Houston is known for its culinary diversity and has long been hailed as one of the best food destinations in the world by chefs, locals, and travelers alike. James Beard Award winners and nominees, chefs with Michelin-starred experience, and restaurants with Michelin stars elsewhere (such as Le Jardinier and Tim Ho Wan) add to Houston’s local pride. But it’s only now that the Michelin Guide has officially… finallyHurricane “Hurricane” has made landfall in Texas, giving it more strength, especially after the devastating tropical storm that left much of Houston powerless.
Of course, now that Michelin is here, Houston residents are starting to ask: What exactly does the guide mean for the city?
Chef Felipe Riccio Good night hospitality Facilities including tasting menu restaurants march And Riccio, owner of the recently opened Marigold Club, says it’s gratifying to see Houston restaurants gain international recognition. “I think everyone who owns a restaurant here is a champion for the city. We believe in the food and beverage scene in this city,” Riccio tells Eater.
Riccio says it was a smart move to bring the guide to the five biggest cities in Texas, but that accurately assessing Houston, the fourth-largest and most diverse city in the U.S., may be a challenge for the anonymous Michelin Guide inspectors. Riccio adds that the three years Michelin has poured into Texas probably aren’t enough, but he’s confident the inspectors will be pleased with what they find. “It will take time to unearth the city’s gems. I’ve spent the better part of the last 18 years in Houston, and I’m still discovering amazing neighborhoods and restaurants,” Riccio says. Given this, Riccio says locals can expect the guide to “overlook some spots” when assessing Houston’s food and drink scene. The key, he says, is whether Michelin looks at the city as a whole.
Benchawan Javthong Painter, chef and James Bearding Award winner at Houston’s “majestic” Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, says she’s excited about Michelin because she’s seen firsthand the difference the guide has made to Bangkok. She and her husband, STK co-owner Graham Painter, visit Thailand every year to check out the food scene. Together, they’ve seen firsthand how the guide has benefited Bangkok’s tourism industry and the surrounding area. “The guide has done a tremendous job for the city, consistently highlighting outstanding places,” Graham Painter says. “We’d love to see the same thing happen in Houston.”
Some local chefs and restaurateurs predict the guide will put pressure on restaurant teams to change how they approach their menus. Chef Felipe Botero Sanchez of Michelin-starred Le Jardinier in Miami and New York says the Michelin guide will usher in a new era for Texas’ food and beverage scene. “This will be the Olympics of Texas cuisine and everyone will be looking to Texas,” Sanchez says, encouraging chefs to use it as a springboard to pursue and deliver top-notch food and service to local and tourist diners alike. “There’s no turning back,” Sanchez says. “We have to embrace this, make something out of it, and make changes for the better.”
Still, other chefs in the community say Michelin might make things complicated. Aaron Blue Dawn, the Beard Award-nominated chef who owns the Houston restaurants Blue Dawn, Navy Blue and Bar Blue Dawn, says he was initially reluctant to have Michelin come to Houston because he feared it would stifle creativity. “I think I developed PTSD from having to deal with the Michelin Guide so much,” he says. Cafe Bru And what that means,” said Bluedorn, a longtime employee at Daniel Boulud’s restaurants. Ten years later, “I was very happy to escape the routine of being scared of losing our stars. Are we doing the right thing? In the end, keeping our stars became the main goal. With that mindset, you’re not cooking for your guests.”
When I came to Houston in 2019, Blue Dawn said he was excited to be able to focus solely on the dining experience of his customers at Blue Dawn, which opened in 2020. “I felt like I could do anything. As long as the customers are happy, I can do anything,” he said. “The biggest reward for me is having regular customers in the restaurant. … I enjoy cooking for my customers more than I enjoy cooking for them.” [regulars] “We need inspectors more than once a year.”
James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd admits he’s “out of the game” since retiring from local restaurateurship in 2022, but he says he has concerns. “I don’t want people to stop cooking for the stars and cooking from their hearts,” he says. Shepherd, a longtime advocate for Houston’s food culture, says he’s skeptical of Michelin coming to Houston. Texas TripMichelin, the state’s tourism arm, paid the tire company an undisclosed amount to rate restaurants. Shepherd also said he was confused by Michelin’s indications that its star rating criteria are based solely on food, not service or design, because all those aspects are such a big part of the dining experience. “It raises a whole bunch of questions,” he said.
Shepherd says that while a Bib Gourmand or one- or two-star certification is good for a restaurant, things get busy when the certification steps into three-star territory. “It’s enough pressure to keep the restaurant busy and look after your staff, and then you get a Bib Gourmand. What happens if you lose it? It’s devastating,” Shepherd says.
While Houston’s restaurant scene is generally a collaborative and supportive community, Graham said some worry that the star rating system will create too much competition. “We all have written or verbal lists of other restaurants to share with our customers, so as long as that spirit is kept, it’s great,” Graham said. “When someone in Houston gets a star, we all win.”
Bluedorn and Shepherd acknowledge that many restaurants will benefit greatly from Michelin’s presence in Texas. “It’s going to put a spotlight on Houston’s fine dining scene, bring more vibrancy, more talent and more excitement,” Bluedorn says. “I think it’s just great overall.” Riccio says the team’s decisions will be motivated by internal company goals, not Michelin metrics. “We want to do a good job for our team and for the guests who spend their time and money with us, and that’s what drives the team here,” he says. [Michelin] We change the way we do things. We just enforce it to the highest standards. We do it because we love it.”
And any restaurant is only as good as your last meal, Graham adds. “No award can make up for that,” he says. “Houston should reach for the stars. Houston deserves it. We deserve it.”
