The second-best new restaurant in Texas is in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch, according to Texas Monthly’s latest list.

The accolade goes to Italian restaurant Radici Wood Fired Grill, Top Chef fan favorite and MasterChef judge Tiffany Derry’s newest spot tucked into a shopping center off I-35E near I-635.

Texas Monthly releases a list of best new restaurants every year, and each time, we have the opportunity to size up Dallas-Fort Worth’s hot spots against the best in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. A respectable three North Texas restaurants made the list: Radici in Farmers Branch (No. 2), Mābo in Dallas’ Preston Center (No. 3) and The Chumley House in Fort Worth (No. 9).

In Dallas, honorable mentions went to Goodwin’s on Greenville Avenue and Le PasSage on Fitzhugh Avenue — both big restaurant openings in 2024.

TM writers Patricia Sharpe and Courtney Bond loved the tallow-fried doughnut with smoked-tea sabayon at Le PasSage. We have to wonder: Did they try the mushroom caramel dessert?

One more honorable mention went to Simply South, the South Indian restaurant in Irving with a vegetarian menu.

Now that Michelin is releasing a yearly guide of Texas’ best restaurants, it’s fair to compare a statewide magazine’s list to the French company’s findings. They seemingly agree on the greatness of new Austin restaurant Craft Omakase: TM ranked it the No. 1 on the “best new restaurants” list. Michelin gave it 1 star — which it also offered to 14 other restaurants in Texas.

Notably, some of the restaurants on TM’s list were likely too new to be considered in Michelin’s 2024 rankings. The Chumley House opened after Michelin’s list was announced, for instance. Le PasSage opened a few weeks prior. Both would make sense as Michelin contenders for 2025, but time will tell.

Which restaurants were favorites?

The critics said of Craft in Austin: “Craft has struck exactly the right balance for a contemporary sushi restaurant, one that’s part of the great omakase explosion of the past few years. Its scope and sensibility honor the long history of sushi, which has evolved into its present form over two centuries. But Craft is not married to the past — playfulness and creativity are as much parts of its identity as proper technique.”

When it comes to No. 2 restaurant Radici, TM praised chef Derry’s focaccia, whole branzino and risotto.

Mābo might be under the radar to some North Texans. It’s one of Dallas’ tiniest restaurants, and it comes from Japanese chef Masayuki “Masa” Otaka, who operated Teppo in Dallas for nearly 30 years. Perhaps Mābo hasn’t received big attention because dinner costs a cool $200 per person — a fixed price that can only go up for those who tack on wine pairings or extra courses. Dinner is situated around the yakitori, and TM said, “you won’t look at the humble chicken the same way.”

It’s impressive the next D-FW restaurant on TM’s list, The Chumley House, made the cut at all. It’s been open barely three months. But it’s the buzziest North Texas restaurant on TM’s top 10. As a sibling restaurant to the flashy Mister Charles in Dallas, it’s no surprise Chumley delivers on design. Here, you’ll “fulfill the fantasy of traipsing through the home of a mid-century British aristocrat” while eating “dazzling beef Wellington.” Count us in.

Speaking of counting, Houston had three restaurants in the top 10. D-FW had three. San Antonio had two. Austin had two.

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