There occasionally comes a time when Houston’s perpetual underdog status is discovered by some outside entity, giving the city the attention it so deserves but seldom really wants or needs. And while being in the spotlight does sometimes feel good and even, dare we say it, validating, there’s a certain discomfort in being perceived—or rather, in how we’re perceived.

The big rollout of the very first Texas Michelin Guide brought some huge wins, and a few surprises, to the state’s largest city. The ceremony being held in Houston was a win in itself, a manifestation of our standing as the heart and soul of Texas (yeah, you know it). On Monday evening, notable members of the food industry and local media gathered at 713 Music Hall in downtown Houston for the invite-only event. Chefs swapped out their restaurant garb for suits and cocktail dresses, mingling with the likes of mayor John Whitmire and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott.

“We’ve already been discovered by the world,” Whitmire told Houstonia at the ceremony. “We’re an international town and we’re excited to host this. People will leave here talking about Houston, and then, it will bring more economic development and recognition—it will just have a ripple effect.”

By the end of the night, 116 restaurants in Texas were awarded Michelin stars, Bib Gourmands, and other awards, including 30 right here in the Bayou City. Six Houston restaurants received one Michelin star.

Michelin, the tire company that sets the tone for culinary excellence globally with its highly sought-after stars, had been rumored to be eyeing Texas for years. As guides were launched in New York in 2005, then California, Chicago, DC, Florida, Colorado, and Atlanta, Texans wondered when their turn would come. All we needed was the lobbying efforts of the almighty Houston First and the Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Oh, and $2.7 million, paid by those cities and the state.

Michelin finally announced it was coming to Texas in August, culminating in the ceremony on November 11, emceed by TV host and Dallasite Java Ingram, plus a heavily French accented–Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s international director. Attendees loaded up on canapés and Franciacorta before being ushered into the aggressively air-conditioned concert hall.

Graham Painter, co-owner of beloved Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, said walking into the event felt like going to the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, but with butterflies in his stomach. Once the initial nerves wore off, he and his wife, chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, were excited to see their chef friends.

“We’ve been following the [Michelin] scene from Bangkok, and we frequent Mexico City, so we’ve seen how beneficial it’s been for food tourism,” Painter said. “Houston and the state of Texas deserves it. No matter who gets what, a star is a win for every restaurant in the whole state.”

The ceremony began with the usual presentations from corporate sponsors, as well as brief speeches by Mayor Whitmire and Houston First CEO Michael Heckman, who presciently reminded us that “food brings us together and bridges divides.” This was followed by a dramatic video of various Texas scenes—the Houston skyline, longhorns lumbering across the Fort Worth Stockyards, and the like—plus a fun message from NASA astronauts.

Only one of these figureheads truly won our hearts, though. The Michelin Man, whose real name we learned is Bibendum, was a delightful presence on stage throughout the night, a goofy smile permanently affixed to his face, clapping at every winner and posing in every photo with a cringingly wholesome thumbs-up.

A handful of offshoot awards were presented before we got to the good stuff. Steven McDonald of the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston won Sommelier of the Year. Edgar Rico, chef and co-owner of Nixta Taqueria in Austin, received the Young Chef Award.

“Immigrants are what make this country and this state an amazing place to eat,” Rico told the crowd as he accepted the honors on stage.

Next up was the vaguely named “recommended by Michelin” category, which seems to be a kind of honorable mention. The list includes 57 restaurants, including seven in Houston, a few of which were puzzling. Baso, Hidden Omakase, and especially Bludorn were names floated as potential stars; them not making it onto the main list raised more than one eyebrow on Monday night.

Aaron Bludorn says he was just thrilled to even be at the event. “It’s so great to see all the chefs from around Texas, and some of my favorite people all in one room, just celebrating what we all do,” Bludorn said. “A big congratulations to all the chefs that won stars, all the chefs that got Bib Gourmands, and all the chefs who are recommended. It’s a true honor and I can’t wait to see where this goes from here.”

The Bib Gourmand, which recognizes restaurants “that serve good food at moderate prices,” was expected to be a sweep for Houston, a city that prides itself on the affordability and accessibility of its culinary offerings. And it was a sweep—more than any other city—albeit a rather broad one. Of the 45 Bibs, 17 of them are in Houston, including the (very worthy) Theodore Rex, where it is near impossible to dine under $100 a head. Belly of the Beast, Nancy’s Hustle, Nobie’s, Rosie Cannonball, and Street to Kitchen (all excellent) similarly felt quite upscale for this category.

The recognition is no less impactful. Chef Thomas Bille in particular has pulled off quite a feat with the success of his Belly of the Beast, which slings fine-dining Mexican cuisine in the northern suburb of Spring.

“My wife and business partner, Elizabeth and I, feel extremely proud that an institution such as Michelin has presented us with this honor,” Bille said. “It’s not something we’ve ever really aimed for, but we will take it.”

With the official Michelin guide now out for those who might be interested in visiting Houston for its food scene—or just locals wanting to explore—Bille added that he hopes restaurants see an uptick in business.

We were very happy to see Ema, Mala Sichuan Bistro, and Nam Giao (peak Bib) get their flowers. Ema opened its first brick-and-mortar in March after years of hosting pop-ups at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market and other spots around town. The restaurant is already a Houston gem, and Michelin inspectors felt the same way.

Ema co-owner Stephanie Velasquez says she and the team are feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. “We have put in so much blood, sweat, and tears into this restaurant and into building the brand since the farmers market,” Velasquez says. “The fact that someone tried our food, loved it, and was so happy with it—it’s hard to describe the feeling and the intensity of it, but in a good way.”

