Toasting the Tastemakers

Houston foodies help crown big winners at 2025 Tastemaker Awards

Photo by Daniel Ortiz Photography

More than 1,000 Houston foodies packed Silver Street Studios on April 3 for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our annual celebration of the city's best food and drink. Trophies were presented, toasts were made, and many (many) samples were eaten — all to shine a light on Houston's top restaurant and bar talent.

The lively evening revealed the big winners and honored all nominees, which a judges' panel of industry experts had spent months analyzing and voting on, and which readers had gotten to know through a special editorial series.

The signature tasting event allowed guests gathered to rub elbows with Houston's best chefs, bartenders, restaurateurs, all to celebrate H-Town's culinary stars.

This year’s Tastemaker Awards benefited the Southern Smoke Foundation, which was founded in 2015 to offer emergency relief funding and access to mental health services to members of the food and beverage industry.

Of course, the event would not have been possible without the support of our 2025 sponsors. A big thanks goes to Stella Artois, Chardon, Jim Beam Black, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, Valencia's Tex-Mex Garage, Hornitos, Ghost Hill Organic Vodka, and PicMe Events.

VIP ticket-holders got to arrive an hour early to enjoy sips from their own bar and a giant charcuterie spread in the VIP Lounge, courtesy of sponsor Chardon.

Nominated chefs and restaurants dished out their favorite plates, including:

Short rib Reuben sliders from Bar Bludorn
Smoked picanha with Swamp Sauce from Bayou Butchers
Cuban pork belly bahn mi from Brass Tacks
Smoked pork belly with Colima-style mole from Deckle and Hide
Spicy rigatoni Pasta Zaza from Drake's Hollywood
Hamachi tacos from Lee's
Short rib burnt end lollies from Leo's River Oaks
Smoked chicken flautas, Rico-style, from Little Rey
Spanish octopus with smoked potato salad from Little's Oyster Bar
Lychee ceviche from Musaafer
Octopus skewers from Októ
Mussel escabeche crostini from Ostia
Corned beef brisket and rice from Subo
Tuna tostadas from Tatemó
Vietnamese betel leaf beef from Traveler's Cart

And to satisfy the sweet tooth, pastry chefs offered these indulgent bites:

Peanut gianduja tart from Berg Hospitality
Caramel Couch O'Stick from Fluff Bake Bar
Purple Rain iced latte and The Slowpoke iced latte from Slowpokes
Affogato and fermented Mexican coffee from Tenfold Coffee Company
The Bay Fog and The Magic Johnson Macchiato from Xela Coffee Roasters

Guests mingled in the Stella Artois Beer Garden and lifted their bartender-crafted cocktails high as they honored the winners and sampled delicious dishes. The drinks included:

Meticulously Made Daiquiri from Ishtia and Meticulous Spirits
Appleteeny and Spice Melange from Lee's
Tepache Mezcalita and Southside from Melrose

Local chef, entrepreneur, and James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd emceed the awards ceremony and handed out prizes for Bar, Chef, Bartender, and Restaurant of the Year; Rising Star Chef and Pastry Chef of the Year; Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year; Best Start-up/Pop-up; and Best Coffee Shop, this year’s wildcard category. One of the most anticipated announcements of the night was the winner of Best New Restaurant, which had been voted on by CultureMap readers.

Winners graciously accepted their beautiful glass trophies onstage and proudly smiled for the camera. See the full list of winners here.

The Tastemaker Awards program began in 2014 and has become the city’s defining food event, letting local top local chefs mix and mingle with passionate foodies.

This year, we raise a glass to the winners, plus all of the sponsors, participants, and attendees who made the evening a huge hit. Scroll through the photos above to relive all the highlights of the night. We’ll see you next year!

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Andrew Carcur, Matthew Mitts, Biba Nijjar, Shannon Cafourek, Daniel Quiñones, Shirley Q

tastemaker awards Tastemaker Awards

we gotta go

Beard Award-winning Houston chef's new restaurant now open in Montrose

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

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Houston may be home to an ever-increasing number of James Beard Award-winning chefs, but a new restaurant from a JBA winner is still a special moment in the city’s culinary landscape.

Which means the city’s dining enthusiasts are undeniably excited to welcome House of Louie, the new project Justin Yu, winner of Best Chef: Southwest in 2016 for Oxheart, his groundbreaking, vegetable-focused tasting menu restaurant. He placed it with Theodore Rex, a modern American restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Part of Thorough Fare, the company he co-owns with Anvil founder Bobby Heugel, House of Louie is the group’s first new restaurant since Squable opened in 2019 and first opening since Heights cocktail bar Donna’s debuted last year.

As Yu explained on a July episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, the decision to open House of Louie came about from the opportunity to buy the property at 1931 Fairview that had been home to the original location of healthy-eating concept Vibrant.

“The real estate came at the right time. The space is beautiful. We’re so lucky to be part of this neighborhood,” Yu explained.

As for the name, Yu is honoring a Chinese restaurant his aunts operated in Southern California for more than 30 years. The original House of Louie hosted many family celebrations, and it’s also the first restaurant he worked in as a dishwasher.

“It was one of those places where there was a little more to it than what you expected. That’s the restaurant I want to have here,” Yu said. Later, he added, “It’s how I fell in love with restaurants.”

Inspired primarily by French and Italian cuisine, meals at House of Louie begin with cold dishes such as the house salad with lettuce, cheese, charcuterie, and quail eggs; marinated plums; yellowtail crudo; or “Nervetti,” thinly-sliced beef tendon with onions that’s finished with sherry and vinegar.

“I think beef tendon is really accepted in Houston, especially because we have a strong pho culture. Tendon can be a little out there, but it has a beautiful melting texture,” Yu said.

From there, diners may choose from a selection of shareable small plates such as mushroom and peppers with spicy ratatouille, squash with king salmon, or one of three pastas, all of which are made in house. The pici pasta is a thin, handmade pasta that gets some crunch from crispy chicken skin.

Entrees lean classic, with items like red snapper with beurre blanc, grilled duck that gets a boost of umami from colatura (an Italian take on fish sauce), and a Texas wagyu couotte that’s served with a sauce of madeira and onions. The French dip from Yuston’s, Yu’s homage to celebrated American grill Houston’s, is also available.

“The type of place we want to be is — if you feel like you’re a little underdressed, it’s okay to come in and get amazing service and great food. And also spend hours ahead of time picking out your outfit and coming out for a date night or a friend’s night or a night out with the guys,” Yu said.

“It’s a place that’s going to have a sandwich and makes its own fries. We’re also going to have really aggressive dishes that swing for the fences and push the limits of creativity, even though its slightly rustic.”

Yu worked with Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes to transform Vibrant into House of Louie. Overall, the room has a modern feel — almost like your cool uncle’s living room. The design speaks to the kind of atmosphere Yu is aiming to achieve.

“More than anything, I want people to connect with the restaurant. If we accidentally get a Michelin Star because we do all the things the right way, and cook excellent food, and take care of all the little details . . . I wouldn’t be mad. That’s our goal in the first place,” he said.

Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang (most recently of Donna’s) and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Diners may also recognize bartenders Lainey Collum (most recently of Monkey’s Tail) and Máté Hartai (Lee’s, Refuge).

House of Louie is currently open for dinner daily beginning at 4:30 pm. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will begin in the coming weeks.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

House of Louie is now open in Montrose.