Come Thursday morning, a lot of chefs in Dallas and Fort Worth will be hitting refresh on their email.
The Michelin Guide will release its third Texas selection on Thursday, October 8. This time there’s no ceremony. The last two years, Michelin threw a big night in Houston and chefs found out in front of a room full of their peers. This year the stars, Bib Gourmands and Recommended picks show up in a press release.
Here’s where North Texas stands going in, and what to look for when the list lands.
Dallas has two stars to defend
Tatsu Dallas, chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi’s 10-seat omakase counter in Deep Ellum, was North Texas’ only starred restaurant when Michelin arrived in 2024, and it kept that star last year. Last October it got company. Mamani, the French contemporary restaurant from chef Christophe De Lellis in Uptown’s Quad development, earned a star after just 48 days in business, one of three new stars Michelin announced statewide that night. De Lellis came to Dallas from Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, and the inspectors singled out his technique and his sauces.
So the first thing to check Thursday is whether both keep their stars. The second is whether either one gets a second star, something no restaurant in Texas has managed yet.
Fort Worth is still waiting
Fort Worth remains the only one of the guide’s five Texas cities without a star. Its Michelin list has been identical both years: Goldee’s Bar-B-Q with a Bib Gourmand, plus Panther City BBQ and Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez as Recommended restaurants. Arlington’s Smoke N Ash BBQ, which blends Texas barbecue with Ethiopian cooking, is also on the Recommended list.
That said, there’s a lot more Michelin experience in Fort Worth kitchens than there was a year ago. Michael Riemenschneider, a German chef who earned a star at The Abbey Restaurant in England, has been consulting at Beren Meze & Grill House on the Near Southside. Rodrigo Rivera-Río, whose Koli Cocina de Origen in Monterrey holds a star, built the menu and trained the kitchen at Almacén El Gallo downtown. Graham Elliot, whose namesake Chicago restaurant held two stars, is also working in Fort Worth now. Whether any of that shows up Thursday comes down to timing. Michelin inspectors make several anonymous visits before they hand out anything, and some of these kitchens haven’t been open long.
The Bib Gourmands
The Bib Gourmand is Michelin’s nod to very good food at a fair price, and North Texas has been steady on this front. All six Dallas-area Bibs from the first year kept their awards last year: Cattleack Barbeque, Gemma, Lucia, Một Hai Ba, Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen and Nonna. Goldee’s makes seven for the region. Last year, Texas added eight new Bibs statewide, but none of them went to North Texas. We will see if that changes this year.
The rest of the list
Last year’s North Texas Recommended list held steady, with just one newcomer, Sushi Kozy downtown. Mister Charles also picked up Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktail award. A Recommended mention doesn’t carry the weight of a star, but it still matters. Fasicka Hicks of Smoke N Ash says more people started finding her restaurant after its 2024 recognition.
Will Michelin stay in Texas?
That may be the biggest question of all. Michelin came to Texas under a three-year, $2.7 million deal paid for by the state and the tourism bureaus of Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, with each city putting in $270,000. This is the last year of that agreement. Visit Fort Worth says it’s still in talks and hasn’t decided on renewal. Michelin, for its part, says that once the guide arrives somewhere, the intent is to stay. Add in the scrapped ceremony, and it’s fair to wonder what next year looks like.
One practical note for readers: Michelin now asks users to create a free account to browse its website. If you want to see the full Texas list Thursday morning, sign up a day early.
CraveDFW will have the complete Dallas-Fort Worth results Thursday as soon as Michelin releases them.