Members of Houston barbecue royalty like Blood Bros, Pinkerton’s, Pit Room, and Truth were also among Bib recipients.

“I’m thrilled to have the Michelin Guide in Houston and proud of our teams to have earned this distinguished recognition,” says Pit Room owner Michael Sambrooks, whose other restaurant Candente ended up in the Recommended category. “It’s a dream come true, and I look forward to all that’s to come for Sambrooks Hospitality.”

Then came the stars: 15 of them total, with six in the Houston area. BCN Taste & Tradition, a Barcelona-inspired restaurant in Montrose, was called to the stage, followed by Le Jardinier, a French restaurant in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Kinder Building—no surprise, as its New York and Miami locations have both been given stars. Bastion Collection, the group behind Le Jardinier, opened the Houston outpost in 2021. Executive chef Felipe Botero says these accolades are a testament that the city’s food scene is headed in the right direction. Amid a whirlwind of emotions, Botero says there hasn’t been much time to think about the newfound success and digest it.

Also among this crop were Musaafer, whose Indian fine-dining experience actually makes us want to go to the Galleria, and Corkscrew BBQ in Spring. Before the awards, there was talk of whether barbecue would be included, and it’s been great to see that Michelin inspectors loved so many of the same local joints we do. Nichole and Will Buckman, the power couple behind Corkscrew, went to the ceremony not knowing what was in store for them. When it was revealed that Corkscrew earned a star, they were in shock.

“All we can do is our absolute best, and I feel like we do that,” Nichole said. “I don’t know if that sets us apart, but I think it helps.”

Tatemó is another remarkable success story. Chef Emmanuel Chavez and partner Megan Maul began selling heirloom corn tortillas during the pandemic, and now have a Mexican tasting menu spot in Spring Branch that’s a twice–James Beard finalist. It can now add one Michelin star to its list of accolades.

March joined the one-star Houston crew, too, thanks to its ever-revolving concept and menu that hyper-focuses on a different cuisine every six months (it’s currently highlighting the northwestern coastal Italian region of Genoa, should you want to grab a res’).

“It’s quite surreal,” said June Rodil, CEO of Goodnight Hospitality, the group behind March as well as Rosie Cannonball, Montrose Cheese & Wine, and the Marigold Club. “It’s really special. It’s great to see peers—old heroes, new heroes—people we worked with throughout our career in one room. Knowing where they came from and where they are now to seeing them on this stage is amazing. It’s so great to share this moment with people that you truly admire.”

Echoing Edgar Rico’s comments earlier in the night, while Goodnight chef-partner Felipe Riccio is excited by the Michelin recognition, he fears for the industry’s immigrant community as President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda looms.

“The backbone of restaurants are immigrant labor force, and I think it’s going to be important to support those people who work really hard,” Riccio said. “I’m a DACA recipient. Without the support of our communities, we don’t get to keep growing. We have to make sure we don’t turn our back on anyone in our communities.”

Once March and Tatemó were called, two restaurants that Michelin onlookers thought may be able to pull off double stars, we saw the writing on the wall. Our journey would end at one star.

While we knew two and three stars would be a reach for Texas, especially in its first Michelin year, we weren’t ready for some of the snubs we were dealt. The most egregious? The entire city of El Paso. Our neighbor in the far west was, notably, also not one of the cities whose CVBs ponied up some cash.

When asked about El Paso’s omission, Houstonia received a statement from the anonymous chief inspector of the Michelin Guide North America over email: “Before a new guide is established in a given city, state or country, the inspection team conducts an initial study of the area. During that destination assessment, the inspectors evaluate the main major culinary hot spots for the inaugural selection, which for Texas included Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Nevertheless, it is only the beginning of our story with Texas, and as the Michelin Guide works on a long-term scale, we observe very often the extension of its geographical scope within a country, a region, or a state over time.”

Here in Houston, you will likely never hear us shut up about the criminal oversight of not awarding restaurants like Jūn, Hamsa, and Katami, all of which are more than star-worthy. We would have loved to see cherished spots like Pondicheri and Cochinita & Co. be among our Bibs. And not a single restaurant of Hugo Ortega’s, arguably the most influential Houston chef of the past couple decades, was awarded—not even the consolation prize Recommended category.

Of course, we at Houstonia are also in the business of restaurant guides (and, perhaps a good time for a disclosure, some SagaCity Media staff are members of the James Beard voting body). Pleasing everyone is never the result nor the aim. And as Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook wisely wrote after the ceremony, this endeavor is “a tricky art filled with landmines.”

So, let us get off our soapbox and celebrate Houston’s many wins. Take a look at the full local list below.

Editor’s note: Kau Ba was removed from the list of Bib Gourmand by Michelin after the organization discovered it has since closed. Our counts were updated on November 14 to reflect this change.

The Texas Michelin Guide, by the Numbers

116 total restaurants in Texas awarded by Michelin

15 restaurants in Texas with one Michelin star

44 restaurants in Texas with Bib Gourmands

57 restaurants in Texas “recommended” by Michelin

Breakdown by city

Austin: 45 total, 7 one star, 15 Bib Gourmands, 23 recommended (plus 2 Special Awards and 2 Green Stars that also received aforementioned accolades)

Houston: 30 total, 6 one star, 17 Bib Gourmands, 7 recommended (plus 1 Special Award that also received aforementioned accolades)

Dallas: 25 total, 1 one star, 6 Bib Gourmands, 18 recommended (plus 1 Special Award that also received aforementioned accolades)

San Antonio: 13 total, 1 one star, 5 Bib Gourmands, 7 recommended

Fort Worth: 3 total, 0 one star, 1 Bib Gourmand, 2 recommended