On May 8, Austin foodies gathered to send their compliments to the chefs — and the chefs received them in grand fashion at the 2025 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards.

Industry pros and foodies got together to celebrate the best restaurants, chefs, bars, and more. Nominees and winners (as introduced in our special editorial series) were chosen by a panel of expert judges including last year's winners, and the Best New Restaurant category was chosen by the public. Everyone came together at Fair Market to hear who won and celebrate together.

A portion of the proceeds benefited Central Texas Food Bank.

Putting their food to the test, 12 nominees offered gourmet bites, while a sponsor-supported open bar kept the drinks flowing. The Yuengling Company had beer covered, Garrison Brothers Distillery brought three bourbons, and Hornitos brought agave into the picture with ranch waters and neat pours. New bar Mother's Ruin also featured Hornitos Blanco Tequila with blood orange, pineapple, coconut, lime, and habanero.

For a nonalcoholic approach, Seedlip brought some spirits, and Ritual brought some zero-proof singles.

Guests got to sample different kinds of Garrison Brothers bourbon.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

A unique offering this year came from the Texas Beef Council, which teamed up with some nominees to spotlight beautiful beef dishes. Attendees received cards to stamp while picking up samples; a completed card could then be registered and rewarded with items like tote bags and bumper stickers.

Restaurants brought a wide range of dishes to sample. One of the most popular was the shrimp and pork belly tortelli from Casa Bianca (Best New Restaurant nominee), with beurre monté and smoked trout roe. Other delicious dumplings came from Mian & Bao (Best New Restaurant nominee), who brought broth-filled xiaolongbao and marinated cucumbers.

The Peached Tortilla also showed off a bit of European-Asian crossover with kimchi arancini lollipops: panko-encrusted deep fried risotto balls with pureed kimchi, mozzarella, and more.

Store Houst Market & Eatery General Manager Wesley Stewart and Chef of the Year nominee Sonya Coté gave out these colorful bites with cured and smoked Gulf redfish, veggies, nasturtium, and more.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The Dead Rabbit (Bar of the Year nominee) and The Little Darlin' (Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year) also brought similar dishes that really made their differences stand out: corned beef sliders and Reuben canapés, respectively.

Toasty Badger (Best New Restaurant nominee) went plant-based with a fancy avocado toast, while El Raval (Chef of the Year nominee Laila Bazahm) chose meat, offering wagyu meatballs with harissa, sofrito, coriander labneh, and pomegranate molasses. Of course Tancho Sushi (Best New Restaurant winner) highlighted fish, with toro gunkan, a seaweed-wrapped oval of rice with fatty tuna on top, plus some other garnishes.

  

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The Tancho Sushi team was there to celebrate their Best New Restaurant win.

Uchiko (represented by Pastry Chef of the Year nominee Ariana Quant) brought the most unique dish of all: corn sorbet with white chocolate lime ganache and crunchy quinoa.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

When it was time to announce the winners, TV host and content creator Lauren Petrowski took the stage to read out the night's nominees and winners. With so many in attendance, there were cheers throughout her speech.

Peter Klein of Holiday was named Chef of the Year, while Abby Love of Abby Jane Bakeshop baked up the Pastry Chef of the Year award. Equipment Room and St. Elmo Brewing Co. won Bar of the Year and Best Brewery, respectively.

In the rest of the restaurant categories, The Little Darlin' was celebrated as 2025's Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year. Tancho Sushi proved it had diners' hearts by winning the fan-voted Best New Restaurant bracket competition. Desnudo Coffee snagged the wildcard category for Best Coffee Shop. Finally, Este scored biggest award of the evening. Read more about the winners here.

PicMe Events set up a photo booth for perfect selfies in restaurant tees and going-out looks.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

CultureMap would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees, and send our thanks to the sponsors, participants, and attendees for coming. We'll be seeing you out there and can't wait to celebrate again next year.

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony was sponsored by The Yuengling Company, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hornitos, Texas Beef Council, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, and PicMe Events.