a good start

7 hot takes on Houston's 30 restaurants in the Texas Michelin Guide

Houston has done well in the inaugural Texas edition of the Michelin Guide. The global dining review network included 31 Houston-area establishments, good for second-place statewide.

They are as follows:

Recommended - For quality restaurants that don’t qualify for either a Bib Gourmand or a Michelin star

Baso
Bludorn
Brisket & Rice
Candente
Hidden Omakase
Late August
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Bib Gourmand - Awarded to “restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value”

Belly of the Beast (Spring)
Blood Bros. BBQ (Bellaire)
Ema
Kau Ba (currently closed)
Killen’s
Killen’s Barbecue
Mala Sichuan Bistro
Nam Giao
Nancy’s Hustle
Nobie’s
Pinkerton’s Barbecue
The Pit Room
Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q
Rosie Cannonball
Street to Kitchen
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue (Tomball)
Theodore Rex
Truth BBQ

One Star awarded to “establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed, and infused with the personality of a talented chef.”

BCN Taste & Tradition
Corkscrew BBQ (Spring)
Le Jardinier
March
Musaafer
Tatemó

Austin led the way with 47 selections, followed by Houston (31), Dallas (22), San Antonio (13), and Fort Worth (three). Austin restaurants also earned the most one-star designations (seven) and the only two green stars, which are awarded for restaurants committed to sustainability.

Here are seven first impressions based on the results.

1. It was a good night for Texas barbecue. Of the state’s 117 total selections, 26 are barbecue joints — including nine in greater Houston. Michelin’s decision to award one star status to four barbecue restaurants — the first ever for American-style barbecue, the guide notes — indicates that it considers smoked meat to be Texas’ biggest contribution to world gastronomy.

2. Theodore Rex being included in the Bib Gourmand rather than either of the other two designations may be the night’s single biggest surprise. Even a carefully chosen meal at the fine dining restaurant could easily cost more than $100 per person, which makes it a strange fit among the considerably more affordable spots included among the Bibs.

3. The guide showed its willingness to extend beyond the Houston city limits. Spring restaurants earned three spots, including a star for CorkScrew BBQ. Tomball, Bellaire, and Pearland also earned spots.

4. Still, with only two Chinatown selections and none from the South Asian restaurants on Hillcroft, it’s clear that Michelin still has more exploring to do. We’ll hope for a major update to both the Recommended and Bib Gourmand categories in 2025 that show more depth in both categories.

5. While most people think of Michelin as predominantly interested in fine dining, some of the Bib Gourmand and recommended choices are extremely casual. Brisket & Rice occupies a gas station in Southwest Houston, while Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q is a trailer on the Grand Parkway feeder road. Let’s all be delighted by the idea of Michelin inspectors feasting on slow smoked brisket at one of Rosemeyer’s picnic tables.

6. Houston’s other signature cuisines didn’t fare nearly as well. The guide only included one Indian restaurant and only two Vietnamese restaurants (one of which is currently closed. Candente is the city’s only Tex-Mex restaurant, even though Superica earned a Bib for its original location in Atlanta. None of our Cajun or Creole establishments made the list.

Hidden Omakase is the city’s only Japanese restaurant, which excludes big names such as Neo, MF Sushi, and Uchi. Many chefs in town consider Manabu Horiuchi of Katami and Kata Robata to be one of the city’s most talented culinarians, making his omission particularly perplexing.

7. It was a rough night for old school institutions. Fans of restaurants like Tony’s, Da Marco, Brennan’s of Houston, or any of Hugo Ortega’s establishments will be scouring the list wondering about their omissions.

Quibbles aside, the crowd that gathered at Houston’s 713 Music Hall for the awards had an unmistakable buzz around it. Most of the chefs who took the stage to accept their awards did so with other members of their team, whether they be managers, sous chefs, or business partners. While the chefs donned special jackets to honor their achievements, the presence of so many others on stage demonstrated that restaurants are truly a team effort.

Photo by Eva Kolenko

Tatemó took home a Michelin star.

For Tatemó chef Emmanuel Chavez, who got his start selling tortillas at the Urban Harvest farmers market, earning a star tonight served as the next step in a career that also includes a Food & Wine Best New Chef award and two James Beard Award finalist nominations.

“I’m good with one,” he tells CultureMap. “We don’t need more stress. This is stressful as it is.”

Belly of the Beast owner Thomas Bille had a similar reaction to be included in the Bib Gourmand list. “This was never anything I ever wanted to chase, but once it was announced, we said, let’s do the best we can. Let’s stay true to ourselves,” he tells CultureMap.

Don’t expect the restaurant to change in ways that might elevate it to one-star status. “We’ll keep doing what we do. There’s always room for improvement, but I don’t want to change what we’re doing,” he says.

Aaron Bludorn says he’s relieved by receiving a Recommended designation for Bludorn, his Montrose-area, French-inspired fine dining restaurant. Having had the responsibility of holding a star as the executive chef of New York’s Cafe Boulud, he’s content with his current status.

“We’re happy to be recommended. It’s exactly where we want to be,” he says.

michelin guide awards news-you-can-eat

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

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