Alison Clem, center, owner of La Barbecue, which she founded with her late wife, LeAnn Mueller, was one of four barbecue operators in the state of Texas to earn a Michelin Star awarded by International Director for Michelin Guide, Gwendal Poullennec, right, on Monday, Nov. 11, in Houston.
Zach Hilty/Provided by BFA.com
The Michelin Guide entered the Texas market in 2024, thanks in part to a $2.7 million commitment from the state and its five biggest cities. It bestowed its coveted stars on 15 restaurants in the Lone Star State.
The stars changed the lives of the chefs and owners who received them. All of the Austin recipients reported record sales in the months following the awards.
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Today’s ceremony brings new opportunities — and perhaps new stars — for Austin’s dining scene. Follow along here for live updates, reactions and this year’s full list of Michelin-honored Austin restaurants.
Members of the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group accept the award for Isidore at the Michelin Texas Guide ceremony in Houston.
Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
While Austin restaurants went home with no new Michelin stars at the ceremony in Houston, it was a huge night for the Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group.
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Their San Antonio restaurants Isidore and Nicosi were two of the three restaurants to earn a star this year, and Isidore also took home a Green Star, making it the first Texas restaurant to have both a Michelin star and a Green Star.
All seven of the Austin restaurants that earned Michelin stars last year retained them. Those restaurants are: Barley swine, Interstellar Barbecue, la Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis, Olamaie, Hestia and Craft Omakase
Chef and owner Edgar Rico and dining critic Matthew Odam talk to guests as the Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Mikala Compton/American-Statesman
Chef Edgar Rico earned the green star for Nixta Taqueria. Rico was in Mexico at the time of the ceremony. Inspectors recognized the restaurant’s on-site garden and their hyper-local sourcing. Nixta is the third Austin restaurant to earn a Green Star joining Dai Due and Emmer & Rye, who maintained their stars from 2024. Rico was also recognized in the 2024 Michelin Guide with the Young Chef Award.
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Nixta Taqueria was No. 15 in our list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin.
Dai Due was No. 3 in our guide.
Emmer & Rye was also recognized in our guide.
Julian Maltby of Mercado sin Nombre at the Michelin Guide Ceremony in Houston.
Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Michelin welcomed eight Texas restaurants into the ranks of Bib Gourmand, including walk-up coffee shop Mercado sin Nombre and newcomer Parish Barbecue.
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Duck carnitas tacos at Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Could the taqueria with an elegant evening tasting menu earn a star tonight?
Mikala Compton/American-Statesman
Franklin Barbecue was passed over for a Michelin star in 2024. Could the restaurant that upped Austin’s barbecue game get a star tonight?
AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILE
The Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. The event was hosted by Austin dining critic Matthew Odam.
Mikala Compton/American-Statesman
“I thought it was a joke. I thought I was waiting on a payment for my tires,” Mercado sin Nombre owner Julian Maltby told the American-Statesman about receiving an invite to the Michelin Texas ceremony. The café has become part of a “new-wave” of Mexican-inspired eateries in East Austin, led by Latin-American chefs who are reinterpreting tradition, and emphasizing ethics.
Matthew Odam named Parish Barbecue, a food truck, the best new barbecue spot in Austin earlier this year.
Chuck Charnichart, pitmaster and founder of Barbs B Q, stands in the smoke room on Friday, June 20, 2025 in Lockhart, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez / American Statesman
Chuck Charnichart, renowned pitmaster of Barbs B Q in Lockhart, Texas, has been honored with the Michelin Young Chef Award — a recognition given to outstanding young chefs demonstrating exceptional talent and creative promise.
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This accolade follows Barbs B Q’s well-deserved placement on Bon Appétit’s 2024 “Best New Restaurants” list. The Statesman also recognized the joint with an 8.5/10 rating back in 2023.
“Chuck Charnichart, Alexis Tovías Morales and Haley Conlin opened Barbs-B-Q on the historic town square in the shadow of the 130-year-old Caldwell County Courthouse on Memorial Day weekend. The three women have done what seemed unthinkable and, probably to some, unnecessary: They have reframed and refreshed the barbecue scene in a town with a century-old legacy, updating the old-school smoke meat mecca with new flavors and energy,” Matthew Odam wrote in his review in 2023.
