Here Are Houston’s 2024 Michelin-Starred Restaurants

Editor’s note [12:15 p.m., Thursday, November 14]: This article has been updated to note that the Michelin Guide has removed Kau Ba from its Houston selection of Bib Gourmand restaurants.

It’s finally here.

The Michelin Guide launched its inaugural Texas guide in Houston on Monday, November 11, awarding Texas restaurants Michelin stars for the first time. Six Houston restaurants have received one Michelin star, and the city’s restaurants have received several other noteworthy distinctions, including 18 Bib Gourmands. Michelin granted one star to Spring, Texas’s Corkscrew BBQ, as well as Austin’s Interstellar BBQ, La Barbecue, and LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, marking the first time an American-style barbecue restaurant has received a Michelin star. The four restaurants join international establishments like Singapore’s Australian-style barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends and Japanese wagyu barbecue restaurant Oretachi No Nikuya in Taiwan. No Texas restaurant received two- or three-star designations.

Annie Mulligan

Here are the Houston restaurants that were recognized:

Three Stars

“Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”

No three-star Texas restaurants

Two Stars

“Excellent cooking, worth a detour”

No two-star Texas restaurants

One Star

“High-quality cooking, worth a stop”

• BCN Taste & Tradition
• Corkscrew BBQ
• Le Jardinier
• March
• Musaafer
• Tatemó

Green Star

Houston did not receive any Green stars, which honor restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable gastronomy.

Bib Gourmand

Bib Gourmand designation recognizes restaurants that offer “good quality food for a good value” and those that are deemed “personal favorites” among inspectors when dining on their own time, according to Michelin.

• Belly of the Beast
• Blood Bros. BBQ
• Ema
• Killen’s
• Killen’s BBQ
• Mala Sichuan Bistro
• Nam Giao
• Nancy’s Hustle
• Nobie’s
• Pinkerton’s BBQ
• The Pit Room
• Rosie Cannonball
• Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q
• Street to Kitchen
• Tejas Chocolate
• Theodore Rex
• Truth BBQ

Sommelier Award

Steve McDonald of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston

Annie Mulligan

In total, 15 Texas restaurants received Michelin stars. Seven Austin restaurants received stars, including Barley Swine, Craft Omakase, and Hestia. One Dallas restaurant, Tatsu Dallas, and one San Antonio restaurant — Mixtli — received one star. Michelin also designated seven Houston restaurants as “recommended,” including Baso, Bludorn, Brisket & Rice, Candente, Hidden Omakase, Late August, and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.

Several notable Texans attended the ceremony, including Houston mayor John Whitmire; Adriana Cruz, the executive director of Texas Economic Development and Tourism; and Texas’s first lady, Cecilia Abbott. The ceremony kicked off with a message from floating astronauts at the International Space Center. Texas’s first awardee to receive a black embroidered chef’s jacket of the night was Julian Shaffer of Dallas’s Rye for the Exceptional Cocktails award.

Houston First paid a total of $270,000 — $90,000 a year for three years — to bring the Michelin Guide to the city, which allows full-time Michelin employees, also known as inspectors, to assess local restaurants and choose which of them deserve Michelin recognition.

Michelin, the French tire company that runs the international restaurant star rating system, announced in July that it would launch the Michelin Guide in Texas for the first time, and that anonymous inspectors were already on the ground assessing restaurants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. According to Michelin, its methodology and criteria is based solely on food — not service or decor — and considers the quality products, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of cooking techniques, the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency between each visit and throughout the meal.

Michelin also announced in September its first full Michelin Key selection — its guide to some of the most outstanding hotels in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Houston’s Post Oak Hotel in Uptown and both locations of Hotel Zaza in Museum District and Memorial City, and Galveston’s Carr Mansion made the cut, each receiving one star. Austin received eight keys, with zero hotels receiving the highest ranking of three keys.

This story will be updated.

Annie Mulligan