Chef Fest

Austin Food & Wine Festival dishes out 2026 chef lineup

Chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Kevin Fink Chef Demo at Austin Food & Wine Festival 2025

Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Kevin Fink give the audience a cooking demo at Austin Food & Wine Festival 2025.

Photo courtesy of Austin Food & Wine Festival

Looking for a quick culinary road trip from San Antonio? The folks at the Austin Food & Wine Festival have cooked up their 15th annual event with an all-star local lineup and tickets on sale now. The festival will be held at November 6-8 at Auditorium Shores.

The main event at the Austin Food & Wine Festival is the main tasting, where rows upon rows of food and wine booths line up to show off dishes by some of Austin's most popular chefs and restaurants, whether they're long established or up-and-coming. A barbecue pit adds another dimension, with smoke pouring out into the field while pitmasters placidly work the meats, veggies, and sometimes even extra treats like cheese.

Along the edges of the festival, booths representing spirits mix up cocktails, a merch tent sells cookbooks and other goodies, and two tents bring live demos and guided tastings. All these are available to anyone who attends the festival, and there are still more events that guests can add on for an extra price outside of festival hours.

Tickets are available at austinfoodandwinefestival.com. Passes can be purchased for the whole weekend (starting at $280) or single days (starting at $200). Attendees must be at least 21 years old. VIP passes that include access to Friday's Made in Texas dinner are available. A portion of proceeds benefit the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, for culinary grants and industry education.

Events to add-on include:

Friday, November 6: The Made In Texas dinner at the Long Center Terrace from 7-9:30 pm. It is currently waitlisted. This is another tasting that's all about Texas ingredients and cuisine. Participating chefs are: visiting celebrity chefs Esther Choi (Mokbar), Kevin Lee (MAHT), and Andrew Zimmern (Passport Hospitality), plus Central Texas chefs Damon Cook (Uchi/Hai Hospitality); Amir Hajimaleki (Roya); Ian Lanphear (Isidore); Sarah McIntosh (épicerie); Alexa Mejia (Emmer & Rye); Alan Dale Nelson (Best Quality Daughter); Augusta Passow (Barley Swine/Odd Duck); Amanda Turner; and Brendan Yancy & Drew Ahumada (Austin Oyster Co.).
Saturday, November 7: A hands-on grilling workshop with Austin chef and festival partner Tim Love at Auditorium Shores right before the festival from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Attendees will partner up to share a charcoal grill.

Restaurants participating in the main tasting, or "Chef Showcase":

2020 Market
Alteño
Barbacana
Bill’s Oyster
Butternubs
Casa Bianca
Cousin Louie
Cruzteca
Eberly
Eldorado Café
Ēma
Ensenada ATX
Épicerie
Ezov
Geraldine's
Honey Moon Spirit Lounge
Intero
JABS
Juliet Italian Kitchen
Kalimotxo
Loro
Lutie's
Mum Foods
Parkside
Poeta
Poke Poke
Serenade
Siti
Skipjack Oyster
Summer on Music Lane at Hotel Magdalena
The Cavalier
The Corndog Co.
The Peached Tortilla
Tare
Verbena
Yamas
Yellow Ranger
Food & Wine magazine editor and sommelier Anthony Giglio
More to be announced

Chefs giving demos:

Esther Choi (Mokbar and Iron Chef Finalist - Season 1)
Richard Blais (Trail Blais and Top Chef Winner - Season 8)
Kevin Lee (MAHT and 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalist)
Andrew Zimmern (Passport Hospitality and four-time James Beard Award Winner)

Chefs curating the Fire Pit:

Ali Clem (la Barbecue)
Chelsea Fadda (Pecan Square Cafe)
Enma Lopez (Austin Beer Works)

event planner food festivals austin chefs festivals

WHERE TO DRINK

Where to drink: 6 San Antonio honky-tonks with a new spin on country

Photo courtesy of Lonesome Rose

When the sun goes down on my side of town.

Honky-tonks may have rough roots, but San Antonio’s newest takes don’t need peanuts on the floor to make those Justin Ropers glide. From a St. Mary’s strip classic with an all means y’all vibe to a downtown haunt out of Cowboy Carter, these Alamo City bars might not have broken-bottle grit, but they’re still pretty Haggard.

Moonshine Off Grayson
If you're searching for the vibe of this San Antonio newcomer, take a look at the bar back. In between liquor bottles and moonshine, a taxidermied raccoon named Cooter keeps a watchful eye on guests, Marlboro in hand. Just opened in late July, this Pearl-area bar keeps it country with live music and karaoke nights, setting the scene with vintage beer signs and cowpoke kitsch. Thankfully, the moonshine cocktails are easy-sipping. Gasoline is best left to tractors.

The Lonesome Rose
It's downright shocking nobody's coined a barn burner about this classic honky-tonk on the St. Mary’s Strip. Although the atmosphere borrows from rough-and-tumble Texas dives, you don’t need a big buckle to be welcomed. Go for Cowboy Karaoke on Wednesdays. Who cares if your Conway Twitty sounds a little Loretta.

El Honky Tonk
With a beer/shot combo menu named The Grand Ole Opry Presents, El Honky Tonk could never be accused of lacking country bona fides. The downtown honky tonk (not to be confused with lil sis La Honky Tonk below) has plenty of boozy indulgences that pay homage to Nashville icons. Start the night off with the Hank Williams (made with Jack Daniel's and apricot whiskey liqueur) or the Johnny Cash (a Fireball shot and a Lone Star). Hot damn! The flames never went higher.

La Honky Tonk
Think pink at this Broadway hot spot, known for its sugar-sweet decor in various shades of blush and bashful — and its wall honoring the Trishas, Tammies, and Tanyas who defined country radio. Still, it’s not just a place for cowgirls. The spot boasts one of the biggest dancefloors around, suitable for two-stepping or the occasional watermelon crawl. Just be aware that this honky-tonk is dog-friendly. Don’t be surprised if a high-lonesome pug tries to cut in.

Thirsty Horse Dance Hall & Saloon
If you're looking for a classic Texas dance hall experience without sweating through your Wranglers, this Castle Hills spot is the comfortable choice for boot scootin’. But the bar’s variety is even cooler than that blast of AC. Listen to music on the main stage, watch the Cowboys at Ricky Bobby’s sports bar, or take a spin on the huge dance floor. We’ve heard some gossip that there's even a new martini bar in the works.

Howdy Sore Loser
This downtown lounge might have purists clutching their bandanas. Although it’s as country as a pair of worn-in Daisy Dukes, think Kacey Musgraves in her “High Horse” era or Beyoncé galloping as a rodeo queen. Start the party with a cactus-shaped tray of shots — or one of three different flavors of ranch water. Then, head upstairs for line dancing and photo opps with a special guest: a mirror ball horse. Would you expect anything less from the founders of Pink Shark?

nightlife bars dance halls country music honky tonks live music where to drink