(18 November) - The Michelin Guide has published restaurant ratings for the US state of Texas for the first time. 15 restaurants receive one star, two a green star. A total of 115 restaurants are recommended.

"Our anonymous reviewers were impressed by the culinary scene in the state of Texas," said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide. "The selection reflects their findings by highlighting unique Texas flavours such as barbecue and Tex-Mex, as well as several international influences. We are very honoured to welcome these restaurants to the Michelin Guide family for the first time, and we toast to the great spirit of the Texas restaurant community!"

One star in Austin

• Barley Swine (Contemporary Cuisine): The space is decidedly casual and diners are welcome to come as they are, but the passion of this cuisine is unmistakable. Chef and owner Bryce Gilmore cleverly uses local ingredients with a distinctly Southwestern flavour palette that borrows from Mexican and Southern traditions, while maintaining a modern global sophistication. The tasting menu is carefully designed to reflect the seasons and sophistication is balanced by a touch of whimsy. A small bagel with all the trimmings, a creamy spread of smoked radishes and a cucumber with spicy dill sauce could be the first bite, and an immaculately seared musk duck breast could be paired with a buttery puree of puffed corn and an earthy-sweet nixtamalised peach. From dishes bought at Goodwill and growing produce locally to collecting rainwater for their garden, they are also committed to sustainability.
• Craft Omakase (Japanese cuisine): Discreetly tucked away in Rosedale, Craft Omakase has a lounge at the front and a dining room and counter at the back. Here, diners wisely put their trust in chefs Charlie Wang and Nguyen Nguyen, who serve an impressive succession of nigiri and other appetisers. Their creative omakase does not shy away from embellishment, but is restrained and allows the fish to shine. Many of the products come from Japan and the fish is skilfully prepared. Preparations such as an aguachile of pink shrimp with sweet potato or crudo of hamachi with yuzu-honey sauce are delicious stops in a series that might include a sea trout sprinkled with a furikake made from its crispy skin, shima aji with shiso and ume or a scallop dressed with ponzu and lemon zest.
• Hestia (American cuisine): when you walk through the glass door of this restaurant in the heart of the city centre, you'll immediately understand what it's all about - literally, as wood smoke perfumes the air. This trendy eatery is all about cooking on an open fire, as the 20-foot-long cooker in the open kitchen proves. Contemporary cuisine is showcased in both the à la carte menu and the chef's tasting menu, and Texan produce and proteins take centre stage. From savoury to sweet, almost everything is kissed by the flames or perfumed with smoke. "Glutinous" cantaloupe melon with green tomatoes and shiso blossoms is an elegant opener; and hearth-dried and roasted tomatoes over fresh grits are a comforting plate, but the seared scallop with green tomato kosho steals the show, with a table-served beef tallow sauce on the mushroom jelly base.
• InterStellar BBQ (barbecue cuisine): You can recognise a good restaurant by the fact that a queue forms even before it opens, and at InterStellar BBQ it takes a long time for the door to open. Everyone is here to try barbecue master John Bates' barbecue, which is cooked slowly and at a low temperature over red oak wood. Beef brisket with a simple seasoning mix of salt, pepper and garlic is excellent, but that's not all. The peach tea-glazed pork belly is tender and melting; the beer-brined, moistened turkey is succulent and delicious; and there are three sausages on offer, including kielbasa. You can't go wrong with the tantalising sides like the Frito Pie, although the smoked potato gratin with golden brown crust and the creamed corn with poblano sauce stand out.
• la Barbecue (barbecue cuisine): La Barbecue was founded by the late LeAnn Mueller and is now run by her wife Ali Clem. The huge, custom-built fire pit in the backyard is the exclusive workshop where meaty wonders are performed. Inside, it's a simple space enlivened by bright colours and a disarming playlist featuring Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton. Expect a longer wait during peak times, but your patience will be rewarded with your first taste of brisket when you get to the counter. You'll marvel at the wonderfully succulent, flavoursome beef, but don't overlook the range of equally tempting offerings such as homemade sausages and pork or beef ribs. The team likes it spicy, like the chipotle coleslaw or the fresh kimchi. Don't miss the mac and cheese.
• Leroy and Lewis Barbecue (barbecue cuisine): What began as a food truck in 2017 can now be enjoyed in a spacious shop in Garrison Park. The name refers to the couple who run this tantalising business, whose spacious surroundings exude a mid-century atmosphere with its glazed brick façade and peaked-roof dining area. The excellent grill menu doesn't revolve around brisket, although this popular dish is available as a daily special at the end of the week. In fact, several daily specials provide variety throughout the week, such as melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks with spice crust or the sausage of the day, which can be studded with Hatch green chillies and mozzarella cheese. The banana pudding tiramisu is a clever mix of 'Nilla wafers soaked in coffee.
• Olamaie (American cuisine): With its white clapboards and black shutters, Olamaie, named after the chef's grandmother, mother and daughter, is a charming spot just north of downtown Austin. Consider a cocktail, as the menu is interesting and includes a daily punch and fun drinks like the Spaghetti Western Martini with Texas olive oil-washed gin, vodka, cherry tomato-infused dry vermouth and basil eau de vie. Look forward to Southern cuisine with a modern twist and don't miss the buttermilk biscuit, served warm and drizzled with whipped honey butter and sea salt. The Chicken Pressé is a novel take on chicken and dumplings and rounds out a menu that also includes blackened dayboat fish, gumbo and red rice with Gulf shrimp.

