Texas Monthly adds and updates approximately sixty restaurant listings to our Dining Guide each month. There’s limited space in the print issue, but the entire searchable guide to the best of Texas cuisine is at your fingertips online!

Below are a few highlights from the new restaurants reviewed in our August 2023 issue. Click “More Info” for further detail on each restaurant:

San Antonio

Go Fish Market

This pastel minimalist space is fun (there’s a deck of cards on each table for your Go Fish game). The offerings at the retail seafood counter looked a little spare on our midweek visit, but that was balanced by the light, bright feel of the long dining room. (Husband and-wife developers Houston and Emily Carpenter added this new seafood restaurant and wine bar to their growing and varied list of San Antonio dining ventures at the beginning of 2023.) We had a delightful sardine toast (the flavors exceeded all expectations) and
an order of spicy grilled prawns that left us wanting more. All in all,
everything was excellent. But we do wish that the frequently changing
menu was a bit more varied and included a few larger entrées.

Seafood | ⭑⭑⭑ | $$$ | More Info

Georgetown

Alma

Chef Stephan Pyles, a fifth-generation Texan and James Beard Award winner, brings soul to Hill Country fare in a spacious restaurant
attached to a ritzy condo building in Georgetown’s Sun City. But the menu’s excursions to Spain and Latin America are especially rewarding. Don’t try picking which ceviche—the salmon, shrimp, or ahi—you should have as an appetizer: order the sampler and enjoy all three. While turf entrées are available (a honey-fried rotisserie chicken, bacon-wrapped meat loaf), the standouts are in the surf part of the menu, such as the Chilean sea bass, served atop a crab ceviche alongside beautifully crisped papas verdes. Were it not for the carpeted floor and laminate tables, you could forget you’re dining in a retirement community.

Modern American | ⭑⭑⭑ | $$$ | More Info

Houston

Muse

This dramatic redo of the old Emmaline space in River Oaks features faux cherry blossom trees and a sleek horseshoe bar. More than a pretty face, though, Muse offers varied Asian fare, including caviar service and cold and
raw seafood. From the list of shareables we sampled a Little Gem salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds; honey-glazed shrimp with bits of walnut;
and meaty pork ribs with a sticky tamarind glaze (declared too sweet by one of us and “perfect” by another). Main dishes also pleased our group, such as the spicy lobster pasta and the Vietnamese-style redfish cha ca, the snowy-white fish sided by vermicelli. Kudos to chef E.J. Miller and his well-trained staff. A DJ appears at 8:00, so choose your dining time accordingly.

Asian | ⭑⭑⭑ | $$$$ | More Info

Austin

Joa Korean BBQ

This agreeable new spot is a rebranding of the upscale Nuri Grill, which previously occupied the space under the same ownership. The vibe is more casual, and tabletop grills add a fun interactive element. Barbecued meats come with a tangy cucumber soup as well as the customary slew of small sides (banchan), including pickled vegetables, kimchi, and salads. Marinated galbi—caramelized bites of sliced Black Angus short rib—was a fantastic choice. (And it could have served two, but there’s a minimum order of two dishes for meat and hot pots.) We also liked the Mountain Bulgogi: a tower of marinated beef surrounded by a moat of simmering beef soup with springy
glass noodles. We boldly chose the “spicy” heat level and learned that “mild” would have sufficed.

Korean | ⭑⭑⭑ | $$$ | More Info

Fort Worth

Abe Fromage

Anchored at the Holly, the Near Southside wine bar popular for all-natural
wines, this truck takes cheesy joys to bold new heights. Chef and cookbook author Scotty Scott wooed us with a lush grilled Gouda sandwich, brushed with truffle butter, packed with sliced Granny Smith apples, and laced with shreds of fresh mint. The Wagyu sloppy joe was a tidy yet rich balance of beef and cheddar, set off by the bright notes found in a tangy side salad of cucumbers with blistered grape tomatoes and yellow peppers. Sublime new potato chunks fried in duck fat and drizzled with chimichurri proved a perfect match for a lovely white vino from Umbria. Check out the monthly Sunday wine dinners pairing cheese treasures with interesting wines.

American | ⭑⭑⭑ | $$ | More Info

Rating System

Our reviews are written by critics who live in the cities and regions they cover. They remain anonymous to ensure that they receive no special treatment. The magazine pays for all meals and accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a listing. Comments? .