The Top Restaurants In Texas, According To The Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide came to Texas for the first time on Monday night to award Michelin stars to 15 restaurants in four Texas cities at an invitation-only ceremony at 713 Music Hall in Houston. In addition, two Texas restaurants earned Michelin Green Stars (for leadership in sustainable dining), with 45 Bib Gourmands (offering excellent quality for good value), 57 Recommended Restaurants (exemplars of the high Michelin standard) and four Michelin Special Awards, for a total of 117 outstanding Texas eateries honored by Michelin this year. It’s been a long time coming.

The Lone Star State–renowned for its stellar BBQ, Tex-Mex and tacos–has now officially been recognized as an international culinary hub and incubator for talented chefs. After the Michelin Awards ceremony last night, there is certainly no shortage of Michelin-level BBQ in Texas, but the awards also represent a total of 26 diverse cuisines. The newly minted Michelin chefs celebrated the honor—and each other’s accomplishments—with a Texas-sized explosion of enthusiasm and joy onstage in a spirit of true community and camraderie.

“We monitor the evolution of the culinary landscape closely, and Texas has been on our radar for a few years,” says Gwendal Poullennec, International Director, Michelin Guide. “A Michelin Star is a worldwide benchmark awarded to restaurants offering the highest quality food. From a culinary perspective, Texas deserves to be put on the international travel map. The food culture and authenticity makes it worth traveling here because it’s really unique and deserves worldwide recognition,” he continues.

According to the Michelin Guide, each restaurant is visited several times per year and there are five criteria for awarding stars: quality products; the harmony of flavors; the mastery of cooking techniques; the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; consistency between each visit.

“Each of you set a new bar for Texas,” says Poullennec, addressing the new Michelin Star recipients at the Awards ceremony, “and tonight we celebrate the quality, creativity and passion of these chefs. It’s not only an award,” he continues. “It’s an encouragement to raise the bar, become even more daring and dream even bigger.”

Here is a full list of the winners, with remarks from the Michelin Inspectors.

Restaurants Awarded One MICHELIN Star

Austin

Barley Swine (Contemporary cuisine) “The room is decidedly casual, and diners are welcome to come as they are, but there’s no mistaking the passion of this kitchen. Chef/owner Bryce Gilmore makes deft use of local ingredients with a distinctly Southwestern palette of flavors that draws from Mexican and Southern traditions, while maintaining a contemporary, global sophistication. The tasting menu is carefully attuned to the seasons, and refinement is balanced with a sense of whimsy.”

Craft Omakase (Japanese cuisine) “Discreetly tucked away in Rosedale, Craft Omakase has a lounge up front with a dining room and counter in back. It is here where guests wisely place their faith in the hands of Chefs Charlie Wang and Nguyen Nguyen who dole out an impressive procession of nigiri and other bites. Their creative omakase doesn’t shy away from embellishment, yet it’s done with restraint and allows the fish to shine.”

Hestia (American cuisine) “Push past the glass door of this restaurant in the heart of downtown and you’ll immediately get the drift—quite literally, as wood smoke perfumes the air. This hot spot is all about live fire cooking, as evidenced by the 20-foot hearth in the open kitchen. Contemporary cooking is on display in both the à la carte and chef’s tasting menu, and Texas produce and proteins take center stage. From savory to sweet, nearly everything is kissed by the flames or scented with smoke.”

InterStellar BBQ (Barbecue) “The mark of a good place is when a line starts forming before they’ve even opened, and at InterStellar BBQ, it’s long before they’ve swung open the door. Everyone is here for a taste of pitmaster John Bates’s barbecue, done low and slow over post oak.”

la Barbecue (Barbecue) “Founded by the late LeAnn Mueller and now run by her wife, Ali Clem, la Barbecue’s massive, custom-built pit in the backyard is the rarified workshop in which meaty miracles are realized. Inside, it’s a simple space enlivened with bright colors and a disarming playlist with Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton.”

Leroy and Lewis Barbecue (Barbecue) “What started as a food truck in 2017 can now be enjoyed in a spacious brick and mortar location in Garrison Park. The moniker refers to the duo of married couples who run this enticing operation where the spacious setting gives off mid-century vibes with its glazed brick exterior and peak-roofed dining area. The excellent barbecue menu isn’t built around brisket, although that beloved item is available as a daily special at the end of the week.”

Olamaie (American cuisine) “With its white clapboard and black shutters, Olamaie, named for the chef’s grandmother, mother, and daughter, is a charming spot north of downtown Austin, Expect southern cuisine that’s been given a contemporary polish… the chicken pressé is a novel take on chicken and dumplings and rounds out a bill of fare that also includes blackened dayboat fish, gumbo, and red rice with Gulf shrimp.

Dallas

Tatsu Dallas (Japanese cuisine) “With just 10 counter seats, the greatest challenge is securing a reservation at this sushi restaurant within the renovated Continental Gin Building – but perseverance will be rewarded because this is the genuine article. The omakase contains around 14 pieces and follows the Edomae tradition, so expect fish that gets steadily stronger in flavor as dinner progresses.”

Houston

BCN Taste & Tradition (Spanish cuisine) “Tucked away off Richmond Avenue, this restaurant, housed in a 1920s white stucco bungalow and managed by some of the most personable staff in the city, cooks with both flair and familiarity. Seafood is a highlight, as in brilliantly tender slivers of sea cucumber set on lobster rice, or thinly sliced octopus paired with potato purée and a striking smoked paprika. Chef Luis Roger knows his way around land, too, and his Iberian suckling pig arrives with a crackling crust, meltingly tender meat and a rich red wine sauce.”