Fermín Nuñez and reticent owner Sam Hellman-Mass accept the Sommelier Award for Celia Pellegrini for her work at Suerte and Este.
Matthew Odam/American-Statesman
The first Austin winner of the night, Celia Pellegrini, might be surprised to find out her name was the second called in the evening.
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Pellegrini, director of operations for Suerte and Este, won the special Sommelier Award, but was not in attendance Tuesday. The Sommelier Award honors exceptional wine knowledge, thoughtful pairings and outstanding service that elevate the dining experience.
A surprised chef Fermín Nuñez and reticent owner Sam Hellman-Mass accepted the award in her honor.
Despite his discomfort with the mic, Hellman-Mass said of Pellegrini, “She’s an amazing sommelier, person, leader, manager. We owe a lot to her.”
Suerte was No. 2 in our list of the Best Restaurants in Austin, Este was No. 8.
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Chas Martin of Mister Charles wins the Texas Michelin Cocktail Award.
Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Dallas may have only taken home one star at the 2024 awards, but the city started out strong in 2025, with Chas Martin of Mister Charles winning the Cocktail Award.
Parish Barbecue owner Holden Fulco (left) and his wife, Taylor, at the Michelin Texas ceremony at the Wortham Center in Houston.
Matthew Odam/American-Statesman
Chefs and operators mingled over cocktails as a duo played pop hits by the likes of Taylor Swift in the 75 minutes preceding the Michelin ceremony.
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Parish Barbecue pitmaster and owner Holden Fulco seemed to be still getting used to the idea that he was in such August company.
The young pitmaster and former general manager of Michelin-starred Interstellar BBQ opened his trailer behind Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches in March and received an email in September that he was invited to the ceremony, which he was attending with his wife, Taylor.
“It was the last thing I was ever expecting. I didn’t go to culinary school,” Fulco said. “It’s a blessing just to be here.”
Fulco, usually seen sweating in a T-shirt at his East Austin food truck, was dressed in a suit jacket, a look he was obviously not used to sporting. The Louisiana native, who briefly entertained the idea of working in real estate in Houston, said he had not worn it in years.
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“We finally put it to some good use,” Taylor Fulco joked. — Matthew Odam
The ceremony will not stream live on Michelin’s YouTube channel like it did last year, but Houston television station KHOU is streaming the ceremony on YouTube. Local station KVUE is also streaming the ceremony on KVUE+. KVUE+ is available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV.
Steaks at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston on Oct. 28, 2025.
Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thunderstorms soaked downtown and the surrounding areas late Tuesday afternoon. A long, flat rainbow stretched across the sky as the rain dissipated and Houston’s trademark steam breathed up from the concrete.
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As Texas chefs made their way through the gridlock toward a night at the Wortham Center where life-changing news awaited some, the weather felt both ominous and hopeful.
I beat traffic by heading downtown early for a solo anniversary dinner — treat yourself, right? — at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.
The cavernous but warm space — with its wood walls featuring black-and-white family photos, button-backed leather banquettes, impressive glass case of beers, and a dazzling pianist old enough to remember the halcyon days of the standards he unspooled from the bench — is the quintessential Houston steakhouse from one of the city’s most legendary restaurant families.
Two slices of tomato as thick as a Bible, topped with pepper-speckled blue cheese, woke up the palate for a rosy 6-ounce filet.
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Pappas is mostly known outside Houston for its Tex-Mex and seafood restaurants, but if you want to get a taste of the grandeur of oil-and-gas Houston, at a restaurant that hums with professional service, visit the Michelin-recommended Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.
Weikel’s Bakery in La Grange is the perfect place to stop on the way to Houston from Austin.
Matthew Odam/American-Statesman
Driving down Texas 71 toward Houston for the Michelin ceremonies. Not quite like my usual October pilgrimages to Houston to see my Astros: I’m a little less anxious — though I know some chefs likely are — and there’s a lot less orange and blue on fellow passengers.
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One thing is the same: where I will stop to grab a bite. Buc-ee’s, you ask? Hold my 32-ounce drink.
Weikel’s Bakery in La Grange.
