Houston dominated Texas Monthly’s 2026 list of the best new restaurants in Texas, including the top honor of Restaurant of the Year.
Houston continues to shine as the premier food city in Texas. Following a tide of accolades this past year, Texas Monthly , the state’s most reputable publication, named four restaurants on its 25th edition of the “Best New Restaurants In Texas” — including the best new restaurant in Texas. Continue our article below for more details!
Agnes & Sherman
Photo credit: @agnesandsherman
Behold, TM’s best new restaurant in Texas: Agnes and Sherman. Described by the publication as an “ode to Space City”, Agnes and Sherman is an Asian American diner in the Heights. The diner opened in April of 2025 under Chef Nick Wong. Wong, who previously cheffed at UB Preserv in Houston and Momofuku Ssam bar in New York, masterfully riffs on Chinese cuisine with American classics.
See for example their French dip sandwich, packed with shaved beef and mustard greens with a side of spiced Taiwanese beef broth to be dipped into. Texas Monthly also highlighted the restaurant’s shrimp cocktail, breakfast sandwich, and Rangoon which the writer described as combining “the fried Chinese American appetizer with a Texas mom’s potluck”.
Zaranda
Zaranda is Hugo Ortega’s latest culinary endeavor — yes, the Hugo of Hugo’s and Xochi acclaim. Zaranda, however, offers a Western coast spin combining flavors of the California border. Specializing in wood-fired dishes, seafood, and coastal flavors, the upscale Mexican restaurant offers everything from tacos to tostadas, and witch clams. Be sure to order anything from the Zarandeado menu; while you can’t go wrong, the pescado is the way to go.
Di An Pho
Di An Pho contains as many words in its name as it does dishes. Head by chef Hung Van Tran, who came out of retirement at the ripe age of 70 to open the restaurant, Di An Pho’s menu is wonderfully simple: beef pho, chicken pho, and spring rolls. The limited menu reflects the richness of the flavor. While diners have all sorts of condiments at their disposal, they’re in large part unnecessary.
Latuli
Michael Anthony
Located in Memorial, Latuli is a restaurant of Houston’s Bryan Caswell. At Latuli, Caswell curated a menu riffing on American coastal and Mediterranean dishes from his other concepts, including Reef and Stella Sola in Houston. Be sure to order a hand-crafted cocktail or two while dining on your pecan-smoked pork chop, crab cake, and/or Shiner-steamed mussels.