The Texas restaurant scene is once again in the international spotlight. Breaking from its invite-only ceremony of the previous two years, the Michelin Guide revealed its statewide selections via a press release.
Three new restaurants were granted Michelin stars, and two of them are in Austin.
Stars are awarded to "establishments serving exceptional cuisine that's rich in flavor, remarkably executed, and infused with the personality of a talented chef." They will be joined by six new Bib Gourmands — "restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value" — and 16 new recommended eateries, quality restaurants that don’t qualify for a star or Bib Gourmand recognition.
Austin's two new one-star restaurants are plant-based fine-dining restaurant Fabrik and the new hotel restaurant Kappo Kappo, which combines Japanese cuisine and French technique. The city also gained a recommendation for longtime Chinese barbecue restaurant Din Ho.
Austin now has seven one-star restaurants, including Hestia, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Barley Swine, Craft Omakase, and InterStellar BBQ. Olamaie, one of the initial one-star restaurants, closed in July of 2026; La Barbecue, which received a star in 2025, seems to have lost it, though it's still a recommended concept.
One Austin culinary professional also got special recognition this year. Stefan Davis, general manager of Barley Swine, won the Michelin Outstanding Service Award sponsored by Capital One. Michelin published an article and Q&A about the win, distilling Davis' hospitality philosophy down to hiring great personalities and thinking about exactly how guests feel.
"I hire amazing hospitality personalities. In the world of tasting menus, things can become bogged down by repetitive monotony. If I give a script of what to say and how to say it, the job becomes robotic," Davis said. "...It's silly how basic this sounds, but treating others the way you want to be treated really goes a long way in a restaurant that prides itself on employee retention."
The rest of Texas
Surprisingly, Houston did not receive another starred restaurant to add to its list. But Fort Worth finally had its moment in the sun with the promotion of Goldee’s Bar-B-Q to one-star status. The rest of the newcomers to the list are as follows:
Houston
Bib Gourmand
- Bar Buena
- Khoi Barbecue
- Kitchen Rumors
- Murray’s Pizza & Wine
- Xolo
Recommended
- 1111
- Angie’s
- Di An Pho
- Jantra
- Levant BBQ
- Mayahuel
- Oru
- Osteria de Mercato
- Sushi Horiuchi
Dallas-Fort Worth
One Star
Bib Gourmand
Recommended
San Antonio
Recommended
- Petit Coquin
- Lovers Pizzeria
Michelin announced its plans to launch the inaugural Texas guide in July 2024 and revealed its selections in November 2025. The new press release format of the announcement has led some to speculate that Michelin will abandon the state now that its $2.7 million, three-year commitment to producing the regional guide has expired.
Considered to be the most prestigious restaurant review authority in the world, Michelin uses five criteria to evaluate restaurants — product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu.