A star in Dallas

• Tatsu Dallas (Japanese cuisine): With only 10 seats at the counter, getting a reservation at this sushi restaurant in the renovated Continental Gin Building is the biggest challenge - but perseverance is rewarded, because this is the original. The omakase consists of around 14 pieces and follows the edomae tradition. So expect fish, the flavour of which gets stronger as the dinner progresses. You could start with red salmon from Alaska, followed by Spanish tuna and delicious uni from Hokkaido and finish with eel from Maine. The rice is also from Hokkaido and the skilful, practised movements of chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi ensure that every piece is a perfect creation; he even changes the size if you wish. All guests are served together, so arrive on time.

A star in Houston

• BCN Taste & Tradition (Spanish cuisine): Located just off Richmond Avenue, this restaurant is housed in a white stucco bungalow from the 1920s. It is run by some of the most personable staff in the city. The cuisine is at once flair and familiarity. Seafood is a highlight, such as wonderfully tender strips of sea cucumber on lobster rice or thinly sliced octopus with mashed potatoes and a distinctive smoked paprika. Chef Luis Roger also knows his way around land and his Iberian suckling pig is served with a crispy crust, tender meat and a rich red wine sauce. The drinks selection is intriguing and includes an all-Spanish wine list and a section for gin and tonics. Owner Ignacio Torras' private art collection (including Pablo Picasso's owl jugs) is another charming extra.
• CorkScrew BBQ (Spring; barbecue cuisine): The choice is yours: come before doors open at 11am or go somewhere else to eat. In the small town of Spring, north of Houston, long queues have formed outside this barbecue sensation since it opened in 2015. The kitchen is known for selling out quickly, and it's easy to see why; Will and Nichole Buckman smoke some of the best brisket and ribs in the state. Their use of red oak gives the best cuts from Creekstone Farms and Compart Family Farms a distinctive hue, and everything from beef to pork to turkey has a pure smoky flavour that lingers long after the meal is over. Fully loaded jacket potatoes, green chilli ranch tacos and fruitcake are tempting, but should be saved for a second visit. Regulars know to order days in advance to avoid the queue.
• Le Jardinier Houston (French cuisine): With locations in Manhattan and Miami, chef Alain Verzeroli shares his green, stylish cuisine with Houston. The location couldn't be more fitting: The Museum of Fine Arts suits his colourful dishes, which are both beautiful and satisfying. Accomplished sauces, seasonal vegetables and thoughtful cocktails tell a story that matches the restaurant's name and design. Highlights include thin courgette spaghetti with yellow pepper coulis and Comté foam and plump Maine diver scallops with carrot jus reduction and sugar snap peas. Desserts such as the yuzu mousse with raspberry compote and pistachio sable are beautiful to look at. The entire evening runs smoothly thanks to a highly professional and friendly team.
• March (Creative/Mediterranean Cuisine): This ambitious atelier aims to be a culinary exploration of the Mediterranean, carefully diving into each region, from the Maghreb in north-west Africa to Murcia and Andalusia in southern Spain and Greece, with a tasting menu and drinks programme inspired by each cuisine. But if that all seems a little too luxurious, rest assured that the experience itself is utterly disarming, with a winning sense of hospitality that makes for a meal that is both appealing and luxurious. Guests begin with fine-tuned cocktails and first bites in the stylish lounge area, before being ushered into the impressive main dining room for more substantial fare. From start to finish, the beautifully plated dishes are a testament to sophistication and creativity, so sit back and enjoy the show.
• Musaafer (Indian cuisine): Dinner in a shopping centre doesn't sound promising, unless you're heading to Musaafer. The sheer size of this grand hall with its arches, towering windows, maze-like layout and intricate designs feels like a palace of its own. The ambience is just as exciting as the cooking. A large, deep-fried xuixo onion ball is dusted with no less than 24 spices, stuffed with potatoes and onions and served with tamarind and mint chutney. Jaggery prawns are cooked in an elegant sauce of coriander, coconut milk and curry leaves. Dal, a well-known favourite, is cooked for 72 hours with tomatoes, butter and smoked chilli. The attention to detail and careful seasoning is evident throughout and the end result is both high style and highly satisfying substance.
• Tatemó (Mexican cuisine): The famous saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover applies best to this tortilleria tasting menu. In an empty shopping centre with not much else around except a brewery and a doughnut shop, chef Emmanuel Chavez offers a beautifully prepared and portioned experience that celebrates ancient corn varieties from all over Mexico. His variations of ceviche, quesadillas and gorditas are elegant to look at and even more flavourful thanks to bold salsas and other creative sauces. The most original and impressive creation is probably the night-black mole negro, served under a tortilla of nixtamalised plantains.

