Hundreds of hungry foodies gathered on May 14 at the Briscoe Museum to celebrate Alamo City's best restaurants, chefs, and bars during the 2026 CultureMap San Antonio Tastemaker Awards.
The awards ceremony was the climax of a months-long process. Our judging panel, made up of 2025’s winners and editorial staff, had the difficult task of narrowing down a deep bench of local culinary talent. The final nominees were then featured in a special editorial series.
Anticipation was high as guests sampled mouthwatering bites from this year’s nominees:
- Asukar: An ode to Texas steak and potato and spring spice cake
- Best Quality Daughter: Deviled tea eggs
- Bilia Eatery: Cuban sandwiches
- El Pastor es Mi Señor: Tacos al pastor
- Howdy Child: Elote pasta
- Jots at Gunter Hotel: Southwest Texas gumbo
- Otto's Ice House: Pretzel bites and beer cheese
- Panifico Bake Shop: Mini pan dulce, Carlota cake, and cuatro leches cake
- South Barbecue: Brisket tacos
- The Jerk Shack: Jerk pork belly tostadas
- Wok Wey: Spicy garlic chicken
Otto's Ice House's pretzel bites and beer cheese were a big hit with the crowd.Photo by Guillermo Rosas
The celebratory mood was heightened by this year’s sponsors, including NXT LVL EVENT and Marine Foods Express. Mocktails, cocktails, refreshers, and brews from Maker's Mark, Lone Star Beer, Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof, S.Pellegrino Acqua Panna, Diplomático Rum, and Fords Gin kept spirits high.
And a pair of nominees stepped in with pick-me-ups as the sun set:
- Estate Coffee: Espresso martini
- Rose Hip Market: Cold brew and cinnamon vanilla lattes
Volunteers from Culinaria, our nonprofit beneficiary, also helped make the evening a smashing success.
Finally, KENS 5’s Sarah Forgany took the stage to emcee the awards ceremony and hand out custom glass trophies to this year’s winners, including Bar of the Year, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, and Best Sandwich, this year’s wildcard category.
Revelers cheered as each winner took the stage, especially for this year’s Best New Restaurant, a category voted on by CultureMap readers in a neck-and-neck bracket competition. You can see the full list of honorees here.
Lone Star said cheers to another great year.Photo by Guillermo Rosas
Once the victory laps were done, some attendees made their way to the Pearl for an unofficial Tastemaker Awards tradition, keeping the party going at the Bar of the Year, Jue Let. Rumor has it that there was a rousing karaoke version of Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”
Congrats to all of our deserving winners and a heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, participants, and guests.
Relive all the highlights by scrolling through the above photos to relive the delectable night. We can’t wait to do it all over again next year!
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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony was 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 benefited our nonprofit partner, Culinaria.
Photo by Guillermo Rosas
Tastemaker Awards guests were treated to a buffet of some of San Antonio's best bites.
