culinary all stars

Texas' best restaurants and bars celebrated at 2024 Tastemaker Awards

We've only barely recovered: CultureMap's statewide journey to honor the best chefs, restaurants, and more with 2024 Tastemaker Awards has finally come to an end.

The series kicked off March 27 with our sold-out Houston Tastemakers at Silver Street Studios, then we moved south to San Antonio for our third-ever fiesta at the Briscoe Museum on April 4.

We stuck around in Central Texas for the festivities at Distribution Hall in Austin on April 11, then headed north to Fort Worth for our biggest celebration there yet on May 2. The Texas culinary tour concluded with our North Texas neighbors in Dallas at the Fashion Industry Gallery on May 16.

The 2024 Tastemaker Awards celebrated Texas' most innovative culinary pioneers, as nominated chefs and restaurants showcased their talents for guests with delicious bites and treats before our emcees announced the winners during the live ceremony.

Guests dined on our venerated chefs’ specialty hors d'oeuvres, sipped on a variety of creative batched cocktails, and stayed hydrated with a chilled Topo Chico in hand. But nothing could take away the focus from our acclaimed nominees and winners, who are the main reason we bring these celebrations to life year after year.

Nominees are, as always, produced by a panel of previous Tastemaker winners and CultureMap staff. While our judges vote on most of the winners, the champion in the Best New Restaurant category is determined by our readers in an online, bracket-style tournament. New to the 2024 categories in each city was a competition for the best patio.

Without further ado, let’s meet our 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winners all across Texas, listed by city:

Houston:

Restaurant of the Year: Tatemó
Chef of the Year: Luis Mercardo and Paolo Justo, Neo
Bar of the Year: Refuge
Best New Restaurant: Andiron
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Lucas McKinney, Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition
Pastry Chef of the Year: Vanarin Kuch, Koffeteria
Bartender of the Year: Fabio Pontes, Bludorn
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Burger Bodega
Wine Program of the Year: March
Best Pop-Up/Startup: Jane Wild
Best Patio: Better Luck Tomorrow

San Antonio:

Restaurant of the Year: Leche de Tigre
Chef of the Year: Nicola Blaque, The Jerk Shack
Best New Restaurant: Thai Bird
Bar of the Year: Bar Loretta
Brewery of the Year: Weathered Souls Brewing Co.
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Clementine
Pastry Chef of the Year: Jenn Riesman, Rooster Crow Bakery
Best Patio: The Good Kind Southtown

Austin:

Restaurant of the Year: Canje
Chef of the Year: Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie's
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Eli Rodriguez, Bufalina Due
Pastry Chef of the Year: Sarah McIntosh, Épicerie
Bar of the Year: Holiday
Bartender of the Year: Amanda Carto, Daydreamer
Best New Restaurant: Poeta
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Birdie's
Brewery of the Year: Jester King Brewery
Best Patio: Jester King Brewery

Fort Worth:

Restaurant of the Year: 61 Osteria
Chef of the Year: Preston Paine, Emilia's, The Blue Room
Bar of the Year: Thompson's Bookstore
Best New Restaurant: Plank Seafood Provisions
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Michael Rios, Pantry on Magnolia
Pastry Chef of the Year: Tareka Lofton, Loft22 Cakes
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Los Asaderos
Best Patio: Joe T. Garcia's

Dallas:

Restaurant of the Year: Petra & The Beast
Chef of the Year: Noah Hester, Hamm's Meat & Market
Bar of the Year: Whiskeys Dallas
Best New Restaurant: McRae's American Bistro
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Will Salisbury, Carbone
Pastry Chef of the Year: Tida Pichakron, Haute Sweets Patisserie
Bartender of the Year: Fernanda Rossano, Kaiyo
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Terilli's
Wine Program of the Year: Sister
Best Patio: Taco Y Vino

Courtesy of Andiron

Andiron is Houston's best new restaurant.

restaurants bars tastemaker awards

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.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza