly what happened to Michael's Genuine Food & Drink.

Bourdain was filming the fourth episode of "The Layover," a Travel Channel series where he sampled a location's top bites in a short amount of time, as one would on a layover between flights. Michael's Genuine, nestled in the Design District, was one of the featured stops. Bourdain called it "probably the best restaurant in Miami right now." He added that the welcoming vibe and use of peak-fresh, local ingredients were largely what kept diners coming.

The kitchen was closed when he arrived, so the chef surprised him with something that Bourdain called "the most exciting pork dish I've had" upon tasting it. "Pigs' ears cooked in a Dutch oven for hours until soft and tender, then cut into strips and deep-fried until golden brown," he explained. "Tossed with a little salt and spice and served with a wedge of lime, they are a bar snack unimprovable by man or God." The kitchen followed up with deviled eggs, which Bourdain similarly scarfed down.

It wasn't just Anthony Bourdain who loved this Southern restaurant. Since opening in 2007, it has garnered countless accolades — including a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide — and serves as a cornerstone of the neighborhood's dining scene to this day. Owner and James Beard award-winning chef Michael Schwartz is credited with the restaurant's long-lasting success, not to mention pioneering the Design District's reputation for stellar food and drink. (And that's in spite of how expensive it is to dine out in Miami.)

Michael's Genuine has a penchant for seafood, so it's no surprise that it's been named one of the best spots for stone crab by Modern Luxury and Miami New Times. Additionally, Yelp reviewers have praised meaty mains like crispy pork belly with kimchi and crushed peanuts, tamarind-glazed short rib, and duck confit. The restaurant also offers brunch, featuring French toast with ganache and hazelnut praline and pizza with house-smoked bacon, fontina cheese, and caramelized onion. Some reviewers also can't get enough of the milk chocolate cremoso dessert with espresso parfait and sourdough crostini.

Of course, the deviled eggs and crispy pig ears are both still on the snack menu alongside a myriad of cocktails, so you can easily make like Bourdain if you're ever in Miami. More than 100 Yelp reviews call out the chicharrones-like appetizer, with one saying they "are a good enough reason to come here."