30 January 2026
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Texas is home to a delicious and diverse array of culinary options, from vegan fine dining and creative takes on tacos to world-class sushi and incendiary Thai food. There’s still barbecue, but nowadays you might find it spiked with Ethiopian spices or Japanese sauces. With warm weather that provides fresh produce year-round, a large influx of newcomers with sparking innovation and a welcoming population that’s excited to embrace new foods (the state motto is “Friendship”), there is plenty to discover in the culinary landscape of Texas.
Austin
This tech hub and live music capital enjoys a diverse food scene with a wide variety of innovative restaurants.
Fabrik
Silas and Je Wallerstein looked to the bounty of produce in the state for inspiration for this vegan fine dining spot. At a tiny 16-seat restaurant called Fabrik, the pair create a new seven-course menu every season. Dishes might include squash cappelletti with smoked pumpkin velouté or a series of snacks (soup, polenta and chutney) highlighting local corn and onions. “It feels like a collaborative effort from seed to plate,” says Silas. “While Fabrik could exist elsewhere, the response and support we’ve received feels unique to Austin.”
Ezov
Israeli Chef Berty Richter got his start in Austin with a fan-favorite hummus food truck, before teaming up with the Emmer & Rye group for sophisticated restaurant Ezov. In the airy dining room, groups share mashed cucumbers with labneh; beef and lamb kebab with fire-roasted eggplant; and baklava with tahini ice cream. “I had dreamt of opening a restaurant where, through food, I could tell my story: where I come from, the culture and traditions I was brought up with and the connection to my heritage, family and to people from that part of the world,” says Richter. “It just made perfect sense for that to happen here in Texas.”
Kemuri Tatsu-ya, Bib Gourmand
A combination Japanese izakaya and Texas roadhouse, Kemuri Tatsu-ya reflects owner Tatsu Aikawa’s upbringing as a Japanese immigrant surrounded by barbecue in Austin. Aikawa says the city’s famous embracing of weirdness gives him the space to create dishes like chili cheese takoyaki (a round octopus fritter) and brisket with serrano-lemon-miso barbecue sauce. The whimsical decor completes the fusion, with deer antlers and Big Red signs joining Japanese Maneki-neko cats (the decorative waving cats) and Japanese advertisements.
Nixta Taqueria, Bib Gourmand and Green Star
Chef Edgar Rico (the son of Mexican immigrants) and Sara Mardanbigi (the daughter of Iranian immigrants) teamed up to create fun-loving taco spot Nixta Taqueria. Attracted by the city’s strong taco culture, Rico uses his fine-dining background to execute intensely flavorful dishes with personality and perspective, like a bean and cheese taco with duck-fat refried beans or a mash-up of arroz con leche and sholeh zard (a Persian rice custard). “Nixta is a restaurant that could only exist in Texas, and more specifically, in Austin, because it’s a little silly, and a little serious,” Rico says.
Dallas
This modern hub blends Texas charm with a vibrant culinary and cultural scene.
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen, Bib Gourmand
Carol Nguyen left Vietnam as a refugee and eventually relocated to the U.S., where she began replicating her mother’s cooking and the street food of Hanoi. She opened Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen in the lively Greenville area, naming the restaurant after her mother. It's the only restaurant in Dallas specializing in Northern Vietnamese cuisine, such as pho simmered for 24 hours, and delicately spiced curries. The lovely space feels welcoming with lots of wood, brick and greenery.
Smoke’N Ash BBQ
“I love the sense of community in Texas; people are open, curious and proud of their food culture, which makes it an incredible place to share something new,” says Fasicka Hicks, founder of the Arlington Tex-Ethiopian barbecue spot Smoke’N Ash BBQ. Hicks, who is Ethiopian, and her Texan husband, Patrick Hicks, honor Texas barbecue with traditional smoked meats while adding Ethiopian flavors to create dishes that feel both familiar and bold, like pork ribs with awaze (Ethiopian spice paste) or injera (sourdough flatbread) nachos.
Tatsu, One Star
Expect serious sushi at this transportive Deep Ellum MICHELIN-Starred omakase. The dining room at Tatsu has a hushed, reverent atmosphere as Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi expertly slices fish from all over the world. Sekiguchi grew up in Japan, and the restaurant follows the edomae tradition of sushi, featuring a curated menu of progressively stronger fish. With only 10 seats, reservations go quickly.
Houston
The fourth largest city in the U.S., Houston is a diverse, inclusive city where culture, ideas and business thrive.
