a toast to the tastemakers

Celebrate Austin's culinary all-stars at the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards

Cheers to the Austin Tastemakers!

Photo by Kristy Duff

Get ready to celebrate the stars of Austin's restaurants and bars. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards return this spring — and tickets are on sale now.

Join us Thursday, April 11, at Distribution Hall for an evening honoring the very best of Austin's culinary scene.

Our signature tasting event will feature special bites from this year's participating nominees and an array of wine, beer, special cocktails, and more. Then we reveal the winners in our short and sweet awards ceremony, hosted by Alamo Drafthouse legend Tim League.

The Tastemaker Awards shine a spotlight on the people making the local restaurant scene special by honoring their innovation, energy, and creativity. Nominees and winners are determined by a panel of industry experts, including past winners — except for Best New Restaurant (more on that in a bit).

This year, we’ll award winners in all of the following categories: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Bar of the Year, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Brewery of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Rising Star Chef of the Year, and — just to keep things interesting — Best Patio.

You can see all of the nominees here and learn more about them in our special editorial series leading up to the big event.

At the awards ceremony on April 11, we’ll unveil the winners in each category, including the winner of Best New Restaurant, which will be determined by readers in a bracket-style online tournament.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP (includes early access to the event, valet, and a dedicated bar). Prices will increase March 1. Grab your tickets now, because this party will sell out — just like it does every year.

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The Tastemaker Awards are brought to you by Flor de Caña Rum, Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, 8th Wonder Cannabis, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Wine & Food Foundation.

tastemaker awards awards ceremony chefs culturemap tastemaker awards

Free Week, Discounted Bites

7 Red River bars and eateries cook up deals for free winter music fest

Photo by Jay Ybarra

The Tiarras enjoying a bite from Vaquero Taquero.

Austin's Red River Street is first and foremost a musical destination, but plenty of casual restaurants and bars get in on the fun. Seven of them are participating in Free Week, a donation-based festival featuring all-local bands on January 3 and 4, with special food and beverage deals.

The major music festivals Austin has become famous for can be expensive and even unintentionally repel locals who prefer accessibility to flashiness. Free Week and its summer sister festival Hot Summer Nights are the antidotes. More than 70 bands have been included in the first wave of Free Week 2025 lineup announcements, including Being Dead, Chancla Fight Club, and The Tiarras.

Attendees can enter any number of shows for a one-time donation to the Red River Cultural District, which refers both to the surrounding area and a collaborative group that supports businesses and musicians on that stretch of road. As the name implies, people can attend completely for free, but the purpose of the festival is to drum up business for musicians and venues during a relatively slow season.

Restaurants are participating by offering the following deals:

Central District Brewing: $5 Kayaker’s Kolsch, $9 Cardamom Paloma
Hoboken Pie: $2.99 Cheese & Pepperoni Slices
Marinara Miracles: $10 Meatball Hero
Marlow: 20% off for anyone who mentions Free Week
Pelons Tex Mex: Two tacos and one draft beer for $10
Stubb's BBQ: 10% off for anyone who mentions Free Week
Vaquero Taquero: 25% Birria Quesadillas or Birria Ramen

Anyone can stop by and take advantage of these deals, whether or not they've picked up a "ticket" to the festival.

“This festival, we are partnering with beloved Red River restaurants and bars for a true community celebration that brings together the best of Austin's food, drink, and musical talent," said interim executive director of the Red River Cultural District Nicole Klepadlo. "The District has some food gems from BBQ, to original Tex Mex, to Italian and more. We can’t think of a better way to kick off the new year than supporting great local Austin businesses and seeing great local music."

Fans who RSVP online with a $10 donation will be entered into to a giveaway for a chance to win a pair of Homie Badges for expedited entry, plus 2 tickets to any 2025 Mohawk show (festivals excluded), 2 tickets to one choice of certain 2025 Stubb's concerts, and 2 tickets to one choice of certain 2025 Chess Club concerts.

Check out the full lineup from CultureMap's previous coverage here. We'll update it when the second wave of announcements comes.

festivals live music concerts food deals