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    Toasting the Tastemakers

    Houston foodies help crown big winners at 2025 Tastemaker Awards

    Katrina Autem
    Apr 7, 2025 | 1:45 pm
     2025 CultureMap 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!

    2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Juan Bravo, Daniel Overstreet

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    where to eat now

    Where to Eat Now in Houston: 5 can't-miss, limited-time-only collabs

    Eric Sandler
    Feb 19, 2026 | 2:21 pm
    Pho Prime Gatlin's BBQ
    Photo by Sergio Trevino
    That's brisket from Gatlin's BBQ in that bowl of Pho Prime pho.

    Collaboration dinners, in which chefs from different restaurants team up for special meals, are all the rage in Houston. However, their one-night-only nature and relatively high prices limits the number of people who can experience these special meals.

    No surprise then that a new trend of collaboration dishes is emerging. Available for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month, Houstonians have more time to sample these one-off creations. Even better, a single dish is far more affordable than an elaborate meal.

    Read on for more details about these five collaborations — two sweet and three savory — that are sure to be the stars of social media feeds for a few weeks.

    B’Tween Sandwich Co. and Stuffed Belly
    Just in time for Lent, the two sandwich concepts — one led by former Top Chef contestant Michelle Wallace and the other by MasterChef winner and James Beard finalist Christine Ha — have teamed up to create a Cajun Catfish Sando. It starts with a catfish filet that’s dredged in fish fry seasoning and battered in rice flour and cornstarch for extra crunch. It’s topped with Japanese cabbage salad and pickles, then served on a Martin’s potato bun.

    “We thought not only did it marry our culinary backgrounds but would together be something greater than the sum of its parts: the cool, crunchy, refreshing cabbage balances the spicy, hot, bold catfish,” Ha tells CultureMap.

    It’s available at Stuffed Belly’s location in Spring Branch through Sunday, March 1, or until supplies run out.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Stuffed Belly (@stuffedbellyco)


    Burger Bodega and Fluff Bake Bar
    Two CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners have united to create two, limited-time-only milkshakes. Available until February 28, diners have the choice of either Coach Potato, Fluff’s sweet-and-salty cookie made with potato chips, pretzels, corn flakes, chocolate chips, and Halal marshmallows, or Veruca Salt, Fluff’s signature deviled food cake with salted buttercream.

    “I’ve been a big fan of Becky Masson and what she’s built with Fluff for years,” Burger Bodega founder Abbas Dhanani said. “Getting to work with her to turn some of her most iconic flavors into shakes is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

    Crave Cupcakes and Truth BBQ
    The bakery and barbecue restaurant have created a special dessert for rodeo season. The Smoke & Honey cupcake starts with a sweet corn cake that’s topped with frosting made with Truth’s barbecue sauce and honey along with two slices of smoked brisket and candied jalapeño.

    Available from February 26-March 22, the cupcake will only be served 11 am-2 pm (or while supplies last) at Crave’s stores on Kirby Dr. and in Uptown Park as well as on weekends at Truth’s location on Heights Blvd. Because they’re assembled individually, they cannot be ordered by the dozen.

    “Tradition is at the heart of what we do at Truth, but it’s always fun to shake things up with an idea that can really surprise and delight people,” co-owner Abbie Byrom-Botello said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with another great Houston brand like Crave and do something that’s a little unexpected. It’s not about being fancy; it’s about letting the flavors speak for themselves and having some fun with what barbecue can be.”

    Gatlin’s BBQ and Pho Prime
    Speaking of barbecue, the Garden Oaks favorite is supplying its smoked brisket to the Vietnamese restaurant for two dishes — a kicked-up riff on the French dip and a special bowl of pho. Both dishes will be available from March 2-22 at Pho Prime’s locations in Chinatown and Pearland, as well as at Gatlin’s.

    The Texas Pho Dip pairs Gatlin’s brisket with Pho Prime’s garlic and herb butter, spicy aioli, pickled red onion, fresh basil, and cilantro, all served on a toasted bolillo with a cup of pho broth for dipping. Similarly, the Pitmaster’s Pho adds sliced of smoked brisket to Pho Prime’s broth, which is made from beef knuckle bones, beef short rib, brisket, and oxtails.

    “This collaboration is the epitome of Houston on a plate – and in a bowl,” Gatlin’s owner Greg Gatlin said. “Rodeo season is when the city comes alive, and we wanted to create something that feels true to who we are: slow-smoked brisket, big flavor, and a lot of heart.”

    Shawn “The Food Sheep” Singh and Tailspin Pizza
    The Houston influencer and the West Houston pizzeria he’s championed as among the best in Houston teamed up to create the “One for the Herd.” Available regular or spicy, this chicken tikka pizza is also topped with fior de latte, burnt red onion jam, and cilantro Chutney, paying homage to both Singh’s Indian heritage and Tailspin’s Texan flavors. Served through February 28, Tailspin will donate $5 from every pizza sold to Houston nonprofit Kids’ Meals, Inc.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Shawn Singh (@shawnthefoodsheep)


    Pho Prime Gatlin's BBQ

    Photo by Sergio Trevino

    That's brisket from Gatlin's BBQ in that bowl of Pho Prime pho.

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