Houston’s dining scene continues to participate on a global stage. At a private ceremony in downtown Houston last month, The Michelin Guide released its 2025 Texas selections — and the Bayou City delivered once again. Thirty-nine Houston restaurants made the list this year, a jump from last year’s inaugural showing and a sign of the city’s growing culinary influence.
As expected, the lineup includes fine-dining heavyweights, creative neighborhood gems, and some of Houston’s most beloved barbecue joints. But for readers in the Heights, Garden Oaks/Oak Forest, Independence Heights, and surrounding neighborhoods, the highlight is clear: several of the Michelin-recognized restaurants are right here, close to home.
⭐ Michelin Stars: Returning Favorites
Michelin Stars are reserved for restaurants offering “exceptional cuisine” and masterful execution.
Houston’s 2025 one-star restaurants — all retaining their stars — include:
BCN Taste & Tradition
Le Jardinier
March
Musaafer
Tatemó
Truth Barbecue, 110 S. Heights Blvd., maintained its Bib Gourmand designation with the 2025 Michelin ratings. (File photo)
💫 Bib Gourmand: Great Food at a Great Value
Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation recognizes restaurants offering high-quality cooking at an excellent value.
Returning to the Bib list:
Blood Bros. BBQ
Casaema
Killen’s
Killen’s BBQ
Mala Sichuan Bistro
Nam Giao
Nancy’s Hustle
Nobie’s
Pinkerton’s Barbecue
The Pit Room
Rosie Cannonball
Street to Kitchen
Theodore Rex
Truth BBQ
New Bib Gourmand entries for 2025:
Annam
Chopnblok
Da Gama Canteen
Maximo
Papalo Taqueria
👍 Recommended: Quality Restaurants Worth a Visit
Michelin’s Recommended list highlights notable restaurants not placed in the Star or Bib categories.
Returning to the list:
Baso
Bludorn
Brisket & Rice
Candente
Hidden Omakase
Late August
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
New entries for 2025:
Agnes and Sherman
Bar Bludorn
Credence
J-Bar-M Barbecue
Josephine’s
Neo
Perseid
The Marigold Club
These Michelin-recognized restaurants sit directly inside The Leader’s readership area — and several earned Houston’s highest praise.
⭐ ONE STAR NEAR YOUTatemó
4740 Dacoma St., Unit F
Cuisine: Mexican, Contemporary
Michelin Rating: ★ One Star
Once a humble tortilleria tucked into an unassuming strip center just off US-290, Tatemó has evolved into one of Houston’s most acclaimed dining experiences. Chef Emmanuel Chavez builds his tasting menu around heirloom Mexican corn, using nixtamalization and inventive techniques to transform masa into a dozen unexpected forms. Vibrant ceviches, delicate masa parcels, and imaginative sauces anchor the menu, but the showstopper is Chavez’s dramatic mole negro — a pitch-black, deeply layered sauce paired with a plantain-fortified tortilla.
A small detail regulars know: Tatemó is BYOB, so guests can bring their own wine pairings.
💫 BIB GOURMAND IN YOUR AREACasaema
5307 N. Main St.
Cuisine: Mexican
Michelin Rating: Bib Gourmand
Casaema has grown from a beloved bakery pop-up into one of the Heights’ most sought-after daytime restaurants. Known for its superb heirloom-corn program and cult-favorite pastries (the horchata cream doughnut rarely lasts past mid-morning), the menu blends tradition with creativity. Chilaquiles layered with brisket, oversized tetelas filled with mushroom-carrot tinga, and hoja santa French toast all speak to the kitchen’s attention to detail. Coffee lovers will also find one of the area’s strongest café programs.
Killen’s
101 Heights Blvd.
Cuisine: Southern / American
Michelin Rating: Bib Gourmand
Ronnie Killen’s Heights Blvd. outpost leans all the way into comfort food. Think deviled eggs topped with smoky pulled pork, towering buttermilk fried chicken, and warm biscuits that disappear fast. Indulgence is the theme here, though the restaurant also offers plenty of Southern-style vegetable sides for balance — if you’re determined to show restraint.
Pinkerton’s Barbecue
1504 Airline Dr.
Cuisine: Barbecue
Michelin Rating: Bib Gourmand
One of Houston’s most recognizable barbecue names, Pinkerton’s is famous for its enormous beef rib, melt-in-your-mouth brisket, and expertly glazed St. Louis ribs. Sides are no afterthought: expect rotating specials, hearty beans, and scratch-made desserts worth planning for.
Truth BBQ
110 S. Heights Blvd.
Cuisine: Barbecue
Michelin Rating: Bib Gourmand
Truth’s Heights location brings a Brenham favorite closer to home. While brisket and ribs are dependably excellent, it’s the homestyle sides — corn pudding, collard greens, and that indulgent tater-tot casserole — that often steal the show. Save room for cake slices that rival any bakery.
Pictured is the Peanut Chicken Tikka from Da Gama Canteen at the M-K-T development, which earned its first Bib Gourmand designation with the 2025 Michelin ratings. (Photo by Ninfa Sanchez)
Da Gama Canteen
600 N. Shepherd Dr.
Cuisine: Indian-Portuguese
Michelin Rating: Bib Gourmand
This lively, modern Goan-Portuguese spot blends two culinary traditions with ease. Expect bold flavors, shareable plates, chana masala, East African-style beef mishkaki, and warm pastel de nata for dessert. The menu suits everything from date night to group dinners.
👍 RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTSBaso
633 W. 19th St.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Michelin Rating: Recommended
Hip, moody, and built around a glowing live-fire hearth, Baso turns out inventive dishes meant to be shared — from seared albacore with fried chicken skin to heritage pork ribeyes. Their Basque-style cheesecake remains a signature indulgence.
Agnes and Sherman
250 W. 19th St.
Cuisine: Asian Contemporary
Michelin Rating: Recommended
Chef Nick Wong’s Heights diner blends Asian American nostalgia with modern Houston sensibilities. Think scallion waffles with sambal honey butter, fun takes on shrimp toast, egg-foo-young-meets-gumbo, and yuba-tossed chilled noodles. Casual but clever — and already a neighborhood staple.
Michelin inspectors remain anonymous and rely on standards such as ingredient quality, technical skill, flavor harmony, chef personality, and consistent execution across multiple visits. While the process is famously opaque, earning a place in the guide — at any level — often brings national attention and new customers.
This year’s selections reinforce what residents already know: some of Houston’s most exciting dining is right here in our own neighborhoods.
For more information, visit guide.michelin.com/us/en/texas/houston_2986624/restaurants?sort=distance.