Following its debut this past year, Michelin is now in year two of the Texas Michelin Guide. Where Space City is concerned, the Texas Michelin Guide now features over 40 restaurants in Houston with Michelin Stars, Bib Gourmands, and Michelin Recommendations.
To date, Michelin has distinguished 140 restaurants in Texas with awards. In total, the guide awarded 18 One Stars across the state, also awarding its newly-debuted Green Stars to restaurants in Austin and San Antoion. The capital presently has the most awards, including the seven One Michelin Star ratings.
Houston has the Michelin-distinguished restaurant awards in Texas, with six Houston Michelin-Starred restaurants on top of 22 Bib Gourmands, 16 Michelin Recommendations, and 1 Special Award.
See below of the Michelin recognized concepts in Houston.
Houston Michelin-Starred Restaurants
1. BCN Taste & Tradition
Accurately predicted on our reader’s poll of Houston restaurants that deserve Michelin Stars, BCN Taste & Tradition is a Spanish restaurant housed inside a 1920’s bungalow on Richmond Avenue in Montrose.
Michelin highlights the restaurant’s seafood selection, commending Chef Luis Roger’s Spanish Octopus served with Potato Purée, Olive Oil, and Smoked Paprika as well as the Sautéed Sea Cucumber with Lobster Rice.
The Michelin Guide also commended the Suckling Ibérico Pig “A La Segoviana”, Shoestring Fries, and Cherry in Textures dish, as well as the restaurant’s all-Spanish wine collection, and private art collection of owner, Ignacio Torras.
📍4210 Roseland St, Houston, TX
2. CorkScrew BBQ
CorkScrew BBQ is a beloved local mom and pop in Old Town Spring run by Will and Nicole Buckman. Beginning as a food truck in 2010, the couple opened a brick-and-mortar in 2015, and quickly attracted long queues of eager eaters seeking to sink their teeth into perfectly smoked brisket and beef ribs.
Michelin echoed our advice in Houston’s best barbecue list which is that if you want Corkscrew BBQ, you better arrive earlier, or better yet, place your order days in advance to skip the lines.
Michelin highlighted the smoky flavor of the restaurant’s beef, pork, and turkey, as well as its tacos with green-chile ranch, loaded baked potatoes, and fruit cobblers – though stated that first-timers are better off going with barbecue.
📍26608 Keith St, Spring, TX 77373
3. Le Jardinier
Having been created by Michelin-starred chef, Alain Verzeroli in Manhattan, and with its aesthetically immaculate residence in the Kinder Building at Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Le Jardinier in Houston was all but primed for Michelin recognition.
Michelin commended the restaurant’s multi-leveled artistry, highlighting the company’s dishes “both beautiful and satisfying”. Featured dishes according to Michelin include the Maine Scallops carrot fondant, broccolini, carrot & orange reduction and The Butterfly, Yuzu delicate mousse, raspberry compote, pistachio sablé.
📍5500 Main St Suite 122, Houston, TX 77004
4. March
Divinely decorated and stylishly sophisticated, March in Montrose gives patrons a passport across the Mediterranean by way of multi-course tasting menus. In its write-up for March, Michelin expresses admiration for the restaurant’s wonderfully curated regional cuisine and beverage program.
Furthermore, Michelin hailed the dining experience at March as “both engaging and luxe” in which it invites patrons to “sit back and enjoy the show”.
📍1624 Westheimer Rd.
5. Musaafer
Another one of Houston’s most romantic restaurants to make the Michelin Guide, Musaafer is a palace-like Indian restaurant located at Galleria Houston.
More than its breathtaking atmosphere, Musaafer places great attention and philosophy to its culinary approach, wherein dishes are inspired by Chef Mayank Istwal’s journey across the 29 states of India.
Michelin commends the restaurant’s attention to detail, lauding 24-spiced onion xuixo, 72-hour cooked Dal, and prawns.
📍5115 Westheimer Rd Suite C-3500, Houston, TX 77056
6. Tatémo
Having garnered multiple accolades in the run-up to its Houston Michelin-starred restaurant status – including the top spot on Houston Chronicle’s Top 100 Restaurants 2024 – Tatémo is a somewhat unassuming Mexican restaurant located at a strip mall in the company of a donut shop and employment agency.
Began as a tortilleria, Tatémo is a restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef, Emmanuel Chavez. In its write-up of Tatémo, Michelin commends the ceviche, gorditas, and quesadillas highlighting its “vibrant salsas and other creative sauce work”. Michelin also spotlights the mole negro. Tatémo is BYOB.
📍4740 Dacoma St. Ste F
Houston Bib Gourmand Restaurants
The Michelin Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants that serve exceptional food and affordable prices. In the most recent edition of the Texas Michelin Guide, five new Houston restaurants received Bib Gourmands. See below for the full list:
- Annam
- Belly of the Beast
- Blood Bros. BBQ
- CasaEma
- ChopnBlok
- de Gama Canteen
- Killen’s
- Killen’s Barbecue
- Mala Sichuan Bistro
- Maximo
- Nam Giao
- Nancy’s Hustle
- Nobie’s
- Papalo Taqueria
- Pinkerton’s BBQ
- Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q
- Rosie Cannonball
- Street to Kitchen
- Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue
- The Pit Room
- Theodore Rex
- Truth BBQ
Michelin Recommended Restaurants in Houston
Michelin Recommended restaurants are those that Michelin Inspectors distinguish for their good, high-quality food. Presently, Houston has 16 Michelin Recommended restaurants. See below:
- Agnes and Sherman
- Bar Bludorn
- Baso
- Bludorn
- Brisket & Rice
- Candente
- Credence
- Hidden Omakase
- Hong Kong Food Street
- J-Bar-M Barbecue
- Josephine’s
- Late August
- Neo (temporarily closed)
- Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
- Perseid
- The Marigold Club
See also: 14 Sensational New Restaurants In Houston