Often called the Oscars of the American food world, the James Beard Awards have become one of Austin's most reliable bragging rights. The city's dining scene has grown well beyond its barbecue and Tex-Mex roots — Austin chefs are now regularly recognized alongside their peers in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco for their creativity, sourcing, and hospitality. Here's a look at the Austin restaurants connected to recent JBF nominees and winners — all worth a reservation on your next visit.
Mexican & Latin Cuisines
Nixta Taqueria. Credit Arts Labor. .
Nixta Taqueria
Chef Edgar Rico nabbed the James Beard Emerging Chef Award in 2022 for his popular counter-service, non-traditional taqueria in East Austin, which he owns alongside partner Sara Mardanbigi. Nixta uses heirloom corn to make the nixtamal for their tortillas — hence the name — and focuses on thoughtfully sourced ingredients from Mexico and Texas. The menu offers plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, like the beet "tartare" tostada and a cauliflower taco seasoned with romesco sauce, alongside rotating seasonal offerings. The bar pours low-intervention and natural wines, beer, cider, sake-based cocktails, and traditional non-alcoholic Mexican beverages like tejuino, made from masa de nixtamal, piloncillo, and lime syrup.
La Santa Barbacha
Chef Rosa De Lima Hernandez earned a 2026 James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas for her work at this East Austin spot, one of the most exciting Mexican kitchens to emerge in the city in recent years. La Santa Barbacha centers on the slow-cooked, deeply flavored traditions of barbacoa and regional Mexican cooking.
Barbecue
la Barbecue. Credit Hilary Bodiford.
la Barbecue
Chef Ali Clem earned a 2026 James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas, bringing national recognition to one of Austin's most beloved barbecue joints. la Barbecue built its reputation on Central Texas classics — brisket with a deep peppery bark, housemade sausage, and ribs — but what sets it apart is the care and consistency behind every cook. The operation runs out of a beloved East Austin location, with a following that stretches well beyond the city. Get there early; the good stuff goes fast.
Distant Relatives
Chef and pitmaster Damien Brockway earned a 2022 JBF semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas for his South Austin concept, which explores the African roots of American barbecue through an ever-changing seasonal menu. Dishes at Distant Relatives blend traditional Southern flavors with inspiration from Mali, Nigeria, and Cameroon — think pulled pork with tamarind-molasses BBQ sauce, and collards braised with barbecue broth, spring vegetables, and benne seeds. The menu is personal and culturally specific in the best way, built from the food memories of Brockway and his team.
Farm to Table & New American
Birdie's. Credit McKenzie Smith Kelley.
Birdie's
Chef and co-owner Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is a born and raised Texan and 2024 JBF Award finalist for Best Chef - Texas. After graduating from the University of Houston, she spent time in Spain, Chicago and New York where she earned her culinary chops working for some of the world's most renowned chefs. She opened Birdie's in 2021 as an ingredient-forward, "fine-casual" restaurant with a rotating menu based on what's in season and available from local farmers. Birdie's co-owner Arjav Ezekiel won the 2025 Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service for his spectacular wine program.
Olamaie
Housed in a 1920s bungalow near Judges Hill, this award-winning restaurant boasts two 2022 James Beard Award nominees: chef-owner Michael Fojtasek was a finalist for Best Chef Texas, and chef de cuisine, Amanda Turner, a semi-finalist in the Emerging Chef category. The elegant Southern menu at Olamaie changes daily to showcase ingredient seasonality and market availability, and includes modern takes of classic dishes prepared with heirloom ingredients — okra, benne seeds, grits, and Carolina Gold rice are often featured in stunningly presented preparations. Reservations are recommended for the dining room, but the bar takes walk-ins for drinks and dinner.
Courtesy of Canje.
Emmer & Rye | Hestia | Canje
Chef Kevin Fink has built one of Austin's most celebrated restaurant groups. His first restaurant, Emmer & Rye (2015), is named after heirloom grains milled in-house for pasta, bread, and desserts, with whole-animal butchery and a fermentation program rounding out the concept. Next came Hestia, a modern globally-inspired grill anchored by a custom 20-foot hearth. The group also includes new-age Caribbean fare at Canje. Business partner Tavel Bristol-Joseph — a 2026 JBF semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef — shares Fink's commitment to fresh, local, high-quality seasonal ingredients across every concept.
