On November 11, 2024, the Michelin Guide came to Austin, awarding 7 stars to Austin restaurants, 15 Bib Gourmands, and 23 recommendations. The most prestigious of these awards, the Michelin Star, is only given to the best restaurants in the world. It is based on 5 central pillars, gauging the restaurant’s excellence: ingredients, harmony, technique, personality, and consistency. In Michelin’s most recent award ceremony, 15 stars were given to restaurants in Texas. Of these, 7 were given to local Austin restaurants. The 7 restaurants receiving the awards are Barley Swine, Craft Omakase, Hestia, Olamaie, Interstellar BBQ, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, and La Barbecue.
But what do all these awards mean? Michelin is a tire company originating from France. The Michelin company was in search of a way to bring attention to their expensive car tires. . To combat the lack of tire interest, the founding brothers set out to make a guide of France, giving people a reason to buy a car and explore the country. In this guide, there were many restaurants with varying quality and enjoyment. Because of a need for a standardized rating system, the brothers came up with the now coveted Michelin Star. This system is used across the world to rate the finest restaurants, and Austin is a recent addition to global culture of fine dining
Barley Swine is a New Texan restaurant that experiments with unique flavors and fun ideas, basing its monthly menus on local produce. All ingredients are regionally and sustainably sourced, and are harvested seasonally for maximum flavor and nutrition. Barley Swine hopes to bring hospitality and friendliness to the Austin food scene.
Craft Omakase is a Modern Japanese restaurant with a 22-course menu. They focus on 5 Japanese principles: balance, comfort, seasonality, technique, and tradition.
Hestia is a Texas high-end restaurant. The main focus of the restaurant is fire. This is exemplified by the large hearth that takes up most of the room.
Olamaie is a modern interpretation of southern food. Founded in 2014, Olamaie has gained national recognition for its unique cuisine. Hospitality, flavor, and comfort, are some of the main focuses of the menu, taking an elevated twist to classic, homey southern food.
Interstellar BBQ is a barbecue restaurant known for its high-quality ingredients and firewood.
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue is a multicultural interpretation of modern barbecue. LeRoy and Lewis prides itself on its “new school” approach to classic Texas barbeque. The restaurant draws inspiration from a variety of cuisines and cultures in order to formulate the most delicious, high quality food.
La Barbecue is a modern barbecue restaurant that sources its meat locally. It takes a more savory approach to barbecue, and includes a variety of unique pickled vegetables in the menu.
The other awards are 15 Bib Gourmands and 23 recommendations. The Bib Gourmands were given to Barbs B Q, Briscuits, Cuantos Tacos, Dai Due, Distant Relatives, Emmer & Rye, Franklin Barbecue, Kemuri Tatsu-ya, KG BBQ, La Santa Barbacha, Micklethwait Craft Meats, Nixta Taqueria, Odd Duck, Ramen del Barrio, and Veracruz Fonda & Bar. The recommendations were given to Wine Bar, Birdie’s, Comedor, Con Todo, Discada, DipDipDip Tatsu-ya, Este, Ezov, Garrison, Jeffrey’s, Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop, La Condesa, Launderette, Lenoir, Ling Kitchen, Lutie’s, Maie Day, Mexta, Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen, Suerte, Tare, Terry Black’s BBQ, and Toshokan.
