Austin Now Home to Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Texas

Austin is officially the tastiest city in Texas, beating out Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and their surrounding areas for most stars awarded by Michelin, the tire company that reviews dining all over the world. Winners were announced Monday night.

Using hotel occupancy taxes, the city of Austin is paying the Michelin Guide $90,000 a year for three years to be included in the guide. Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio are spending the same.

Here’s a breakdown of who won what:

⭐ The Most Coveted Award Is a Michelin Star.

Seven Austin restaurants were awarded one Michelin star, meaning a restaurant has “high quality cooking” and is “worth a stop.” A total of 15 restaurants across the state received one star. Austin’s winners include:

✅ Sustainability Was Awarded.

Michelin Guide inspectors also look at restaurants’ sustainability practices. Austin restaurants Dai Due and Emmer & Rye were awarded the only green stars of the night. Judges highlighted Emmer & Rye’s in-house fermentation program and use of small Texas farms, and Dai Due’s use of Texas sourcing for nearly everything on its menu.

🍽️ Stars Aren’t the Only Prize.

Bib Gourmands are awarded to dining spots with “good cuisine at reasonable prices,” AKA the best bang for your buck. Winners in and around Austin include:

📍 The Michelin Guide announced that it was adding a number of restaurants in its first-ever Texas guide that are plenty good but not good enough for a star. Those include:

🧑‍🍳 And, finally, Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria won the Young Chef Award.

So, did your favorite spot get a star?