Food and Drink
Tex-Mex 101
Nachos, tomatillo sauce, chile con queso—will the real Mexican food please stand up? A crash course in Texans’ favorite fusion fare.
Confessions of a “Skinny Bitch”
Over the past thirty years, I’ve edited or written more than 28,000 restaurant reviews for this magazine. That’s a lot of crème brûlée under the bridge, folks. So what’s my life been like, exactly? And how have I stayed this thin? Good questions.
And They Said, “Let There Be Cilantro”
Thirty years ago, Texans who equated fine dining with chicken cordon bleu and trout meunière suddenly found themselves eating barbecued Gulf shrimp and goat cheese quesadillas. An oral history of the Southwestern cuisine revolution.
1217 Articles
Pat’s Pick
November 15, 2023
The Seafood at Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition Is Off the Hook
In a Houston restaurant named for his great-grandmother, Mississippi-born chef Lucas McKinney is having a whole lot of fun with a menu that ranges from gumbo and po'boys to chicken on a stick and moon pies.
Food & Drink
September 18, 2023
Texas Restaurants Lead the Way in National Best-of Lists
‘Food & Wine,’ ‘Bon Appétit,’ the 'New York Times,' and ‘Southern Living’ recognized spots in Austin, Houston, and Lexington as the best of the best when it comes to dining.
Pat’s Pick
September 11, 2023
The Moulin Rouge Meets Cowtown
Prolific Fort Worth restaurateur Felipe Armenta and celebrity chef Graham Elliot have opened Le Margot, a French restaurant as exuberant as they are.
Pat’s Pick
July 11, 2023
Ember Kitchen Lights Up Austin’s Seaholm Power Plant
A fancy Spanish-made stove fuels an inspired menu of steaks and seafood, along with some glorious masa dishes.
Pat’s Pick
June 12, 2023
Leche de Tigre Is “Cooking” Up Serious Ceviche in San Antonio
Brothers Emil, Axel, and Alec Oliva have opened one of the Alamo City’s most compelling new restaurants.
Food & Drink
June 6, 2023
Despite One Win, It Was a Slow Night for Texas at the 2023 James Beard Awards
The highlight of the event was Benchawan Jabthong Painter, of Houston Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, winning Best Chef: Texas, but no other Texas finalists made it to the podium.
Pat’s Pick
May 11, 2023
61 Osteria Is a Restaurant for Grown-ups
Elegance is on the menu at this Italian venture from Blaine Staniford and Adam Jones—as is a ricotta-filled, beurre blanc–lavished “serpent.”
Pat’s Pick
April 4, 2023
The Best Little Steakhouse in Texas Turns Forty
Tom and Lisa Perini have won awards, traveled the world, and cooked for heads of state. But nothing means more than the old hay barn where it all began.
Pat’s Pick
March 9, 2023
Chef David Cordúa Keeps the Home Fires Burning
At the Lymbar, legendary Houston restaurateurs David and Michael Cordúa serve Truffle Twinkies and potato “bouquets” alongside the churrasco and empanadas that made the family famous.
Food & Drink
February 9, 2023
Texas’s Best New Restaurants in 2023
The white tablecloth may be all washed up, but the dining is as fine as ever.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
How Texas’s Mexican Food Scene Became the Most Exciting in the U.S.
The days when Mexican food on this side of the border was all about crispy tacos and yellow cheese are long behind us, thanks to innovative chefs and cultural shifts.
The Stand Up Desk
December 20, 2022
Once Upon a Time, “Southwestern Cuisine” Was a Movement
A writer remembers how a chance conversation at a food festival led to her classic 2014 oral history on Southwestern cuisine.
Pat’s Pick
December 13, 2022
Revolver Taco Lounge Gastro Cantina Hits the Bull’s-eye
The latest from Regino Rojas is fun and festive, but the food’s not fooling around.
Pat’s Pick
November 15, 2022
Houston’s First Nikkei Restaurant Is a Work of Art
Vibrant, jewel-toned murals set the scene for masterful Japanese-Peruvian cuisine at Masaru Fukuda’s Pacha Nikkei.
