Michelin Finally Enters The Texas Market — Awarding Its Coveted Stars to Restaurants and Hotels This Year

Today, the Michelin Guide announced its arrival in the Lone Star State, as Michelin and Travel Texas have joined forces to reveal the Michelin Guide Texas. The inaugural restaurant selection will be announced later this year at the 2024 Texas Michelin Guide Ceremony.

That means that Texas chefs and restaurateurs should look lively, press those tablecloths, polish the silver, and wipe each plate ― because Michelin’s anonymous inspectors are already on the loose, looking to anoint their first award recipients.

“The Texas culinary scene has proven to be an exhilarating one, with multicultural influences, homegrown ingredients, and talent that is rich in ambition,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

“Foodies and travel enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy, with such a broad dining scene spanning farm-to-table dishes, fusion cuisine, upscale dining and the famous Texas-style barbecue,” she notes. “Texas is a perfect fit for the Michelin Guide, based on the experiences of our anonymous Inspectors.”

While the announcement did hit all the common stereotypes of Texas cuisine, including our “award-winning barbecue, locally sourced seafood and steaks, and savory Tex-Mex,” they also noted the “state’s vibrant and mature gastronomic scene showcases culinary talents rooted in Texas culture and inspired by international cuisines both near and far.”

About The Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage tire sales by giving practical advice to French motorists on where to stop along their route. Michelin still provides digital services, maps, and guides to help enrich trips and travels. But the awarding of their highly coveted stars can literally put a restaurant on the map.

When Chef Graham Elliot joined Fort Worth-based Far Out Hospitality by Felipe Armenta, he brought to town something no other chef (at that time) could ― the Michelin stars he earned while in Chicago.

Elliot’s two Michelin stars were big news when he arrived in 2022. Adding him to a very short list of Texas chefs who had earned them in other markets, including Knife Steakhouse and Knife Italian‘s John Tesar who earned one star for his Knife and Spoon restaurant in Orlando, Florida, and Bruno Davaillon of Knox Bistro, who earned his Michelin star while working at Alain Ducasse’s Mix in Las Vegas. Davaillon is also opening a new French-Asian restaurant Le PasSage at The Terminal later this year.

Since Michelin stars were only attainable in other markets they have added a bit of glitter to the Texas food scene, when a local chef like Tesar takes their show on the road, or when highly touted chefs transplant to the Lone Star State.

Michelin published its first North American Guide in 2005 ― focusing first on New York. Guides have since been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2008, statewide 2019); Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Atlanta (2023); and Mexico (2024). Now you can add Texas to that list.

James Beard Finally Gets Some Competition

The pinnacle of restaurant and bar awards has remained the James Beard Awards since it began spotlighting Texas talent in 1991. Since then, Beard has had the entire state to itself ― having been the only game in town for decades ― with foodies and restauranteurs hanging on its every mention ― often like the hungry orphans from Oliver Twist holding up an empty bowl, and begging, “Please sir, may I have some more.”

Many have been critical of James Beard during its uneven tenure. Like a tornado that seems to hit randomly, focusing its fury in some areas while never touching down just across the street ― James Beard has often completely shut out entire regions in its annual awards. The most often overlooked and complained about include San Antonio (the 7th largest city in the country, which hasn’t had a winner for 33 years) and Fort Worth (the 12th largest city in the country, with an expansive culinary scene to tout) ― leading many to wonder how thorough or fair the nominating process really is.

Take, for instance, Regino Rojas who launched his Revolver Taco Lounge along Fort Worth’s West Seventh Street way back in 2011. It was just as amazing and innovative during the years he ran his Michoacan-style wonderland in Cowtown. But, James Beard didn’t bat an eyelash, until he moved to Dallas in 2017, where he was inexplicably discovered.

When Rojas briefly dipped a toe back in Fort Worth in 2021, with his short-lived spot in Sundance Square, I wrote, “Although, Rojas turned out the exact same excellence while in Fort Worth, it took the move to Dallas for the chef to really get his due. Rojas was named a semifinalist in both 2018 and 2019 in the Best Chef in the Southwest category in the prestigious James Beard Awards. He got the Best Chef: Texas nod in 2020.” Rojas and Revolver Taco Lounge continue to be a darling of James Beard with semi-finalist nods in subsequent years ― 2022, 2023, and 2024 as well.

So, for many, Michelin’s arrival will bring a fresh new injection of competition to the Texas culinary scene.

If You Don’t Have A Michelin Star ― Get You One

“The first Michelin Guide Texas selection will be revealed later this year,” and a release promises not to overlook any culinary metropolises, stating that, “it will feature culinary gems in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.”

“The Michelin Guide’s anonymous Inspectors are already in the field, making dining reservations secretively and paying for all their meals to ensure they are treated the same as any other customer,” ensuring the process remains completely independent.

“Michelin’s Inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by Inspectors in the very beginning,” they say. These secret diners will be awarding the iconic Michelin Stars – one, two, or three stars.

Michelin’s historical methodology is “based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity: 1) quality products; 2) the harmony of flavors; 3) the mastery of cooking techniques; 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).”

The Guide will also be releasing its Bib Gourmand selection ― highlighting restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices, the release goes on to say. Leaders in sustainable gastronomy will also be noted in the Michelin Green Star.

And, hotel awards are still to come in 2024 as well, as “the Michelin Guide selection of hotels will be announced later this year and will feature the most unique and exciting places to stay in Texas and around the world. Every hotel in the Guide is chosen for its extraordinary style, service, and personality – with options for all budgets – and each hotel can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website or app.”