TxMo Best New Restaurants

Houston sushi star's Montrose eatery tops Texas Monthly's best new restaurants list

Texas Monthly editor Patricia Sharpe has published her list of Texas’s Best New Restaurants in 2024. Numbered one to 10, the 23rd edition of the magazine's list is open to establishments that opened between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023, and it must be a restaurant's first Texas location.

As it did last year, Houston not only leads the way with three entries in the top 10 but also takes the top spot for the second year in a row. Katami, the upscale Japanese restaurant from the team behind Kata Robata, ranks as the state’s best new restaurant. It’s joined in the top 10 by Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition (fifth) and Midtown pizzeria ElRo Pizza & Crudo (ninth). Jūn and Little’s Oyster Bar earn honorable mentions.

Sharpe praises nearly every aspect of Katami, calling it “the most exciting restaurant to open in Texas this past year.” In her review, she hails the “polished and coolly contemporary” environment, its “spectacularly fresh” seafood, and traditional Japanese dishes such as chawanmushi and okonomiyaki.

At Josephine’s, she recognizes chef Lucas McKinney’s redfish dip and barbecue shrimp as well as pastry chef Emiy Rivas’s corn flan. ElRo Pizza & Crudo earns her admiration for its sausage and rapini pizza and the chopped tuna crudo on toast.

Dallas is represented by French restaurant Quarter Acre (third) and Italian restaurant Via Triozzi (eighth). Sushi restaurant Naminohana earns an honorable mention.

Le Margot (second), a French restaurant from former Masterchef judge Graham Elliot, and Italian restaurant 61 Osteria (fourth) give Fort Worth two spots in the top five.

Bureau de Poste (sixth), a French restaurant from Top Chef contestant Jo Chan, and Ezov, an Israeli restaurant, represent Austin. Top Chef winner Gabe Erales’s Mexican restaurant Bacalar earns an honorable mention.

Turning to San Antonio, its sole representative in the top 10 is Peruvian restaurant Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana (seventh). Japanese restaurant Nineteen Hyaku and Padadar, a Mexican and Cuban restaurant, land honorable mentions.

“The Texas restaurant scene is as delicious as it’s ever been,” Sharpe declares, but the writer has some concerns about the present dining moment. Her complaints include the push towards ever more prominent (and more expensive) cocktail lists and the vibe dining trend, but her introduction ends on an optimistic note.

“But even though drinking while dining is fast becoming the new normal, I’m glad to report that kitchens are as disciplined and chefs as talented and ambitious as ever,” she writes.

The full list in order is as follows:

1. Katami, a Japanese restaurant in Houston
2. Le Margot, a French restaurant in Fort Worth
3. Quarter Acre, a French restaurant in Dallas
4. 61 Osteria, an Italian restaurant in Fort Worth
5. Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, a seafood restaurant in Houston
6. Bureau de Poste, a French restaurant in Austin
7. Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana, a Peruvian restaurant in San Antonio
8. Via Triozzi, an Italian restaurant in Dallas
9. ElRo Pizza & Crudo, a pizzeria in Houston
10. Ezov, an Israeli restaurant in Austin

Photo by Casey Giltner

Chef Hori-san leads Katami.

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shining star

New chicken restaurant flies into Houston with 'gluten-friendly' tendies

Courtesy of Starbird

Starbird sells chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and more.

A local restaurant group is bringing a California-based chicken concept to Texas. Mac Haik Restaurant Group announced it has reached an agreement with Starbird to open locations in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Founded in the San Francisco area in 2016, Starbird is a fast casual restaurant with 19 locations in California and Colorado. It serves fried chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, and salads that are made with chicken that’s “all-natural, never-frozen, antibiotic-free” and covered in a “gluten-friendly breading” that’s cooked fresh to order, according to a press release.

Pair them with sides such as cole slaw, french fries, crispy Thai Brussels sprouts, or elote. Diners can dip their tenders in 11 sauces, including Greek yogurt ranch, Thai herb aioli, honey mustard, honey chipotle bbq, and more.

Part of Mac Haik Enterprises Ltd, Mac Haik Restaurant Group operates a number of franchised restaurants, including breakfast concept First Watch Daytime Café, the Original ChopShop, and Due’ Cucina. It will open Kirkwood, an upscale supper club, later this spring in a West Houston office building that’s also owned by MHE.

“We evaluate opportunities through the lens of long-term brand relevance, not just unit growth,” MHRG COO Dan Anfinson said in a statement. “Starbird delivers a level of culinary quality and operational sophistication that we believe is still underserved in the premium fast-casual chicken category, particularly in Texas. The brand has a clear point of view and the systems to scale responsibly. That combination is rare, and we’re excited to introduce it thoughtfully across our markets.”

The company intends to open as many as 36 locations beginning in 2027, but MHRG is still in the process of securing specific locations. It will announce which city will be first to receive a Starbird at a later time.

“This agreement reflects the strength of our business model and the clarity of our long-term vision,” added Starbird CEO Greg Levin. “As we mark our 10th anniversary, this is shaping up to be our biggest year yet in terms of expansion. Texas is a critical market for us moving forward, and partnering with an experienced organization like Mac Haik Restaurant Group allows us to grow thoughtfully while staying true to what makes Starbird special.”

Courtesy of Starbird

Starbird sells chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and more.

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