Pat’s Pick
October 7, 2022
Christopher Cullum’s Attaboy Is More Paris Bistro Than San Antonio Diner
Don’t let the chef’s soda-jerk hat fool you. Herein you’ll find royal osetra caviar, escargots in butter-filled shells, and a modern-day version of Spudnuts.
Pat’s Pick
September 13, 2022
Olamaie’s Rowdy Southern Cousin Settles In on South Congress
Austin’s famously touristy avenue welcomes a new steakhouse with a celebratory spirit.
The Stand Up Desk
August 22, 2022
The Texas Barbecue Quest That Started It All
Patricia Sharpe recalls the smoked meats and mileage that went into Texas Monthly’s first-ever Top 50 barbecue list in May 1997.
Pat’s Pick
August 16, 2022
The King of Cabrito Sets Up Shop in Cowtown
If you were charmed by Juan Ramón Cárdenas in ‘The Taco Chronicles,’ you’ll want to make your way to Don Artemio.
Food & Drink
July 25, 2022
Cookbook Author and Culinary Anthropologist Diana Kennedy Dies at 99 in Mexico
Throughout her fifty-year career, the English-born cook influenced—and even advised—chefs of some of Texas’s best Mexican restaurants.
Pat’s Pick
July 12, 2022
Hamsa Is About as Close as You’ll Get to Eating in Tel Aviv
Named for the ancient symbol used to ward off danger, the Houston restaurant fuses traditional and modern Israeli cuisine to miraculous effect.
Pat’s Pick
June 16, 2022
Star Chef Mashama Bailey Alights in Austin
And the two-time James Beard Award winner has brought the same dynamic Southern fare that made the Grey, in Savannah, a destination restaurant.
Food & Drink
June 14, 2022
Inside the Updated Voting Process That Helped Texas Win Its First National James Beard Awards
After a diversity scandal in 2020, the Oscars of the restaurant industry upgraded its standards. A bar in Houston, a taqueria in Austin, and Texas Monthly taco editor José Ralat are among the first winners under the new system.
Pat’s Pick
May 9, 2022
The Mexican Aims to “Bring the Best of Mexico to Dallas”
With 15,000 square feet, three private dining rooms, and one tequila sommelier, this Dallas restaurant is as lavish as it gets.
Pat’s Pick
April 13, 2022
From Church Cookbooks to Houston’s Culinary Scene
“We are just scratching the surface of what we can learn about Texas food,” says Wild Oats chef Nick Fine.
The Stand Up Desk
March 28, 2022
Requiem for a Quiet Man
Texas Monthly remembers Jim Darilek, an early art director who helped give the magazine its characteristic look and swagger.
Pat’s Pick
March 15, 2022
Coleman’s Black Cur Steak Is a Doggone Success
The enterprising duo behind Black Cur honors their late dog with truly sublime dishes.
Texas History
February 28, 2022
The Story Behind the Story: “The Greatest Experience of Your Life”
A popular columnist embeds herself inside the exclusive world of girls’ summer camps.
Food & Drink
February 14, 2022
The Best New Texas Restaurants in 2022
Restaurants are still struggling, yet new places keep stepping up to the plate. Here are our favorite dishes from the most impressive rookie establishments.
Food & Drink
February 14, 2022
The Best Places to Dine Outdoors in 2022
Patio dining has become a necessity during the pandemic. Here are some of the best places to get your alfresco on.
Food & Drink
February 14, 2022
Where to Eat Now: Coming Soon
Despite everything, new restaurants are still opening. Here are a few we’re looking forward to this year.
Pat’s Pick
January 18, 2022
Are You Ready for Fine-Casual Dining?
Austin restaurant Birdie’s has perfected the art of serving $32 steaks to patrons who wait in line to order.
Pat’s Pick
December 14, 2021
At ‘Top Chef’ Contestant Tiffany Derry’s New Restaurant, Southern Cooking Goes Global
The menu at Roots Southern Table in Farmers Branch offers gumbo, fried chicken, and riffs on Italian rice balls and West African street food.