Unless I am in a massive hurry, I always stop at Weikel’s Bakery at the Shell Station in La Grange. Yes, I grab a sausage and cheese kolache (yes, I know, klobasnik) and a slice of German chocolate cake, but the real reason for the stop are the sandwiches.
The housemade whitebread — honeycombed and light and twangy — is soft as a pillow. I go classic ham and cheese or pastrami. My family has been going to Weikel’s since it was called the Bon Ton Store & Bakery, and before that the original Bon Ton for fried chicken. It was a must on our regular trips from Houston to Austin, where my dad commuted regularly for work.
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Back then, you had to drive by Bon Ton/Weikel’s when passing through town. The bypass highway was finished in 1991 — the same year I got my driver’s license.
Pro tip: Call about 15 minutes out, or have your co-pilot order online, and your sandwich will be ready at the register when you walk in. — Matthew Odam
There seems to be as much uncertainty and anxiety as there is excitement in the air surrounding the Michelin ceremony this year.
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Invited chefs and restaurant owners I’ve spoken to on background don’t know what they’re walking into, whether it be a star, a Bib Gourmand, a listing in the guide, or, the worst imaginable scenario, losing a Michelin star.\
“For inaugural selection ceremonies we invite the full selection. In subsequent years, and as the selection grows, we typically invite Stars, Green Stars and often times Bib Gourmands for on-stage recognition,” Carly Grieff, public relations director for Michelin told me via email.
Last year, there were almost two dozen invitees who made the trip to Houston only to find out that they were simply listed as a recommended restaurant in the guide. While many likely consider it an honor to be included in the prestigious guide, if you showed up last year hoping for a star or a Bib Gourmand, the latter of which recognizes great meals at a good value, and only received a listing, you might have been dejected.
Several restaurant owners told me being listed did nothing for their business. And while a couple told me that diners mentioned Bib Gourmand designation when dining with them over the past year, the Star is where the real juice is.
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The chefs and restaurant owners from the 7 Austin restaurants that won last year all told me that their businesses were drastically changed overnight by the win.
The event at the Wortham Center Tuesday night will be a smaller affair than last year.
Presumably all 22 recipients who were honored last year will be in attendance Tuesday.
But questions linger: If a 2024 Bib recipient did not receive an invite, does that mean they lost the distinction? Not necessarily according to Michelin: “We typically invite all Stars and Bibs (including retaining) in subsequent years. However, it sometimes varies due to external factors such as venue capacity, etc.”
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Could a 2024 starred restaurant be invited but find out they were downgraded to Bib this year? (I doubt it.)
What about restaurants invited this year that were only recommended last year (of which I know a couple) – are they getting Bibs or stars?
Would a starred restaurant be invited if it was losing all recognition? (No chance, I say.)
These are the questions that hover as chefs and restaurant/food truck owners head to downtown Austin for what will be a life-changing night for some and a fun party for all.
One other question: How does this process work, exactly? Did all 43 Austin restaurants in the guide get revisited to make sure they were still worthy of their honor?
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“The Inspection team is constantly monitoring the market and will re-visit restaurants consistently and when significant changes occur,” Grief told me.
So, while there are some answers, as of Tuesday at noon, there are more questions. — Matthew Odam
Last year’s debut Texas Michelin guide was a milestone moment for the state’s dining scene. Austin led the way, earning more Michelin stars than any other city in the state.
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Austin’s 2024 Michelin Star Restaurants:
Grilled akaushi ribeye from Barley Swine, Oct. 2, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
- Barley Swine: Chef Bryce Gilmore’s inventive, farm-to-table tasting menu.
- Craft Omakase: Creative sushi and precise technique in an intimate omakase setting.
- Hestia: Live-fire fine dining from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group.
- Interstellar BBQ: Elevated Texas barbecue from Chef John Bates.
- La Barbecue: Alison Clem’s East Austin smokehouse beloved for its brisket.
- LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue: “New school” barbecue that redefined the genre.
- Olamaie: Chef Michael Fojtasek’s refined Southern-inspired comfort food.
Austin’s 2024 Bib Gourmand Restaurants:
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Lion’s mane, chestnut and blue oyster mushrooms cooked on tallow with an egg yolk, garlic and chives, served with grilled sourdough and paired with Sangiovese “The Source” Grower Project red wine from Dai Due in Austin, Oct. 30, 2024.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
- Dai Due: Recognized for sustainable, locally sourced cooking (also a Green Star).
