Here Are the 2024 Michelin Winners in Austin

It’s finally here: Michelin — the tire company behind the international dining review system — announced the awardees of its first-ever Texas guide on Monday, November 11, spanning Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth. The ceremony was presented in Houston and live-streamed on YouTube.

Michelin Guide Texas includes so many Austin restaurants. Seven received one star; 15 Bib Gourmands; 23 recommended designations. Absolutely no two or three stars were awarded to any Texas restaurants. The full Austin list follows below; check out Houston’s and Dallas’s lists on their respective sites.

Four Texas barbecue restaurants have received first-ever stars for American barbecue, including Austin’s Interstellar BBQ, La Barbecue, and LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue. They join Singapore’s Australian-style barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends and Japanese wagyu barbecue restaurant Oretachi No Nikuya in Taiwan,

The first Michelin award of the evening went to Dallas cocktail bar Rye manager Julian Shaffer for the Exceptional Cocktails Award. The first Austin honoree was Edgar Rico of Mexican restaurant Nixta Taqueria who received the Young Chef Award. Only two Austin restaurants received Michelin Green stars, a distinction that highlights a restaurant’s sustainable practices; Jesse Griffiths accepted the award for Dai Due and Kevin Fink for Emmer & Rye.

For San Antonio, Mexican tasting menu restaurant Mixtli’s Hailey Pruitt and Lauren Beckman won the Service Award; the restaurant also received a star — the only star for San Antonio. Beckman shared that she was “panicking a little bit but completely honored” on stage. Emmer & Rye’s San Antonio dessert menu restaurant Nicosi got a recommended designation.

Well before Michelin’s Texas announcement in July, its famously anonymous inspectors were on the ground in the state reviewing restaurants in five cities and determining which dining establishments are worthy of stars. The criteria are based on the quality, creativity, and consistency of the food, ingredients, and dishes. Notably, the website states that inspectors “do not look at the interior decor, table setting, or service quality.”

Michelin’s star designations break down as follows:

Three Michelin stars indicate restaurants that serve “exceptional cuisine” that is “worth a special journey,” per its website.

Two stars are given to restaurants that offer “excellent cooking” that is “worth a detour.”

Single stars are awarded to restaurants that have “high-quality cooking” that’s “worth a stop.”

Then there are Michelin’s Bib Gourmands, a designation typically given to what the organization describes as places with “good cuisine at reasonable prices,” which is just comparatively more affordable and casual restaurants than starred ones. Then there are its Michelin Green Stars given to restaurants that implement highly sustainable and/or eco-friendly practices. And finally, there is the recommended list, which includes restaurants that are good but not good enough for any of the labels above.