Some of Austin’s top restaurants are celebrating their highly coveted star status, recently awarded by the new MICHELIN Guide Texas. Just a few of the ingredients that contributed to their success include responsible food sourcing, creative cooking techniques and a commitment to sustainability. Learn about Austin’s MICHELIN One Star and Green Star restaurants, then make reservations to check them out yourself.

Barley Swine. Credit to Richard Casteel.

One Star

Seven Austin restaurants earned a single star, signifying a "very good" restaurant rating. 

Fresh, regionally sourced ingredients are key at owner and executive chef Bryce Gilmore’s Barley Swine, where the menu continually changes depending on the season’s bounty. Offerings might include blackened cod, pork carnitas or 40-day aged ribeye. It’s the bold flavors and creative presentation that take meals to the next level. Desserts can range from simple brown butter chocolate chip cookies to an intriguing eggplant-olive oil cake made with honey crémeux, dukkah milk crumble and port frozen custard. The contemporary yet rustic restaurant offers optional beer and wine pairings to complement its innovative dishes. Try the small plate tasting menu for an elevated experience, with options for vegetarians and pescatarians. 

At superb Japanese restaurant Craft Omakase, patrons receive a welcome drink as they get to know their fellow diners. After moving into the intimate 12-seat dining room, the fine dining experience begins. Chefs craft a 22-course culinary journey right in front of patrons, explaining each step while using seasonal, meticulously sourced foods like ocean trout, shiitake mushrooms and wagyu beef. A new menu of hot and cold offerings is created for each service. Diners are treated to complex flavors, intricate presentations and attentive service. Craft Omakase exudes the principles of Japanese cuisine — balance, comfort, seasonality, technique and tradition. 

Courtesy of Hestia.

Hestia offers wood-fired American cuisine prepared by talented chefs who command the room from its 20-foot hearth. Choose from the tasting menu or order snacks, small plates and entrees a la carte. On any given night, choices might include a squash blossom with smoked scallops and kimchi aioli, beef tongue with pastrami, horseradish and beets, or halibut with brown butter beurre monte and caviar. Splurge on the 35-day, dry-aged Texas wagyu ribeye with blue cheese, smoked butternut squash and beef lardo. End your meal with white chocolate mousse or mesquite ice cream, paired with a dessert wine. 

Quality meats cooked over Texas post oak earned InterStellar BBQ its MICHELIN Star. Owner, chef and pitmaster John Bates takes slow-cooked pork ribs, turkey, brisket and other meats to the next level by using top-tier ingredients. House-made sausages include a traditional beef kielbasa and the frito pie sausage — beef, pork, cheddar, black beans, corn, poblano and dried chiles in a pork casing. Must-order sides include jalapeño slaw, smoked scalloped potatoes and pasta shells topped with smoked gouda cheese sauce. Get in line as early as 10 a.m. to either dine in or order take-out, as their food sells out fast. Pre-orders guarantee you won’t miss a meal.

A custom-made smoker filled with seasoned post oak turns out the delicious low-and-slow brisket, pork, turkey and sausages at la Barbecue. Everything’s fresh here, including house-made traditional, jalapeño and chipotle sausages. The grass-fed, hormone-free beef comes from a local ranch. Choose meats by the pound, sandwiches served on potato buns and sides like chipotle slaw, potato salad and beans. Spicy garlic pickles and other pickled items are a specialty, including red onions, jalapeños and kimchi. Sip a local Zilker beer, margarita or Pickletini as you savor your meal. 

LeRoy & Lewis. Credit to Jessica Attie.

The owners of the beloved LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue food truck opened a 150-seat brick-and-mortar location in 2024. The restaurant continues to offer “new school” barbecue with old-school service under the direction of partners Evan and Lindsey LeRoy and Sawyer and Nathan Lewis. Their meat is locally and sustainably sourced from area farms and ranches. Favorite items include beef cheeks, brisket, flat iron steak, tri tip, pulled whole hog and sausages, with sides like beef fat potato chips or pork hash and rice. Even vegetarians can find smoked fare on the menu, like cauliflower burnt ends and miso-glazed carrots. Buy a bottle of their unique beet barbecue sauce to take home.

Using traditional recipes passed down over four generations, Olamaie founder and executive chef Michael Fojtasek and chef de cuisine Amanda Turner offer modern variations of Southern favorites in an intimate dining room. First course options include oysters “Rockafella” with collard greens, smoked fish dip, and butter beans with black pepper and a dash of Tabasco. Main course dishes feature golden fried catfish with creamy blue crab rice, Gumbo Z’Herbes with braised greens and smoked mushrooms, and a grilled pork chop with jerk spice, field peas and apples. Meals are best accompanied by Olamaie’s signature buttermilk biscuit (with the option of adding caviar) and cheddar-green chile grits. End your meal on a sweet note with the Baked Texas rum cake. Try Olamaie’s new tasting menu for a well-rounded experience.

Courtesy of Emmer & Rye.

Green Star

Two Austin restaurants received a MICHELIN Green Star, in recognition of their commitment to sustainable practices.

Dai Due, a combination butcher shop and supper club, takes pride in supporting local farms and ranches, serving food focused on regional ingredients. Thus, the menu changes with the seasons. Behind the concept are chef and co-owner Jesse Griffiths and business partner Tamara Mayfield, who share their techniques during lessons offered at their New School of Traditional Cookery. They preserve harvests by drying, canning, pickling, fermenting and freezing. They also cook with Texas olive oil and animal fats, source Texas-brewed beer and serve wine made from Texas grapes. Stop by for dinner or weekend brunch. You can also order their signature products online, including house bone broth, organic yellow cornmeal and smoked paprika.

A daily changing menu showcases Emmer & Rye’s focus on serving seasonal and local food in its quest to be a carbon neutral restaurant. Pastry chef and owner Tavel Bristol-Joseph and his team employ a variety of eco-conscious techniques. They mill heirloom grains for breads, pastas and desserts, and order whole animals to be butchered. A fermentation process captures flavors at their peak. Order a dish off the menu or choose a nightly dim sum-style special from a cart as it passes your table. A sample menu might include tender Texas wagyu carpaccio, Johnny cakes, French ravioli and blackened apple-barbecue pork. The extensive bar menu includes a selection of sake and cider.

From the One Star and Green Star restaurants mentioned above to Bib Gourmands and MICHELIN recommended spots, explore the full list of MICHELIN recognized restaurants in Austin.