Pat’s Pick
November 16, 2021
Superstar Chef Hugo Ortega’s New Restaurant Is His Most Personal Venture Yet
At his latest restaurant, Texas’s most celebrated Mexican chef teams up with close relations to revisit the street food of his youth.
Pat’s Pick
October 19, 2021
San Antonio’s Lauded Mixtli Offers Even More to Love in Its New Home
This exceptional Mexican restaurant has expanded into a larger space without shrinking any of its ambitions.
Food & Drink
September 20, 2021
Restaurant Workers Are Sick and Tired of Asking Politely
With delta infections surging and local governments unable to enforce mask regulations, restaurant personnel have become reluctant de facto enforcers.
Food & Drink
September 15, 2021
Remembering Dotty Griffith, Pioneering Food Journalist
Over a career spanning three decades, Griffith chronicled the evolution of Texas from a culinary backwater to a major player on the national scene.
Pat’s Pick
September 14, 2021
Le Jardinier Is the Best Museum Restaurant in Texas—and One of the Best in the U.S.
Rarely does a museum’s restaurant rival its galleries, but this addition to Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts is poised to take its place among the masters.
Food & Drink
September 9, 2021
A Texas Chef Is One of the Best in the Country, Says ‘Food and Wine’
The magazine honors Fermín Núñez, the chef behind Austin’s Suerte, for the second time.
Pat’s Pick
August 17, 2021
Dallas Chef Junior Borges Comes Full Circle With Meridian, a Celebration of His Native Brazil
And he got there with help from family, some encouragement from Anthony Bourdain, and a fortuitous ride on the New York subway.
Critters
August 12, 2021
How Texas Wildlife Crossings Are Saving Lives and Money
From South Texas’s simple ocelot culverts to San Antonio’s pioneering land bridge, these passageways can reduce car accidents and help animals thrive.
Pat’s Pick
July 13, 2021
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait for a Reservation at Lutie’s
With a lush setting and a vegetable-forward menu, the showcase restaurant of the Commodore Perry Estate, Texas’s only Auberge Resort, has Austinites crashing the garden gates.
Pat’s Pick
June 22, 2021
Houston’s El Topo Is Not Your Everyday Taqueria
Crispy beef tacos or duck leg confit? The menu at Tony Luhrman’s taqueria is full of surprises.
Food & Drink
April 21, 2021
A Dallas Restaurant Owner Remembers Life in Texas BT—Before Tex-Mex
It took decades of persistence in the restaurant industry for Mexican food to get the respect it deserves, says Mariano Martinez.
Libations
April 12, 2021
Fifty Years Ago a Texan Changed Happy Hour Forever
Here’s to Mariano Martinez, the inventor of the world’s first frozen margarita machine.
Food & Drink
March 16, 2021
An Austin Chef-and-Farmer Duo Bring Locavore Love to Bastrop
With a new restaurant and farm, Sonya Cote and David Barrow hope to spread their magic a little farther east.
Food & Drink
February 16, 2021
Where to Eat Now: New and Coming Soon
Here are more than two dozen Texas restaurants that we’re excited to try in 2021.
Food & Drink
February 16, 2021
Where to Eat Now: In Memoriam
Remembering just a few of the restaurants that have closed across Texas in the past year.
Libations
February 16, 2021
The Best To-Go Dishes (and Drinks!) at the Newest Restaurants in Texas
For the 20th edition of Where to Eat Now, we’ve compiled some of our favorite takeout options from places that opened in 2020.
Business
November 18, 2020
Salaryman Permanently Closes as Chef Justin Holt Fights Leukemia
Holt’s partner, Trina Nishimura, who was the beverage director at the beloved ramen shop, shares their story with Texas Monthly.
Pat’s Pick
November 6, 2020
Party of None: What I Miss About Restaurants
After her four decades of dining across Texas came to a halt in the pandemic, Pat Sharpe realizes that what makes a meal special goes way beyond the food.