Thanin Viriyaki
Birreria y Taqueria Cortez has received two straight "Recommended" distinctions from Michelin but, still, the Star eludes them.
On Oct. 28, the second Texas Michelin Awards ceremony unfolded in Houston. Emcee Java Ingram rattled off winner after winner from Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. And when the hourlong production wrapped, Fort Worth was left with a familiar question: “What about us?”
It wasn’t for lack of participation. Last year, Fort Worth joined hands — and pocketbooks — with other Texas cities to help lure Michelin south, betting that the world’s most famous dining guide would finally give local chefs their international due. Over the past decade, Fort Worth’s dining landscape has evolved rapidly, with longtime fine-dining stalwarts like Grace and Paris 7th standing alongside ambitious newcomers such as Don Artemio and Hatsuyuki Hand Roll Bar. The assumption was that once Michelin experienced our city’s cuisine, it would find at least a few stars worth awarding.
In that inaugural year, things looked hopeful: Goldee’s BBQ earned a Bib Gourmand, and Panther City BBQ, Cortez Birrieria y Taqueria, and Smoke ’N Ash in Arlington were listed as “Recommended.” Many in Fort Worth quietly expected that momentum to carry into 2025. But as the awards were handed out this year, Fort Worth once again walked away starless — though it’s worth noting that every Fort Worth restaurant recognized in 2024 held its distinction in 2025, no small feat for any restaurant.
But the question lingers: Are Fort Worth restaurants simply not good enough for Michelin stars?
As with last year’s rollout, Michelin’s anonymous inspectors spent months dining across the five Texas cities that invested financially: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth. But Michelin has been clear: This isn’t pay to play. Selections are based purely on food quality, consistency, and the company’s five-point criteria, not money. Just because we paid them to come here, in other words, doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to bestow stars on our restaurants.
But even some smaller awards would have been nice.
“I think there should have been a few Bib Gourmands,” says Mark Hitri, executive chef and co-owner of Paris 7th, a beloved French restaurant near the Cultural District. “There are definitely restaurants that are worth the trip.” Not as life-changing as stars but still significant in the Michelin universe, Bib Gourmands are meant to honor value restaurants with exceptional food.
Hitri also shares a lesson from a mentor: “A restaurant can only be as good as its diners allow,” a reminder that Michelin and local audiences may not always reward the same things.
Fort Worth’s restaurant culture has long valued individuality over formality — a trait both its chefs and diners embrace. Yet Michelin often favors tightly structured, technique-forward dining, the sort found in cities with dense clusters of tasting-menu restaurants.
Local food writer Josie Singleton says the guide has done well spotlighting certain Fort Worth stories: “Birreria y Taqueria Cortez is the American dream come true, one birria taco and one consomé-soaked napkin at a time,” she says. “Similar stories are found at Panther City BBQ and Goldee’s Bar-B-Q.”
But, she argues, Fort Worth’s depth goes well beyond tacos and barbecue. “There are a few spots that also tell a story and deliver an exceptional experience worthy of a Michelin nod.”
Like many others in Fort Worth’s culinary circles, she points to Don Artemio as an example. “To start, Don Artemio literally seeps in story,” she says. “The dishes elevate Mexican cuisine to a level not seen since Lanny Lancarte opened Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana.” Its endlessly creative use of traditional Mexican ingredients, from nopalitos to cabrito, she says, illustrates how our city’s palate is evolving.
Another contender, she says, is Hatsuyuki Hand Roll Bar, a West 7th spot that specializes in Japanese hand rolls. “The ingredients are beyond fresh,” she says. “The service is as exceptional and as consistent as the food.” To Singletary, it’s the perfect example of a Fort Worth restaurant going far, far, far beyond steak, tacos, and barbecue, which were once our city’s culinary calling cards.
Fort Worth’s financial participation in Texas’ three-year agreement with Michelin remains a point of discussion. Alex Catterton, Director of Content and Public Relations for Visit Fort Worth, confirmed 2025 marks the second year of the agreement but isn’t sure what the future holds. “There haven’t been any talks about the future yet,” she says.
But Catterton says the investment has paid dividends in awareness: “It has helped in terms of getting Fort Worth’s name on the national scene.” She also notes that Fort Worth now boasts three Michelin-recognized hotels, including Bowie House, the only North Texas property with a Two Key designation. “We are proud of our culinary scene but know there are many more that deserve to be honored as well,” she says.
Chef Graham Elliot, a Michelin-starred chef from Chicago who now lives and works in Fort Worth, believes the city is closer than many think. “When it comes to technical skill, attention to detail, and taking care of guests, the chefs and restaurants in Fort Worth are absolutely on the same level as other major cities,” he says.
For Elliot, the next step is sharpening the city’s identity. “We need to ditch the ‘D-’ and highlight the ‘FW,’” he says. “Nobody can deny the level of food, beverage, and service this city delivers. Now the shift needs to be putting the microscope not on the bigger cities but on the incredible talent growing right here.”
His advice to chefs is simple: “Find your own voice and create a genuine reason for people to come experience what you do,” he says. “Every chef and restaurateur has a story.”
Maybe Fort Worth’s restaurants don’t fit the guide’s longtime mold. Or maybe, as several chefs suggest, the city’s story just needs to be told more loudly.
Either way, Fort Worth’s best chefs will keep doing what they do: cooking with heart, honoring their stories, and proving that the measure of a restaurant isn’t a star, but the people who fill the seats.
“We didn’t really change anything after the last round, and we’re not gonna change anything this round,” says Hitri from Paris 7th. “We’re gonna keep doing what we do. If Michelin recognizes us, then very nice. If not, we’ll still keep doing what we do."
