What to Order at Fort Worth’s Michelin-Recognized Restaurants — From Brisket Elote to Birria Tacos

Last month, the inaugural Texas Michelin Guide ceremony took place in Houston. One hundred and seventeen Texas restaurants received recognition, including Michelin stars, Bib Gourmand awards, and Recommended awards. A surprise to many, barbecue played a big role in the awards, with four Austin joints earning One Star, as well as Spring’s Corkscrew BBQ.

Twenty-two other barbecue restaurants in the state earned Bib Gourmand or Recommended honors. These included two acclaimed Fort Worth barbecue spots — Goldee’s and Panther City BBQ. Only one other Cowtown concept received recognition. No, it wasn’t fine dining with prix-fixe menus and dishes you can’t pronounce. It was a birria taco spot in true Funkytown fashion.

Here’s a look at the three Fort Worth restaurants with brand-new Michelin recognition and what to order at each spot.

Goldee’s Barbecue

4645 Dick Price Road

Currently ranked as the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly, Goldee’s received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand award, which recognizes restaurants serving high-quality food at a reasonable price. Opened in 2020 in a once-abandoned building in southeast Fort Worth, the barbecue joint‘s consistent lines outside show that these young pitmasters know what they’re doing.

What to Order: The beef ribs, brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, and even a special Laotian sausage with sticky rice are all incredible. Pro tip: make a “Goldee Foldee” sandwich with the meat of your choice and the house-made white bread, and don’t skip the Kennedale Stew (pork gravy over rice).

Panther City BBQ

201 E. Hattie Street

This food trailer turned brick-and-mortar establishment is one of Fort Worth’s finest barbecue restaurants, now complete with a bar, plenty of patio space, and a Recommended award from Michelin. It’s famous for its traditional Texas barbecue favorites, like brisket, pork spare ribs, and jalapeño-cheese sausage, as well as “Texicue” or Tex-Mex-inspired bites.

What to Order: Grab a cup of the brisket elote —a heaping cup of Mexican-style street corn topped with tender, smoky brisket. Other home runs include the brisket burrito, barbacoa street tacos, and, on the weekends, the brisket guisada and Texas Twinkies (bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with brisket and cream cheese). First timer? Try the Southside Slammer: a sandwich with brisket, jalapeño-cheese sausage, pulled pork, smoked bologna, slaw, pickles, onions, jalapeños, and barbecue sauce.

Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez

2220 E. Rosedale Street

Another Recommended winner, Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez, is the first-ever birria taco spot on the Michelin Guide. They started as a food truck in the Poly neighborhood and then added a restaurant, both on East Rosedale. The menu offers tortas, burritos, and quesadillas.

What to Order: The real treat here is, obviously, the birria tacos. Birria is oftentimes goat or beef, and here it’s beef, slow-cooked, shredded, and stuffed into corn tortillas and topped with onions and cilantro, served with lime slices and a rich consommé sauce on the side for dipping. They also serve birria pizza, but I recommend the quesatacos, where the birria tacos are also stuffed with cheese and grilled on a flat top.