The Michelin Guide is Coming to Texas: Here Are 7 Michelin Star-Worthy Restaurants

The Lone Star State is famous for Tex-Mex and mouth-watering barbecue, but that isn't all. Texas has hundreds of restaurants that serve anything you can imagine: contemporary Japanese, classic American comfort food, and fabulous fusion menus. Yet, not one of them has ever received a Michelin Star, one of the most coveted awards a restaurant can receive.

That's about to change.

In July, Michelin announced that Texas will become the latest North American region to have a Michelin Guide. The inspectors have been in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. There might be a couple of smaller cities in the mix, but for now, that's what we know. Of course, we don't know which restaurants the inspectors have visited. But, we have a pretty good idea of which restaurants and their chefs deserve a Michelin Star.

Read on for our picks:

215 N Conway Ave Ste A Mission, TX 78572

This tiny taco shop is more than meets the eye. The chef & owner, Ana Liz, accepted a James Beard Award for Best Chef in Texas at the foundation's award ceremony in Chicago. What makes her food good enough for a JB award? In addition to consistent, spectacular quality, Ana Liza sets the restaurant apart with from-scratch tortillas. If you've never had a terrific homemade corn tortilla, you're in for a treat. This traditional flatbread can rival the best Southern biscuit for flavor. In the process, elevating even the most humble meal to award-winning status.

Is Ana Liz Taqueria on the new Texas Michelin Star list? Time will tell.

6501 Harrisburg Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77011

Street to Kitchen is the brainchild of 2023 James Beard Award-winning chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter. This North Central Thailand native came to Houston with her husband, Graham, and dreamed up the restaurant to bring Thai food to America. Together, they opened Street to Kitchen in 2017, which serves "unapologetically authentic" Thai food to the East End in Houston.

Her 2023 win came after only six years in business—is a Michelin Star next?

10234 TX-151 Suite 103, San Antonio, Texas 78251

This San Antonio restaurant serves Caribbean cuisine at its finest. Chef Nicola Blaque was a 2023 semi-finalist for the James Beard Best Chef award. The restaurant opened in 2018 with menu items like shrimp and grits, curry chicken, and braised oxtails. Locals say there isn't a bad item on the menu, but their Coco honey butter rolls are a must-have.

The Jerk Shack's reputation for great Caribbean food is well-earned. But is it good enough for Michelin this year? No matter. It's worth a visit.

2512 East 12th Street, Austin, Texas 78702

The small space that Nixta Taqueria occupies is no measure of its quality. Like many taquerias, Nixta Taqueria is small in space, but big on flavor. Recipient of the James Beard Emerging Chef award in 2022, Edgar Rico uses classic and modern recipes to please your palate with tasty treats.

Rico's food makes mouths water and bellies happy. Enjoy items like duck carnitas and masa tempura summer squash with horseradish aioli. The diverse menu with unique dishes makes this restaurant a much-loved local spot.

1914 East 6th Street Suite C, Austin, TX 78702

Owned by Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Canje serves Caribbean dishes with a modern twist. Bristol-Joseph was a semi-finalist for the 2023 Best Chef of Texas award from James Beard and deserves the recognition. He sources local ingredients and then uses them in recipes inspired by the local flavors of Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Guyana.

The starter menu includes plantain chips with mango hot sauce and pink pineapple. Continue your meal with sea bass or curry wagyu beef. Bristol-Joseph may not have won in 2023, but is deserving—perhaps this is one of the Michelin Star restaurants listed in the new Texas guide. Foodies and Texans are waiting.

3901 Promontory Point Drive, Austin, TX 78744

Next on our list of excellent Texas restaurants is Distant Relatives. They source local ingredients for meals and support local communities through partnerships with them. Led by James Beard 2022 and 2023 semi-finalist Damien Brockway, Distant Relatives serves up seasonal fare along with tender, juicy barbecue meats.

Enjoy a brisket sandwich or pork spare ribs side of black-eyed peas & burnt ends. Distant Relatives' menu changes with the season, so everything is at its peak when it hits your plate. Chef Brockway's flavorful food is a must-have, whenever you're in Austin.

3108 Manor Road, Austin, Texas 78723

Chef Kareem El-Ghayesh is originally from Cairo, Egypt, about as far away as you can get from Texas barbecue. This 2023 James Beard Best Chef of Texas award semi-finalist moved to Austin in 2016 and studied with the best pit-masters he could find.

Eventually, he found his stride and opened KG BBQ, combining flavors from Egypt and the best of Texas BBQ tradition. Choose from classic BBQ meats, wraps, and bowl options. Or, try something different. You can have the amazing pomegranate glazed pork ribs or the sumac and cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder. Chef El-Ghayesh's food is unlike anything else you'll try, and worthy of a Michelin Star.

Still, Michelin doesn't release the new guide until later in 2024, so it's a guessing game. These restaurants are only a sample of the hundreds of Michelin Star-worthy restaurants in Texas. The Lone Star State has a lot to offer—they love their food and love the people who make it for them.