CorkScrew BBQ (Spring; Barbecue) “You have a choice: Arrive before doors open at 11 or go eat somewhere else. In the tiny town of Spring just north of Houston, this barbecue sensation has drawn long lines ever since it opened in 2015. The kitchen is known to sell out fast, and it’s easy to see why: Will and Nichole Buckman smoke some of the finest brisket and beef ribs in the state.”

Le Jardinier Houston (French cuisine) With locations in Manhattan and Miami, Chef Alain Verzeroli also shares his verdant, stylish cooking with Houston. The location couldn’t be more apt: The Museum of Fine Arts matches his colorful dishes that are both beautiful and satisfying. Accomplished sauces, seasonal vegetables, and thoughtful cocktails tell a story in line with the restaurant’s name and design.”

March (Creative/Mediterranean cuisine) “This ambitious atelier sets its sights on a culinary exploration of the Mediterranean, studiously delving into individual regions one by one, from the Maghreb in Northwest Africa to Murcia and Andalusia in Southern Spain, to Greece, with a tasting menu and beverage program inspired by each cuisine in turn. But if all that sounds a bit precious, rest assured that the experience itself is utterly disarming, with a winning sense of hospitality that makes for a meal that is both engaging and luxe.”

Musaafer (Indian cuisine) “Dinner in a shopping mall doesn’t sound promising, unless you’re headed to Musaafer. The sheer scale of this grand hall, with its arches, towering windows, labyrinth-like layout, and elaborate patterns, feels like a palace of its own. The setting is as thrilling as the cooking.”

Tatemó (Mexican cuisine) “The famous idiom about not judging a book by its cover couldn’t be more applicable than to this tortilleria-turned-tasting menu. In an empty strip mall with little around except for a brewery and a doughnut shop, Chef Emmanuel Chavez delivers a beautifully pitched and portioned experience that celebrates heirloom corn from across Mexico.”

San Antonio

Mixtli (Mexican cuisine) “This trailblazing restaurant is from the visionary minds of Chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres. The acclaimed duo has fine dining chops but it’s a shared reverence for Mexican cuisine that is the real driving force behind this endeavor. Tasting menus shift often, focusing on a different part of Mexico and may offer up cutting-edge interpretations of Oaxacan specialties or a meal focused on the cuisine of “Tierra Caliente.”

MICHELIN Green Star Award Winners

The Green Star Award honors restaurants at the forefront of practices committed to a more sustainable gastronomy.

Austin

Dai Due (American cuisine) “A focus on locally sourced produce; seed oil-free cooking; recycling and composting program; locally sourced wine and beer from Texas; ethical harvesting of meat products; minimize food waste through reuse; fermentation program.”

Emmer & Rye (American cuisine) “Sustainability initiatives include sourcing menu ingredients from local Texas farms and the restaurant’s partner farm that is no-till and organically fertilized; exclusive use of whole animals and fish; wide use of vegetable scraps and composting food waste for farm soil; bar program features cocktails containing house-made vinegars, preserved local bar cherries and bitters made from local Texas ingredients.

Michelin Special Awards

Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award, Julian Schaffer, Rye, Austin, TX

Michelin Sommelier Award, Stephen MacDonald, Pappa Bros. Steakhouse, Houston, TX

Michelin Outstanding Service Award, Hailey Pruitt & Lauren Beckman, Mixtli, San Antonio, TX

Michelin Young Chef / Culinary Professional Award, Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria

Michelin Bib Gourmand

The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to restaurants that offer exceptionally good food at great value and are often personal favorites among Michelin inspectors when dining on their own time.

Austin

Briscuits

Cuantos Tacos

Dai Due

Distant Relatives

Emmer & Rye

Franklin BBQ

Kemuri Tat-suya

KG BBQ

La Santa Barbacha

Micklethwait Craft Meats

Nixta Taqueria

Odd Duck

Ramen del Barrio

Veracruz Fonda & Bar

Bellaire

Blood Bros BBQ

Dallas

Cattleack

Gemma

Lucia

Một Hai Ba

Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen

Nonna

Fort Worth, TX

Goldee’s

Houston, TX

Ema

Kau Ba

Killen’s

Mala Sichuan Bistro

Nam Giao

Nancy’s Hustle

Nobie’s

Pinkerton’s BBQ

The Pit Room

Street to Kitchen

Theodore Rex

Truth BBQ

Rosie Cannonball

Lockhart

Barbs BQ

Pearland, TX

Killen’s BBQ

San Antonio, TX

Cullum’s Atta Boy

The Jerk Shack

Ladino

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery

Seguin

Burnt Bean Co

Spring

Belly of the Beast

Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q

Tomball, TX

Tejas Chocolate

Michelin Recommended Restaurants

These are restaurants that meet the high standards of the Michelin Guide, embodying Texas’ food culture with a worldwide standard.

Arlington

Smoke’N Ash BBQ

Austin

Apt 115

Birdie’s

Comedor

Con Todo

Dipdipdip Tatsu-&a

Discada

Este

Ezov

Garrison

Jeffrey’s

Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop

La Condesa

Launderette

Lenoir

Ling Kitchen

Lutie’s

Maie Day

Mexta

Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen

Suerte

Tare

Terry Black’s BBQ

Toshokan

Dallas, TX

Barsotti’s

The Charles

Crown Block

El Carlos Elegante

Fearing’s

Georgie

Knox Bistro

Mercat Bistro

Monarch

Quarter Acre

Rye

Sachet

Stillwell’s

Stock & Barrel

Tei-an

Written By the Seasons

Fort Worth, TX

Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez

Panther City BBQ

Houston, TX

Baso

Bludorn

Brisket and Rice

Candente

Hidden Omakase

Late August

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

McKinney, TX

Harvest

San Antonio, TX

2M Smokehouse

Barbecue Station

Garcia’s Mexican Food

Leche de Tigre

Little Em’s Oyster Bar

Nicosi

Signature