Since the Michelin Guide arrived in Texas in 2024, the culinary scene in Dallas-Fort Worth has churned with change.
Chefs and restaurateurs acknowledge they have made improvements to their menus and service over the past year. But for most, it comes with a caveat: They did not make tweaks with Michelin in mind, but rather, to offer a better experience for customers.
Until at least 2026 in North Texas, restaurants will vie to earn one of Michelin’s awards, whether stars, Bib Gourmands or recommendations. Those that won a Michelin distinction do not keep it year to year and must re-attain their Michelin status or strive to better it.
In the first-ever Texas Michelin Guide in 2024, only one restaurant in D-FW — Tatsu Dallas — received a Michelin star. Rye, a restaurant located in Dallas’ Lower Greenville neighborhood, received a special award for exceptional cocktails. Seven more were recognized as Bib Gourmand picks, given to restaurants serving good food at moderate prices. Twenty others made the Recommended list, an honor given to restaurants that are not yet at the level to receive a star but were enjoyed by Michelin’s anonymous critics.
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Chef Dean Fearing, who has worked in some of Dallas’ finest kitchens for nearly 50 years, is all too familiar with scrutiny from restaurant critics. Michelin is new to Texas, but the pressure of an anonymous guest in the dining room isn’t, Fearing said.
Plus, his Ritz-Carlton restaurant, Fearing’s, is open 365 days a year. Rather than fret about who’s coming in, and when, Fearing said his team tries to keep standards high no matter the day.
“It’s theater every night,” Fearing said. “The food has to be great, the service has to be great. … There needs to be a ‘wow’ situation going on at our restaurant, at Fearing’s, all the time.”
Dallas chef Dean Fearing garnishes Texas Wagyu Beef Carpaccio Elotes on July 12, 2024, at Fearing’s restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
Fearing and his team have regularly discussed their menu and service since the 2024 Michelin ceremony, when Fearing’s received a Recommended honor. That recognition means critics liked the restaurant but didn’t find it star-worthy.
To better impress Michelin, Fearing said the restaurant’s team will make the tasting menu more noticeable to diners. Five courses include tortilla soup, maple and black peppercorn soaked buffalo, and chicken-fried lobster, showing off some of the restaurant’s most beloved bites. It costs $135 per person.
Notably, Fearing’s tasting menu is not new. The restaurant just didn’t advertise it.
“We’ve always had it,” Fearing confirmed. “But we’re going to make it a little more prominent. Because it seems like that’s what Michelin likes: tasting menus.”
Rye, another Recommended restaurant that received a special award for exceptional cocktails in 2024, has also undergone changes. Its ownership maintains they were not motivated by Michelin.
“At Rye, we’re constantly working to make the restaurant better — not just for accolades, but for the joy of the craft and our guests,” said Tanner Agar, owner of Rye.
Corey Rivers, bartender, decorates an espresso martini with coffee beans at Rye in Lower Greenville in Dallas on Feb. 19, 2025.
Liz Rymarev / Staff Photographer
Agar said that translated into more training for his staff, pushing themselves to create technically challenging and nuanced menus, and elevating their ingredient sourcing.
The small plates served at Rye are characterized by their creativity. And much of the restaurant’s real treasure lies in the bar.
“Being recognized by Michelin again would be a privilege, and getting a star even more so, but we’ll continue to follow our path regardless,” said Agar.
Two restaurants owned by Dallas company Duro Hospitality, Mister Charles, a contemporary American restaurant with French and Italian fare, and El Carlos Elegante, a Mexican cuisine restaurant, both scored a spot on Michelin’s Recommended list. Earlier this month, its tiny hotel on Lower Greenville Avenue, Casa Duro, received one Michelin Key, the French company’s awards program for hospitality properties, for a second year in a row.
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El Carlos Elegante is a Mexican restaurant located in the Dallas Design District.
Chase Hall
Chas Martin, co-founder of Duro Hospitality, said he is confident Michelin’s presence in Texas helps shine a light on all the things happening in the state’s dining scene, but they have not changed the essence of who they are because of awards or accolades.
“We’re not chasing recognition — we’re chasing lasting relationships with our guests. If we’re putting out a great product and our team shows up happy every day, that’s the formula that works for us,” said Martin.
Monarch, another Recommended Michelin restaurant, has made improvements in recent months, too, ranging from enhanced relationships with suppliers to instituting rigorous tasting protocols and cross-team calibration sessions to ensure precision across all dishes. Although, all of this is done on an ongoing basis.
Other measures taken at Monarch included revisiting spatial flow, lighting, acoustics and course transitions.
Roasted Halibut with tomato and olive sauce from Chef Eric Dreyer at Monarch restaurant in Downtown Dallas, on May 21, 2021.
Ben Torres / Special Contributor
“Staff roles, menu narrative coherence and subtle theatrical touches have been reviewed and refined,” Monarch said in a statement.
“We’re always refining the experience because it’s who we are,” said Danny Grant, owner of Monarch. “Any acknowledgment that comes from that effort is simply the result of honest dedication, care, and a reflection of our team’s genuine artistry and devotion to excellence.”