Texas Earns Michelin Stars, Celebrating the State's Best Restaurants

Texas has officially made its way into the Michelin Guide, with 15 restaurants awarded one Michelin Star and two others recognized for sustainability. The highly anticipated announcement happened at 713 Music Hall in Houston, drawing attention to Texas’s unique flavors and diverse dining scene. 

"The culinary community across Texas impressed our inspectors," said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides. He added, “We are very honored to welcome these restaurants to the MICHELIN Guide family for the first time and we toast to the tremendous spirit of the Texas restaurant community.” 

The Michelin Guide is one of the world’s most respected and influential sources of restaurant ratings, known for its strict standards and profound impact on the culinary landscape. Receiving a Michelin star is a coveted honor, regarded as a benchmark of culinary excellence that can elevate a chef’s career, boost a restaurant’s profile, and enhance a region’s reputation as a dining destination. 

A Michelin star signifies that a restaurant has reached a level of quality that goes beyond the ordinary. Michelin’s star system awards one, two, or three stars, each level symbolizing a different degree of excellence. One star indicates a restaurant that’s “very good” in its category, offering high-quality food worth trying if you’re nearby. 

A two-star rating recognizes “excellent cooking, worth a detour,” where refined techniques and exceptional ingredients take the spotlight. A three-star rating is the highest honor, awarded only to “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey,” showcasing culinary mastery and artistry of the highest level.

Michelin’s selection process is famously rigorous, with anonymous Inspectors who evaluate restaurants based on five main criteria: the quality of ingredients, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency across the menu and over time. 

Among the one-Michelin-Star restaurants is Dallas’s Tatsu, known for its carefully crafted Edomae-style sushi. This small, 10-seat sushi bar has built a reputation for precise, fresh flavors. Michelin’s Guide noted, "With just 10 counter seats, the greatest challenge is securing a reservation at this sushi restaurant… but perseverance will be rewarded because this is the genuine article." 

Austin’s InterStellar BBQ is another standout, where pitmaster John Bates is celebrated for his skillful barbecue methods. "Peach tea-glazed pork belly is meltingly tender," Michelin’s Guide notes, and "the beer-brined tipsy turkey is moist and delicious." From classic brisket to unique smoked scalloped potatoes, Bates has created a space that captures the best of Texas barbecue. 

Houston’s Musaafer also received a star for its take on Indian cuisine. With an elegant setting and richly flavored dishes, Musaafer surprises diners with its creative, bold flavors. One Michelin Guide Inspector noted their 24-spice onion dish and 72-hour slow-cooked dal as examples of “high style and utterly gratifying substance.” 

In Austin, Dai Due and Emmer & Rye received Michelin’s Green Star for their commitment to sustainability. Dai Due uses locally sourced ingredients, avoids seed oils, and focuses on reducing waste. Emmer & Rye, on the other hand, supports Texas farms and uses every part of the animals they source, ensuring nothing goes to waste. 

Both restaurants demonstrate how great food and eco-friendly practices can go hand in hand. 

Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list, which recognizes great food at reasonable prices, included Cattleack Barbeque in Dallas for its top-notch yet affordable barbecue. Rye, also in Dallas, received the "Exceptional Cocktails" award, the only Texas restaurant to earn this honor. 

The Michelin Guide began in the early 1900s in France, originally created by the Michelin Tire Company to help motorists find good places to eat and stay along their travels. Over the years, it shifted to focus on restaurant recommendations, establishing a reputation for unbiased, high-quality reviews that hold chefs and restaurants to some of the world’s strictest culinary standards.
Today, Michelin operates guides in over 45 destinations worldwide, and Texas’s debut marks a proud milestone in Michelin’s North American expansion. Here’s a complete list of the winners:

One-Michelin-Star Restaurants

Dallas

Tatsu Dallas (Japanese cuisine)

Austin

Barley Swine (Contemporary cuisine)

Craft Omakase (Japanese cuisine)

Hestia (American cuisine)

InterStellar BBQ (Barbecue cuisine)

la Barbecue (Barbecue cuisine)

Leroy and Lewis Barbecue (Barbecue cuisine)

Olamaie (American cuisine)

Houston

BCN Taste & Tradition (Spanish cuisine)

CorkScrew BBQ (Spring; Barbecue cuisine)

Le Jardinier Houston (French cuisine)

March (Creative/Mediterranean cuisine)

Musaafer (Indian cuisine)

Tatemó (Mexican cuisine)

San Antonio

Mixtli (Mexican cuisine)

Michelin Green Star Restaurants

Austin

Dai Due (American cuisine)

Emmer & Rye (American cuisine)

Bib Gourmand Awards 

Dallas

Cattleack Barbeque

Gemma

Lucia

Mot Hai Ba

Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen

Nonna

Fort Worth

Goldee's Barbecue

Recommended Restaurants

Dallas

Barsotti's

Birrieria Y Taqueria Cortez (Fort Worth)

The Charles

Crown Block

El Carlos Elegante

Fearing's

Georgie

Harvest (McKinney)

Knox Bistro

Mercat Bistro

Monarch

Panther City BBQ (Fort Worth)

Quarter Acre

Rye

Sachet

Smoke N Ash BBQ

Stillwell's

Stock & Barrel

Tei-An

Written by the Seasons

Fort Worth

Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez

Arlington

Smoke'N Ash BBQ