- Emmer & Rye: Honored for quality and sustainability (also a Green Star).
- Nixta Taqueria: Creative Mexican dishes and handmade masa; Chef Edgar Rico also won the Michelin Young Chef Award.
- Briscuits, Cuantos Tacos, Distant Relatives, Franklin Barbecue, Kemuri Tatsu-ya, KG BBQ, La Santa Barbacha, Micklethwait Craft Meats, Odd Duck, Ramen del Barrio, Veracruz Fonda & Bar, and Barbs B Q (Lockhart).
The move into Texas meant a shift in the type of restaurants long recognized by the French guide. For the first time in the guide’s long history, Michelin granted stars to barbecue restaurants. Three Austin spots — Interstellar BBQ, La Barbecue and LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue — were among the first to earn stars.
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The guide — long the bastion of fine dining and French and Japanese cuisine — has expanded its star-granting elsewhere, too. A market stall in Thailand and a taco stand in Mexico City earned stars in previous years.
The stars in Texas also went to more traditional restaurants with elevated service and plating, with Hestia, Barley Swine, Craft Omakase and Olamaie earning stars.
John Bates of Interstellar BBQ receives his honor from the Michelin Guide at the 2024 Texas ceremony.
PROVIDED BY ZACH HILTY/BFA.COM
All of which brings us to tonight in Houston. With Michelin prepared to hand out honors once again — including Bib Gourmand designations for quality meals at a good value, Green Stars for conscientious sourcing and operational practices, and recommended listings — we decided to take a stab at which Austin restaurants might earn a star. The ceremony will not stream live on Michelin’s YouTube channel, but Houston television station KHOU is streaming the ceremony on YouTube. Local station KVUE+ is also streaming the ceremony. KVUE+ is available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV.
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We based our educated guesses on Michelin’s choices last year and its historical trends.
In Denver, a city similar in size to Austin, five restaurants earned a single star in 2023, its first year with a list. One earned a star in 2024 and another three in 2025. In the third year of the Colorado guide’s existence, one Denver restaurant earned two stars.
Operating off of Denver’s performance, I think it’s reasonable to expect one to three additional restaurants will receive a star. I assume all seven Austin restaurants will keep their stars as part of the review process that takes place annually for such designated restaurants.
I also won’t guess as to who will join the ranks of the Bib Gourmand restaurants, of which there are currently 15 in Austin. There are only 35 restaurants in America with two stars, almost all located in the dining hubs of California, New York and Chicago, so I don’t expect an Austin restaurant to receive a second star in just the second year of the Texas guide.
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Chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel prepares rockfish with summer squash, shishito, beurre blanc, capers, and parsley at Birdie’s in Austin, Oct. 9, 2024. The counter-service style restaurant is also a contender for a star on Tuesday.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
Again, these are the restaurants we think might earn a star based on the context of last year’s winners. (I also think DFW and San Antonio will do better than they did last year.) As for our favorite restaurants in Austin, you can see our Best Restaurants in Austin list, which came out this week.
Suerte: Michelin has shown that it has respect for one of Austin’s major food groups — barbecue — and I expect a Mexican restaurant will be honored this year. This is Austin’s best Mexican restaurant.
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Nixta Taqueria: See above regarding my thinking about Michelin recognizing Mexican food with a star this year. Nixta also has something unique working in its favor: It’s an outdoor taqueria serving exceptional tacos that also offers an elegant tasting menu for dinner inside several nights a week. That dinner is one of the most exciting in town.
Birdie’s: If Michelin is in the habit of singling out restaurants that might not be of the traditional Michelin mold, it might very well consider a counter-service restaurant, and there’s no better counter-service restaurant in town than this East Austin gem.
Franklin Barbecue: With all due respect to the three deserved barbecue winners of stars in 2024, Michelin would not even be considering barbecue as a genre worthy of a star had it not been for Aaron Franklin completely changing the way the world thinks about barbecue more than 15 years ago.
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Tune in Tuesday night to the Michelin livestream and follow along with our live blog to see how close we came with our guesses and to find out who else won a star or was otherwise honored by Michelin. — Matthew Odam
