After weeks of anticipation, Alamo City’s best restaurants, bars, chefs, and more culinary superstars were crowned at the 2026 CultureMap San Antonio Tastemaker Awards.

This spring, you read about all the deliciously talented nominees in our special editorial series and even voted for your favorite new restaurant in our online tournament. And on Thursday, May 14, the winners were finally revealed at a ceremony at the Briscoe Museum.

Culinary trendsetters and hundreds of ravenous fans gathered for our annual tasting event. Guests sampled savory and sweet delights from nominated restaurants and sipped signature drinks from our sponsors before the winners were unveiled.

Our 2026 CultureMap San Antonio Tastemaker Awards winners make our city truly unique through undying hospitality, a commitment to excellence, and an unshakeable sense of community. So, let’s get right to it! Join us in toasting this year’s Tastemakers!

Restaurant of the Year: Cullum's Attaboy
“When I was a kid, everyone would always say San Antonio is so lame, and that wasn’t my experience,” said chef Chris Cullum when he debuted this Tobin Hill bungalow. “I’m trying to show what has been awesome all along.” We don’t know his exact definition, but we do know that Alamo City never quite gives up the ghost of its effortless cool. Here, a jazz riff carries his late father, Jim Cullum Jr., into the throughline, and the beurre noisette carries a faint whiff of La Louisiane. Inside ball, maybe, but it’s why you should give in to San Antonio rather than just living in it.

Chef of the Year: Sue Kim, The Magpie
Having spent the bulk of her culinary career working at international destinations, it's no surprise that Kim has an arsenal of global cuisine. But this East Side bistro sings when the chef pays homage to her Korean roots. Dak-galbi originally gained popularity among soldiers and students on a tight budget. In Kim’s hands, it’s the most dear dish in the world.

Bar of the Year: Jue Let
This Pearl jewel box borrows its name from Jue Let, the little-known Chinese cook who helped make James Beard the “Dean of American Cookery.” Although filled with champagne-and-caviar decadence, it tells a deeper story about who gets to tell the story of the nation’s cuisine. Sure, that might not immediately register while swigging a piney Mossy Rocks in one of the karaoke rooms. But like all embroidery, it wows at first before you see how each thread is stitched.

Best New Restaurant: Honey's Chicken Joint
The owners of San Antonio's Smoke Shack and The Pigpen Neighborhood Bar shook up Alamo City's fried chicken pecking order with this casual spot. It’s in the former home of a Church's Chicken, but the sides taste miles away from fast food.

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Matt Garcia, Gigi's Deli
Garcia is the exact type of chef you'd expect to run a sandwich shop — outgoing, friendly, and passionate about what details make an everyday lunch staple into a giddy moment. Thick slices of bread are the foundation for a generous serving of meats, cheeses, spices, and toppings like roasted peppers. But his affable personality tends to shine more in the condiments. Take the signature "mayoniara," a whimsical blend of mayonnaise and marinara. We wish the talented chef would bottle it up to sell at H-E-B.

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Con Huevos Tacos
The Dignowity Hill taqueria has been a local obsession long enough that the TV appearances no longer feel like news. What remains a hot topic is the flour tortillas, still mentioned in a town where homemade tortillas are the bare minimum. Fill them with papa and egg, avocado, carne guisada, or picadillo — and always slather them with the addictive orange sauce. Yes, this is a taco joint that predominantly caters to the East Side. But those tortillas don’t really have boundaries.

Dessert Program of the Year: Nicosi
Is Tavel Bristol-Joseph the Picasso of pastry chefs, or maybe the Jean Baudrillard? Sure, everything at Nicosi is artful, and the fare is as much thesis as dessert, but there’s also a sensuality in the way scent and taste linger past the initial yum. Maybe that’s too academic for a place that’s also exuberantly fun. How’s this? In a market clogged by franchises that reward a few Instagram likes, Bristol-Joseph is San Antonio’s most compelling reason to put down the phone.

Coffee Shop of the Year: NoFi Slow Bar
Somewhere along the way, we’ve all forgotten what it feels like to sit in the moment, away from endless doomscrolling, half-hearted swiping, and the cortisol drip of casual games. This Beacon Hill hangout is a digital detox. Hana Buck and Rolando Almaraz, the owners of Bright Coffee, stripped the coffee shop experience down to the essentials — no syrups, no sweeteners, no paper cups, and no Wi-Fi fighting with human connection. Yes, some visitors betray the vibe by snapping a few Instagram pics. Keep your phone in your pocket; savor the single-origin espresso; tap your pen to the bebop wiggling through the speakers.

Best Pop-up: Buddy's Big Trouble
Chef Javi Gutierrez is an underrated sandwich craftsman in San Antonio, but he lets his art shine at his first pop-up, Buddy's Big Trouble. The pop-up keeps its menu straightforward — if you want a hearty Texas Wagyu pit-smoked sandwich with the right fixings, this is the place to go. Gutierrez keeps the operation family-owned, running the joint with his wife, Jackie.

Best Sandwich: Beacon Hill Market & Deli
Maray McChesney and Matt McLaughlin, the married duo behind Bexar Tonics, brought their lifelong dream of an East Coast deli to Beacon Hill in 2023, flying in Amoroso hearth-baked rolls from New Jersey. But don’t mistake them for carpet-baggers. The Philly cheesesteak isn’t slathered with Cheez Whiz. That’s Ricos gourmet nacho cheese sauce, thank you very much.

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Katherine Stinson contributed to this story.

The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in San Antonio by NXT LVL EVENT, Maker's Mark, Lone Star Beer, Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof, Marine Foods Express, S.Pellegrino Acqua Panna, Diplomático Rum, and Fords Gin. A portion of the proceeds benefit our nonprofit partner, Culinaria.

Photo courtesy of Cullum's Attaboy

Restaurant of the Year: Cullum's Attaboy.