Get ready to celebrate the stars of Houston's restaurants and bars. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards returns this spring — and tickets are on sale now.

Join us April 13 at Silver Street Studios for an evening honoring the very best of Houston's culinary scene.

Of course, that means our signature tasting event where you'll sample special bites from this year's participating nominees and sip an array of cocktails, beer, and more. Then we reveal the winners in our short and sweet awards ceremony.

The Tastemaker Awards shine a spotlight on the people making the local restaurant scene special and honor their innovation, energy, and creativity. Nominees and winners are determined by a panel of industry experts, including past winners — except for Best New Restaurant (more on that in a bit).

This year, we’ll award winners in all of the following categories: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Bar of the Year, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Wine Program of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Best Pop-up/Startup, and — just to add a little sizzle — Best Burger.

You can see all of the nominees here and learn more about them in our special editorial series leading up to the big event.

At the awards ceremony on April 13, we’ll unveil the winners in each category, including the winner of Best New Restaurant, which will be determined by you in a bracket-style online tournament.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP (includes early access to the event, valet, and a dedicated bar). Prices will increase March 13. Grab your tickets now, because this party will surely sell out.

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The event is brought to you by Goodstock by Nolan Ryan, Dripping Springs Vodka, Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, and more to be announced soon. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.