The eyes of the culinary world will be on Texas this Thursday, October 8, as the Michelin Guide announces its third annual selections for the state’s restaurants. Unlike in 2024 and 2025, when Michelin hosted a ceremony in Houston that drew almost all of the state’s top culinary talent, this year’s announcement will be made via email.
As a reminder, the selections are determined by anonymous inspectors who evaluate restaurants on five criteria: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. Based on those criteria, inspectors may recognize restaurants with one of three designations:
- Michelin Stars, rated at one, two, or three for restaurants that offer exceptional experiences
- Bib Gourmand, described as “restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices”
- Recommended, for good restaurants that don’t quite meet the level of either a Star or Bib Gourmand
The Guide also presents special awards to individuals. Elliot Wood of Credence received the Michelin Service Award in 2025, and Steven McDonald of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse received the Sommelier Award in 2024.
Last year, Michelin added three Starred restaurants statewide, bringing Texas’ total to 18, along with eight new Bib Gourmands and 16 new Recommended restaurants. Overall, 140 restaurants were included in the Guide in 2025.
Naturally, rumors have been flying about which Houston restaurants could be added. Based on conversations with various people in the hospitality industry, CultureMap has identified at least seven establishments that are likely to receive good news on Thursday.
They are:
- Sushi Horiuchi: Chef Manabu Horiuchi’s six-seat omakase counter looks poised to be the newest Houston restaurant to hold a Michelin Star.
- Oru: This sushi restaurant in the Heights from Comma Hospitality — the Houston group behind Japanese-inspired restaurants Neo, Toga, and Kira — could be in line for either a Bib Gourmand or Recommended designation.
- Osteria di Mercato: One of this year’s buzziest openings, chef Mauricio Alvarado’s 30-seat Italian restaurant in West U. might not be Star-worthy (yet), but it should join the Guide.
- Angie’s Pizza: Just like his mentor Chris Bianco’s eponymous Pizzeria Bianco, chef Angelo Emiliani’s recently opened Italian restaurant in the Heights should add a Bib Gourmand designation to its growing list of accolades.
- 1111: Chef Emmanuel Chavez already holds a Star at Tatemó, his Mexican tasting-menu restaurant in Spring Branch. Now 1111, the Montrose bar with a Mexico City-inspired menu that includes a tuna tostada, tacos, and sea bass with red and green salsa, should soon celebrate its own spot in the Guide.
- Kitchen Rumors: Chef Jassi Bindra may have had a too-brief run on Top Chef, but his restaurant in Old Sixth Ward that blends Indian flavors with global influences will likely join the Michelin Guide with either a Bib Gourmand or Recommended designation.
- Murray’s Pizza & Wine: Founded by Leaf & Grain partners Deets Hoffman and Edward Thompson, this Memorial-area restaurant devoted to sourdough pizza, small plates, and wine should join Angie’s as Houston pizzerias with Michelin designations.
Some restaurants that locals are rooting for — such as Camaraderie, Squable, Milton’s, and Barbacana — still seem to be shut out of Michelin recognition. Perhaps opening Zaranda will finally earn James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega his first spot in the Guide.
What’s not clear is whether Michelin will elevate any local restaurants above their current status. For example, some people have speculated that Baso, the Basque-inspired live-fire restaurant in the Heights, will move from Recommended to a Star. Similarly, one-Star March could be in line to become Texas’ first restaurant to hold two Stars.
While Michelin could also lower a restaurant’s designation or remove it from the Guide entirely, we’re erring on the side of optimism that all of Houston’s entries will at least maintain their current status.
The future of Michelin in Texas
This year marks the end of the initial three-year, $2.7 million agreement between the Michelin Guide, the destination marketing organizations of five Texas cities — Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Dallas — and the statewide Travel Texas agency. Reporting by Matthew Odam in the Austin American-Statesman suggests the agreement will be renewed in some form, ensuring that Texas restaurants have Michelin recognition to aspire to.
While the Guide’s track record in Texas has been mostly positive, a selection doesn’t guarantee financial success. Two Houston restaurants included in the Guide — Afro-Mexican restaurant Late August (Recommended) and Southern comfort-food restaurant Killen’s (Bib Gourmand) — both closed this year. In Austin, one-Star Olamaie closed in July after 12 years in business.
Beyond the criteria referenced above, Michelin’s process is largely opaque to both the restaurants it reviews and the general public. Dining anonymously helps ensure inspectors receive the same treatment as any other customer, which is undeniably beneficial.
Still, tweaks to other aspects of Michelin’s process could further enhance its credibility. Michelin won’t disclose how many inspectors are assigned to Texas, how many visits the inspectors make to a restaurant before deciding on a designation, which restaurants it visits that don’t make the Guide, or whether it revisits restaurants from year to year to ensure standards are being maintained.
Renewal could be an opportunity for the tourism bureaus to insist on changes. For example, almost all of the Houston selections are in Harris County, shutting out potentially worthy suburban restaurants like Amrina, Charolais, and Xalisko in The Woodlands and Ishtia in Kemah. The Guide has shown a willingness to go beyond a city’s main county for barbecue restaurants such as Burnt Bean Co. (Seguin), Barbs-B-Q (Lockhart), and Killen’s Barbecue (Pearland), which is in Brazoria County, but not for other types of cuisine. Houston First, the city’s tourism agency, could partner with its sister organizations in those places to require Michelin to at least consider these establishments.
As the Guide continues to expand its presence across America, it’s important that Texas restaurants remain on an equal footing with their peers in other states. That means maintaining the state’s relationship with Michelin and pushing for better, more thorough coverage in the years to come.