ChòpnBlọk, Bib Gourmand
ChòpnBlọk celebrates Houston’s large West African community. Two locations — a food stall at The Post and a fast-casual restaurant in Montrose — make traditional dishes modern, like rice with peanut stew; jollof jambalaya; and plantain bread in crème anglaise. “What I love about being in Texas, and Houston specifically, is the way immigrant communities shape the area’s identity,” says Chef/owner Ope Amosu. “The way cultures intersect here creates relative nuances and opportunities that can’t be replicated anywhere else.”
Hong Kong Food Street
When his parents’ Bellaire Cantonese restaurant closed after 20 years, owner Johnny Cheung resurrected it in Katy, just west of downtown Houston. Regulars at Hong Kong Food Street gather in the modern dining room decorated with intricately patterned screens for dishes like congee with abalone and chicken, pork and shrimp wontons, and lacquered roast duck. Cantonese cooking relies on seasonal ingredients, so local seafood and year-round produce drive the restaurant. “I love Houston for its inclusiveness and diversity,” says Cheung. “Here, every culture has a chance to be represented and thrive.”
March, One Star
Every six months at MICHELIN-Starred March, Chef Felipe Riccio creates a new tasting menu to explore a different region of the Mediterranean where cultures collide, like Maghreb in Northwest Africa or a part of Spain that feels like Ireland. The result is a creative, educational culinary experience made accessible with winning hospitality. “March is built on the kind of cultural literacy Houston has in its bones,” says partner and CEO June Rodil. “The narrative comes from us: two kids from another country building a restaurant through discovery. The point is to be honest about how cuisines and identities change over time, and to invite people into the why as much as the what.”
Musaafer, One Star
With Musaafer, Chef Mayank Istwal wanted to create a restaurant that tells India’s story in dialogue with local culture, and felt Houston was the perfect place to start. The palatial MICHELIN-Starred restaurant offers both an à la carte and a tasting menu, with dishes like a birria taco finished with nihari (a slow-cooked meat stew) sauce and green butter chicken made with tomatillos and green chiles. “Dishes like these have helped us introduce a wide spectrum of regional Indian flavors in a way that never feels intimidating, because there is always a point of recognition for the diner,” says Istwal.
Street to Kitchen, Bib Gourmand
When Chef Benchawan Painter moved to Houston, she saw similarities to her home in Bangkok and decided to open Street to Kitchen, an “unapologetically authentic” Thai restaurant with a focus on North Central Thai cuisine. She started dishing out spicy curries and charred noodles from a drive-through space in the Mexican-American-dominated Second Ward. Now located in a more sophisticated spot down the street, a sign out front still advertises “Especialidades Tailandesas” to acknowledge the Thai presence in a Mexican-dominated neighborhood. Beware of spice levels: Painter believes if it’s hot enough for Thailand, it’s hot enough for Texas.
San Antonio
A culinary powerhouse, The Alamo City of San Antonio is best known for its historic heritage.
The Jerk Shack, Bib Gourmand
After leaving the U.S. Army, Chef Nicola Blaque arrived in San Antonio with a vision, a connection to her Caribbean heritage and a willingness to work. Texas gave her the space to build something new with The Jerk Shack. Blaque says her recipes for jerk chicken, masala fries and curries reflect that growth phase of her life. “The heart of The Jerk Shack is about culture, belonging, family and feeding people with intention,” she says.
Leche de Tigre
This Southtown Peruvian hotspot is Chef and co-owner Emil Oliva’s first professional cooking job and he’s showcasing his culinary chops with plenty of bright, punchy flavors. Oliva opened Leche de Tigre with his two brothers, inspired by trips to their father’s native Peru. The bungalow and its plant-filled patio offer a trendy, sophisticated backdrop to ceviche, seafood, umami-packed lomo saltado (a stir-fry of beef tenderloin, potatoes and vegetables) and tropical-leaning pisco cocktails.
Mezquite, Bib Gourmand
Located in the gourmet paradise Pullman Market (a one-stop shop for Texan food) in the historic Pearl District, Mezquite is a lively, plant-filled nod to the Sonoran region of Mexico. Thin flour tortillas accompany cebolla asada (grilled onion) with chile toreado (blistered chiles) and black garlic; caramelo — a Sonoran take on a quesadilla — combines queso Oaxaca, charred carne asada and salsa verde; and rich flan rounds out the meal. Kevin Fink, a chef and CEO and Partner of Pullman Market, says, “Texas is unabashed in its pride and culture, and it’s inspiring to live and cook this way.”
Hero image: ©Zach Horst/March
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