Texas

The Top Restaurants In Texas, According To The Michelin Guide

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2024

Press Room

The Top Restaurants In Texas, According To The Michelin Guide

Mixtli, San Antonio

Jody Horton

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

La Barbecue, Austin

Meg Nanna

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.”

Musaafer, Houston

Courtesy Musaafer

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.”

March, Houston

Zach Horst

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.

Dai Due, Austin

C.CLOGSTON

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, Austin

Mars Teller

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.

Ladino, San Antonio

Mars Tello

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

Nixta Taqueria, Austin

Edgar Rico

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

Rosie Cannonball, Houston

Zac Horst

Lockhart

Barbs BQ

Pearland, TX

Killen’s BBQ

Cullum’s Attaboy, San Antonio

dayna dehoyos

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

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John Cornyn makes campaign stop at Texas-Mexico border

Published

4 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

John Cornyn makes campaign stop at Texas-Mexico border

HIDALGO — During a visit to the border Friday, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said changes in immigration laws should wait until the border is completely secure, a contrast from Republican lawmakers who are willing to explore legal status for immigrant workers to address labor shortages prompted by enforcement efforts at work sites.

Cornyn was part of a group of Republican U.S. senators and Senate hopefuls who flocked to the Rio Grande Valley to praise President Donald Trump’s border policies as they attempt to promote their achievements and shape political narratives ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Aggressive enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has prompted some unauthorized workers to stay clear of job sites, leading to labor shortages in construction and restaurants. The Valley has been among the areas hardest hit by the worker shortage, prompting a group of local builders to call for solutions to economic struggles in their industry.

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, an Edinburg Republican, met with the group and expressed support for a visa program for construction workers, akin to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector.

Cornyn, though, said it was too early to consider such an option.

“The first thing we need to do is secure the border,” Coryn said during a news conference along the border in the city of Hidalgo. “There is no way that the American people, and certainly my constituents in Texas, would allow us to take another stab at reforming our immigration laws until we’ve got the border secure.”

After securing the border, he said, the next step would be to remove people who “never should have been here in the first place.” Only after that had been accomplished, Cornyn said, should lawmakers delve into changing immigration laws.

Much of Trump’s border policy has been set by executive action. The Republican Congress passed $170 billion in funding for immigration and border enforcement through 2029, making ICE the best-funded law enforcement agency in the country and giving the agency unprecedented recruitment, enforcement, deportation and detention powers. But the effort did not codify many of Trump’s changes to border practices.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who stood beside Cornyn during Friday’s news conference, said he was open to legislation that would address the need for qualified workers but also said the first priority was to secure the border.

“I think we can work in a constructive way on how we come up with a mechanism whereby people who come to this country legally can contribute and be members of our work force,” said Thune, R-South Dakota.

ICE activity at construction sites has intimidated workers — those unauthorized to live in the U.S. and those with legal authorization — from accepting work, builders say. This labor shortage has prompted construction delays that economists suggest will drive up housing costs.

Absent a change in immigration laws, Cornyn suggested job sectors would benefit from cuts to assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, saying it would encourage people to work.

“If you are an able-bodied young adult, you can’t qualify for food stamps, you can’t qualify for welfare benefits like Medicaid and the like, in order to encourage more people to get off the couch,” Cornyn said. “That’s good for them, good for their families, good for their communities.”

For Cornyn, who is locked in an expensive primary race with Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston, the news conference was also an opportunity to tout a major provision from Republicans’ 2025 mega-bill — reimbursement for Operation Lone Star.

Cornyn publicly stated during spring negotiations that his vote in support of the package was contingent on reimbursing Texas for Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative. Ultimately, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July with support from nearly all Republicans and no Democrats, included $13.5 billion in two funds to reimburse states for border security spending.

Abbott had requested $11.1 billion, and the vast majority of the bill’s money is expected to go to Texas. But six months after the bill’s passage, the Trump administration has yet to allocate funding. State Republicans, led by Cornyn, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, sent a December letter asking the departments of Homeland Security and Justice to prioritize Texas in the disbursement.

“That money will now soon be flowing into the coffers of the state of Texas, to the tune of roughly $11 billion, to do justice — which is to reimburse Texas taxpayers for stepping up and filling the gap when the federal government simply refused to do so,” Cornyn said Friday. “That would not have happened without the leadership of the majority leader and the whip and the direction of the president of the United States, to whom I am very grateful.”

The Cornyn campaign and allied groups have spent more than $40 million in advertising, helping to close Paxton’s initial polling lead. Polls have shown no candidate close to the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff in the March 3 primary.

Cornyn has the backing of Thune and OneNation, a group aligned with the Senate Republican leader that organized Friday’s border trip after spending millions in pro-Cornyn advertising.

Thune on Friday praised Cornyn, whom he beat out to become majority leader in 2024.

“He has been such an advocate through the years on the issue of border security — foremost expert on it,” Thune said. “Most of us, what we know about the border, we know from him.”

Part of Cornyn’s campaign strategy has been to emphasize his support for Trump in ads and on social media. Thune, Cornyn, other Republican senators and Senate hopeful Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee from North Carolina, praised Trump’s border actions, with Cornyn expressing his gratitude for Trump’s leadership in getting the One Big Beautiful Bill passed and for his Border Patrol leadership appointments.

The president’s endorsement — or lack of, thus far — has factored heavily into the state’s Senate primary. It is one of a handful of Republican contests for Senate where Trump has yet to put his thumb on the scale, and the president has said that he likes both Cornyn and Paxton.

Cornyn and Thune have appealed to Trump for his endorsement.

The border trip was also an opportunity for Cornyn’s opponents to press their cases.

Paxton preemptively criticized Cornyn’s visit in a Thursday statement that noted the senator said a border wall “makes no sense” in a February 2017 speech in Weslaco, among other instances of wall skepticism in early 2017. At the time, Cornyn said technology and personnel are more effective than physical barriers in some areas. On Friday, Cornyn praised the border wall and its outfitting with cameras, sensors and other technology.

“His 40-plus year career has been spent fighting for amnesty for illegals, cutting deals with Democrats, trying to stop President Trump, and standing in the way of building the wall,” Paxton said in the statement. “Texans aren’t going to forget how Cornyn’s betrayed our country, and no last minute trip to the border to try and act tough is going to change that.”

Hunt posted an ad on X criticizing Cornyn’s previous apprehension for a border wall.

“Now that Trump’s secured our border, John Cornyn wants to take the credit for the wall he tried to block,” the ad said.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Disclosure: Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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SMU secures commitment from Texas A&M transfer TE Theo Melin Öhrström

Published

16 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

SMU secures commitment from Texas A&M transfer TE Theo Melin Öhrström

One of the biggest questions facing Rhett Lashlee and his SMU football program this offseason is how the Mustangs will replenish the tight end position.

Not only did SMU’s tight ends coach leave, but the Mustangs are losing their top four tight ends from the 2025 roster. RJ Maryland, Matthew Hibner and Stone Eby all graduated and redshirt sophomore Adam Moore entered the transfer portal.

SMU began its rebuild of the tight ends room with a commitment from Texas A&M transfer Theo Melin Öhrström.

Melin Öhrström entered the portal on Dec. 26 after four years with the Aggies. The Stockholm, Sweden native appeared in 40 games for Texas A&M, catching 29 balls for 352 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, the 6-foot-6, 257-pound tight end made four starts and caught 19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.

Melin Öhrström redshirted in 2022, so he has one year of eligibility remaining and will have a chance to secure a bigger role during his final collegiate season. He chose the Mustangs over Houston, Kansas State and Auburn

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Recruiting a running back out of the NCAA transfer portal wasn’t clean and simple after the winter window opened last week, but the Texas Longhorns were able to land a huge commitment from Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown on Thursday.

The 5’9, 196-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.

Texas offered Brown out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana (Calif.) when he was a top-100 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 3 running back nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brown committed to home-state USC without taking any other official visits.

Brown’s career with the Trojans didn’t go as planned, however — after flashing as a freshman with 227 yards on 42 carries (5.4 avg) with three touchdowns and 16 receptions for 175 yards (10.97 avg) and three touchdowns, Brown moved to wide receiver as a sophomore and only appeared in two games, recording three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Wanting to play running back again, Brown transferred to Arizona State in 2024, but was limited by a hamstring injury to 48 yards of total offense.

In 2025, though, Brown finally had his breakout season with 186 carries for 1,141 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Brown forced 53 missed tackles last season, 67 percent of the total missed tackles forced by Texas running backs, and more than half of his rushing yardage came after contact.

Brown ran a sub 4.5 40-yard dash and sub-11 100-meter dash in high school and flashed that explosiveness with runs of 75 yards and 88 yards in 2025, so Brown brings the speed that the Longhorns need with 31 yards over 10 yards, as well as proven route-running and pass-catching ability.

At Arizona State, the scheme leaned towards gap runs, but Brown has the skill set to be an excellent outsize zone back if Texas head coach Steve Sarksian decides that he wants to major in that scheme once again.

With one running back secured from the portal, the question becomes whether Sarkisian and new running backs coach Jabbar Juluke want to add a big-bodied back to the roster or are comfortable with rising redshirt sophomore Christian Clark and incoming freshman Derrek Cooper handling that role.

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