Southeast Asian
Lao'd Bar
Chef-owner Bob Somsith earned a Lao’d Bar James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas — recognition that puts Lao'd Bar in the company of Austin's most celebrated kitchens. Somsith brings bold Laotian-American flavors to dishes like coconut ceviche, pork-sausage smash burgers, and rib-eye skewers, all served in a festive East Austin space inspired by the energy of a night market. It's one of the most fun and culturally specific dining experiences in the city right now.
P Thai's Khao Man Gai & Noodles
Chef Thai Changthong's 2026 Best Chef: Texas semifinalist recognition spotlights one of Austin's most focused and satisfying restaurants. P Thai's is built around khao man gai — the Thai equivalent of Hainanese chicken rice — a dish that rewards simplicity and technique in equal measure. Changthong's version is precise and deeply comforting: poached chicken, fragrant rice cooked in broth, and a ginger-garlic dipping sauce that ties it all together. The noodle dishes are equally serious. This is a place where doing one thing exceptionally well is the whole point.
Japanese
Tsuke Edomae
Chef Michael Che earned a 2026 James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas for his precise, ingredient-driven omakase. Tsuke Edomae takes its name from the traditional Edo-style technique of curing and seasoning fish — no bare sashimi here; every piece of nigiri is considered and finished. The experience is intimate and focused, the kind of meal that rewards attention. This is a destination for serious sushi lovers and a sign of how far Austin's fine dining scene has traveled.
Beverages, Bars & Hospitality
Barley Swine. Credit to Richard Casteel.
Barley Swine
A 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality, Barley Swine has long been a benchmark for how Austin restaurants make guests feel at home. Chef Bryce Gilmore's tasting menu draws on local farms and seasonal ingredients, but what earned the JBF nod is the warmth and attentiveness of the full experience — from the first amuse-bouche to the last bite of dessert.
Kalimotxo
A 2026 JBF semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, Kalimotxo brings a Spain-meets-Texas sensibility to its East Austin space. The Basque-inspired bar and restaurant has built a reputation for an accessible, genuinely exciting wine list alongside pintxos and snacks that hold their own. The name — a Spanish drink of red wine and cola — signals the unpretentious, pleasure-forward philosophy behind everything on the menu.
Este. Credit to Casey Dunn.
Este
Sommelier Celia Pellegrini earned a 2026 JBF semifinalist nod for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service for her work at Este, one of Austin's most celebrated Mexican seafood restaurants. Este's beverage program is notable for its thoughtful approach to pairing — margaritas and natural wine sit alongside lesser-known agave spirits, all chosen to complement Chef Fermín Núñez's coastal Mexican menu. If you're a wine or spirits person, Pellegrini's list is reason enough to visit.
Techo
Hidden above Mi Madre's in East Austin, Techo Mezcaleria offers a meticulously curated agave spirits experience in a cozy, art‑laden rooftop retreat. With a focus on rare mezcal pours and agave‑forward cocktails, it’s earned critical acclaim and was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bar, celebrating its excellence in beverage, ambiance and hospitality.
Dai Due
Chef Jesse Griffiths won the James Beard Foundation Award 2022 for Best Single Subject Book for his The Hog Book: A Chef's Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs—and the philosophy behind that book is the philosophy behind his hyper-local East Austin restaurant. At Dai Due, Griffiths only cooks and serves food available in the region, raised or hunted sustainably and ethically. The menu is never the same, but you can expect locally foraged, grown, and hunted seasonal ingredients including wild game, as well as local beer, cider and a wine list composed 100% by Texas producers and Texas-grown grapes.
Outstanding Bakery
Mercado Sin Nombre. Credit to Bryan Olivas.
Mercado Sin Nombre
A 2026 JBF semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery, Mercado Sin Nombre is earning national attention for its approach to bread and pastry rooted in Mexican and Latin American tradition. Expect laminated pastries, naturally leavened breads, and baked goods that feel both familiar and singular — the kind of bakery that makes a neighborhood feel complete.
Austin's dining scene keeps earning its place on the national stage — and the James Beard Foundation keeps noticing. Whether you're chasing a precise nigiri omakase, a slow-braised barbacoa, or a rare mezcal pour, these are the kitchens and bars putting Austin on the map. Ready to book? Browse our full guide to award-winning restaurants for even more places worth the trip.
Contributed by Claudia Alarcón
Mexican by birth, Austinite by choice, Claudia has been immersed in the city’s food and beverage scene since her arrival in 1984. After years of working in restaurants she started writing about them in 2000, and has seen the growth transformation of the dining scene from the beginning. In her sparse spare time, she watches futbol, tends her garden, and is an active dog rescue advocate. She lives in South Austin with her fur babies, Benji and Eddie.
