A taste of Texas

The Tastemaker Awards toasts the best in Texas dining for 2022

The Instagrammy Parmesan Bagels from Luckybee Kitchen.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

CultureMap trekked across Texas this spring to toast the Tastemakers during our annual culinary awards program — and this year was bigger than ever. In addition to our longstanding events in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, we brought the party to San Antonio and Fort Worth for the very first time.

The series began April 26 with our inaugural San Antonio event before returning to Austin's Fair Market on April 28. The Texas culinary tour then headed to Cowtown for our Fort Worth debut on May 10, followed by an evening at Dallas' Fashion Industry Gallery on May 12. The foodie fun wrapped up May 25 in Houston with another sold-out night at Silver Street Studios.

The 2022 Tastemaker Awards served as a Texas-sized celebration of the culinary scenes they honored, with guests savoring bites from participating nominees, sipping signature cocktails alongside culinary stars, and raising a glass to the winners during our live awards ceremonies.

Nominees were selected by local panels of industry experts, including past Tastemaker winners and CultureMap editors. The panels then selected all winners, except for Best New Restaurant, which was determined by readers in our online tournament.

Meet all of the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winners, listed by city, below.

San Antonio:

Restaurant of the Year: 2M Smokehouse
Chef of the Year: Jason Dady, Jardín
Bar of the Year: Bar 1919
Best New Restaurant: Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar
Best Brewery: Dorćol Distilling & Brewing Co.

Austin:

Restaurant of the Year: Cuantos Tacos
Chef of the Year: Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria
Bar of the Year: Tiki Tatsu-Ya
Best New Restaurant: Wax Myrtle's
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Amanda Turner, Olamaie
Pastry Chef of the Year: Susana Querejazu, Lutie's
Bartender of the Year: Cory Starr, Tiki Tatsu-Ya
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Better Half Coffee & Cocktails
Wine Program of the Year: Birdie's
Brewery of the Year: Meanwhile Brewing Co.
Best Vegan Restaurant: Counter Culture

Fort Worth:

Restaurant of the Year: Belenty's Love Vegan Mexican Restaurant
Chef of the Year: Jenny Castor, Luckybee Kitchen
Bar of the Year: The Lobby Bar at Hotel Dryce
Best New Restaurant: Dusty Biscuit Beignets
Best Breakfast: Ol' South Pancake House

Dallas:

Restaurant of the Year: Meridian
Chef of the Year: Ji Kang, Sloane's Corner
Bar of the Year: Rattlesnake Bar
Best New Restaurant: Hawkers Asian Street Food
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Aldo Lugo, Jose
Pastry Chef of the Year: Amy La Rue, Carte Blanche
Bartender of the Year: Reid Lewis, Atlas
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Hillside Tavern
Brewery of the Year: Vector Brewing
Wine Program of the Year: Monarch
Best New Pizza: 400 Gradi

Houston:

Restaurant of the Year: Street to Kitchen
Chef of the Year: Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn
Bar of the Year: Tongue-cut Sparrow
Best New Restaurant: d’Alba Craft Kitchen & Cocktails
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Benchawan Painter, Street to Kitchen
Pastry Chef of the Year: Christina Au, Blacksmith
Bartender of the Year: Sarah Crowl, Better Luck Tomorrow
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Click Virtual Food Hall
Wine Program of the Year: Tiny Champions
Best Pop-up: Luis Mercado and Paolo Justo, Neo

Luckybee Kitchen's Jenny Castor was named Fort Worth's Chef of the Year.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Luckybee Kitchen's Jenny Castor was named Fort Worth's Chef of the Year.

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Toast the Tastemakers

San Antonio sips, savors, and celebrates Alamo City's culinary scene at the Tastemakers

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The series kicked off with our inaugural San Antonio event.

Our inaugural San Antonio Tastemakers event debuted with much fanfare this week. Every year, we celebrate the restaurants and bars that define San Antonio's culinary scene, but this year, for the first time, we brought the party to Alamo City — and the festivities did not disappoint.

On April 26, The Espee hosted the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, where industry leaders and San Antonians sipped, savored, and celebrated the best offerings from the city’s culinary stars.

During an exclusive VIP hour, guests toasted the nominees and our nonprofit beneficiary, the San Antonio Food Bank, while sipping delicious beverages such as the Black Diamond Margarita from Maestro Dobel Tequila and a Fireside Old Fashioned featuring Stranahan’s Rocky Mountain Blue Peak Whiskey, plus a delicious strawberry mocktail. Craft brews came from all over Texas, thanks to Dallas-based Deep Ellum Brewing Company and Ellum Ranch Patio Water, plus Houston-based 11-Below and Hill Country favorite Real Ale Brewing.

As the event officially opened, locals filled The Espee’s beautiful Banking Hall to honor top talent from Alamo City’s restaurants and bars and to sample some of their best bites, of course.

Prior to the awards ceremony, a high degree of anticipation wafted in the air, mixed with the savory aromas of dishes like pork carnitas crepes from Chef of the Year nominee Ceasar Zepeda and Sangria on the Burg; huitlacoche cake from Best New Restaurant nominee Naco 210; and pork, duck, pistachio, and blueberry pate from Restaurant of the Year nominee Maverick. All these delicious morsels made us grateful for the steady flow of refreshing bubbles from Topo Chico. San Antonio's homegrown grocer H-E-B generously donated gift cards to this year's participating nominees.

Local news personality Sarah Foragney was the perfect emcee for the event, revealing all the deserving winners. Chef Jason Dady of Jardín was named Chef of the Year, while 2M Smokehouse took home the coveted Restaurant of the Year award. Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar nabbed the title for Best New Restaurant, chosen by our readers, while Bar 1919 and Dorćol Distilling & Brewing Co. were named Bar of the Year and Best Brewery, respectively.

It was a celebratory evening filled with unmatched culinary talent, memorable toasts, and an atmosphere of camaraderie that only the restaurant and bar industries can provide. Cheers to all of our attendees — we can’t wait to toast you again at next year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

Guests raised a toast to our Tastemaker nominees.

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

Guests raised a toast to our Tastemaker nominees.

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