The Michelin Guide’s third Texas selection arrived quietly this year. Instead of a ceremony, the inspectors announced the 2026 list in a press release on Thursday, October 8. Three restaurants earned their first star, two of them in Austin, while Houston collected more new distinctions than any other city in the state without adding a new star.
The new one-star restaurants
- Kappo Kappo, Austin: located inside the Austin Proper Hotel.
- Fabrik, Austin: chef Je Wallerstein’s vegan tasting menu, promoted from a Bib Gourmand.
- Goldee’s Bar-B-Q, Fort Worth: also upgraded from Bib Gourmand, a fresh sign that Michelin takes Texas barbecue seriously.
A plant-based tasting menu and a barbecue restaurant earning stars in the same year neatly captures the range of the Texas dining scene, and shows that the guide is rewarding very different styles of cooking.
Houston: deep but not starry
All six of Houston’s existing one-star restaurants kept their status: BCN Taste & Tradition, CorkScrew BBQ, Le Jardinier Houston, March, Musaafer and Tatemó. The city did not gain a new star, but it collected 14 new distinctions, the most of any Texas city:
- Five new Bib Gourmands, Michelin’s category for good food at moderate prices: Bar Buena, Khói Barbecue, Kitchen Rumors, Murray’s Pizza & Wine and Xolo.
- Nine new Recommended restaurants, including Di An Pho, Levant BBQ, Mayahuel, Osteria di Mercato and Sushi Horiuchi.
Two Houston restaurants lost distinctions: Brisket & Rice dropped its Bib Gourmand, and Hidden Omakase was removed from the Recommended list.
Special awards
Houston also claimed three of the four special awards. Angel Bautista of Xolo won the Cocktail Award, Jessica Cano of Sushi Horiuchi won the Sommelier Award, and Jacques Varon and Max Lappe of Baso shared the Young Chef award.
The guide by the numbers
The 2026 Texas selection includes 149 restaurants across 30 types of cuisine. Houston accounts for 53 of them, roughly 36 percent of the statewide list.
Why it matters
Michelin recognition can transform a restaurant’s fortunes, filling reservation books and attracting visitors from far beyond the city. For diners, the Bib Gourmand list is often the most useful part of the guide, highlighting restaurants that deliver excellent cooking without fine-dining prices.
For more on restaurant guides, food trends and prices, visit our Food section.