A star in San Antonio

• Mixtli (Mexican cuisine): This groundbreaking restaurant is the work of visionary chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres. The acclaimed duo have experience in fine dining, but the true driving force behind this endeavour is their shared reverence for Mexican cuisine. The tasting menus change frequently and focus on a different part of Mexico. They may offer innovative interpretations of specialities from Oaxaca or a meal focusing on the cuisine of "Tierra Caliente". The menus are not limited to the regional diversity of Mexican cuisine, but also draw on the culinary past. You can look forward to cuisine that is both intellectual and delicious, with carefully prepared, skilfully presented dishes that tell a story and delight your palate at the same time.

Green Star

• Dai Due (Austin; American cuisine): initiatives: locally sourced produce, seed oil-free cooking, recycling and composting programme, locally sourced wine and beer, Texas, ethical harvesting of meat products, minimising food waste through reuse, fermentation programme.
• Emmer & Rye (Austin; American cuisine): Initiatives: sourcing menu ingredients from local Texas farms and the restaurant's partner farm, which is ploughless and organically fertilised; exclusive use of whole animals and fish; generous use of vegetable scraps and composting food waste for farmland; bar programme includes cocktails with house-made vinegar, pickled local bar cherries and bitters made from local Texas ingredients.

(21 July 2024) - The Michelin Guide will in future rate restaurants in the US state of Texas. Texas is known for its many culinary specialities, including barbecue, meat and seafood, and Tex-Mex cuisine. The mature and dynamic gastronomic scene is driven by talented professionals who emphasise Texan culture while drawing inspiration from North American cuisine and the world at large. The first selection of the MICHELIN Guide Texas will be published before the end of the year. It will highlight the best restaurants in Austin, as well as Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

The anonymous inspectors award the symbolic stars to addresses that offer particularly exceptional cuisine: They are awarded one, two or three stars depending on the quality of the offering. The Michelin Guide is also known for its Bib Gourmand programme, which highlights establishments that offer high-quality cuisine at moderate prices. The most recent award, the Green Star, is given to restaurants that pave the way for sustainable gastronomy. Finally, rounding out the selection is the Michelin Guide Recommended Restaurants category, as well as the special awards given to professionals who enhance the guest experience through their expertise and interpersonal skills.

"The Texan culinary landscape has a very special soul, which it owes to its multicultural influences, its local ingredients and its many talents that are not lacking in ambition," explained Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide. "Farm-to-fork dishes, Texan barbecue, fusion or gourmet cuisine - you'll find all the offerings that will appeal to foodies and travellers passing through this wonderful state. Our inspection team has already made some great discoveries and there is no doubt that Texas has all the qualities of a MICHELIN destination."

The inspectors are already hard at work. They make reservations without revealing their identities and pay for their meals so they don't get preferential treatment over other diners at the restaurants they review. "The Michelin Guide Texas offers travellers from around the world a selection of culinary experiences to discover in our state. It features restaurants that embody our heritage and showcases innovative chefs and local artisans who are redefining our culinary scene," said Tim Fennell, director of Travel to Texas. "The launch of the guide will be a tremendous asset to Texas and promote our rich and diverse food culture internationally.