Written by Davon D. E. Hatchett, Image courtesy of Belly of the Beast

The Ultimate Texas Dining Guide 2026

By: The Local Palate

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For Tristen Epps, Top Chef Season 22 winner and champion of celebrating diasporic foodways, moving to Houston was an absolute no-brainer: “I think Houston is the culinary capital of the South,” he says. “It’s extremely diverse, and just an amazing city that encapsulates the [food culture] of the United States.” It’s also the perfect place for his upcoming restaurant, Buboy, which will be a celebration of Afro-Caribbean food in the kind of elevated, upscale format he believes it deserves. “I’m a really big fan of people who come from different places or who are representing their own heritage and bringing out different types of formats for their cuisine,” he says.

Tristan Epps Image courtesy of Arturo Olmos — Image courtesy of Arturo Olmos

Tristen Epps’ Recommendations:

Breakfast: The Breakfast Klub

[It’s] quintessential Houston— Black culture [and] amazing, solid, yummy food—just a really great story of longevity.

More Breakfast: Pondicheri Bake Lab

Indian breakfast is super interesting. I think it’s really fun and just one of those kinds of things that’s really special to Houston.

Lunch: Third Place Cafe by Jūn

They have rotating chefs they farm out their space to, so every day it’s different. Going there you get something new all the time—which could be anything from an everything lox mochi waffle to gumbo.

Dinner: Cadente

I think it shows that true Tex-Mex thing, and it’s represented so deliciously here.

Best Beverage Pro: Arjav Ezekiel

Birdie’s, Austin

For the Birdie’s of Austin co-owner—and the 2025 inaugural winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service—who counts his parents “among the greatest [at-home] entertainers on earth,” a reverence for good food and great hospitality is in his blood. Arjav Ezekiel’s ethos of “excellence and equity can live at the same table” carries through to every facet of the business, which is why he offers inclusive drinking options: As he says, it’s just as important for a sober person “to have an incredible experience as a wine snob would.”

Arjav Ezekiel’s Current Favorites:

TEXAS PRODUCT

I think Texas citrus is really delicious—we get our citrus for the restaurant from the Valley. And one of the most delicious things that comes out of the ground during the hot months are the variety of peppers.

BEVERAGE TREND

[The effort to] reset the pricing on the wine list and make beverages more affordable and accessible to more people.

DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE

The Mexican Martini is my go-to drink order at Holiday here in Austin. It feels quintessentially Texan to me, with that perfect balance of sweet, sour, and savory with the olive brine that makes it incredibly satisfying. I think they’ve got the best burger in town, and there’s something about that drink that just works beautifully with it.

The Best of Texas

Best New Restaurant: Belly of the Beast, Spring

After a couple of fits and starts and then reopening for good in 2023, Belly of the Beast is finally hitting its full stride. Helmed by 2025 James Beard Best Chef: Texas winner Thomas Bille and his wife, Elizabeth, BOTB is changing the rules on how cultural fine dining can be defined. While the menu leans Mexican, in totality it’s a sophisticated amalgam of global flavors and expressions, like tagliatelle with chorizo, grilled octopus plated with bone marrow, and pozole dumplings.

Best Basque Meets Southern-ish Fusion: BASO, Houston

What makes BASO such fun? A “kids without a bedtime” culinary ethos and a confluence of Basque, Japanese, and Spanish influences with French techniques, local ingredients, and Southern cuisine irrespective of Southern tradition. A few don’t-miss dishes are caviar service with dashi caramel, butter, and Stroopwafel (instead of potato chips); whole okra with gouda and vin jaune sauce; open flame-roasted shrimp with smoked chile, garlic, and lime; and a succulent ribeye with a burned-onion bone sauce.

Best Authentic Italian Deli: Bordo, Marfa

Only in magical Marfa could there be a 2025 James Beard Best Chef: Texas finalist extolled for work being done at an Italian deli. Chef Michael Serva is creating enchanting eats at Bordo, with long lines of eager customers. Wood-fired bread made with heirloom flour, imported Italian ingredients, and a whimsically genius culinary bent result in sandwiches like the vegetarian Desimone with marinated green tomato, fresh heirloom tomato, cream cheese, peppery, nutty nigella seed, Saba (a syrupy condiment made from grape must), toasted breadcrumbs, parmesan, and pesto. Magic indeed.

Most Inventive West Texas Cuisine: The Nicolett, Lubbock

Not familiar with the food of West Texas, also known as Texas High Plains cuisine? Allow The Nicolett to deliciously school you through heirloom beans, open-flame cooking, and locally sourced ingredients that exemplify the region’s Indigenous, Spanish, and Old World influences. Lavender fry bread and lavender-battered fried chicken, a crab Dutch Baby, and smoked antelope are just a few menu standouts, along with house wines made by the iconic winemaker Kim McPherson of nearby McPherson Cellars.

Best Culinary Hotel: Hotel Emma, San Antonio

Hotel Emma’s Culinary Concierge Team will make your taste buds tingle. This hotel ups the gastronomic ante by arranging culinary experiences in and out of the hotel, spirits and wine dinners (Texas winery William Chris Vineyards is a frequent partner), welcome margaritas upon check-in, and complimentary Chef’s Tastings snacks in the evening. This is in addition to their seasonally driven Supper restaurant, Sternewirth bar (their cocktail program is unmatched), and the fast-casual gourmet market Larder. Their hotel rooms are luxuriously swoonworthy, too.

Most Globally Inspired Steakhouse: The Chumley House, Forth Worth

Cross over the threshold of The Chumley House and you’ll swear you’ve been transported to a stylish, well-appointed London manor with delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen. What really sets this steakhouse apart is an inventive Texas-meets-the-UK menu: Akaushi New York strip next to savory long bone lamb tandoori, tenderloin beef stroganoff, elegant beef Wellington, chicken schnitzel, and decadent butter chicken pie.

Best Laid-Back Luxe: Hugo’s Seafood Bar, Dallas

A hidden-in-plain-sight gem, this cozy nook of a restaurant may be small, but chef-owner Hugo Galvan turns out big things from the kitchen. Leaning creatively into gorgeous coastal Mexican flavors, dishes include oyster shooters with aguachile and trout roe and tostadas piled high with shrimp, scallops, and octopus. Wildly inventive cocktails and a substantial wine list take the dining experience up another notch.

Best Regional Modern Mexican Food: Mayahuel, Houston

Mexico City cuisine has been lauded for its cultural richness intertwining traditions of the ancient Aztecs, impeccable freshness, and global influences. Mayahuel—a nod to the Aztec goddess of nourishment, patience, and purpose—serves the Mexico City ethos in spades, offering dishes like avocado and sikil p’aak (an earthy, nutty Mayan dip that rivals guacamole), shrimp and beef cheek confit tacos, duck Magret with spice bread, and sourdough bread and tortillas (instead of chips) served with housemade salsas and butters.