The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink in San Antonio
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Rank 1. Mixtli
Mexican
Galicia and Torres build tasting menus around Mexico's fractured geography and deep past—one night Oaxaca, the next pre-Columbian, the next the hot lands. Their fine-dining technique animates regional traditions with cerebral precision, each plate a small argument about flavor and history, plated with care that matches the cook's obvious reverence for the source material.
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Rank 2. Isidore
Texas New American
Isidore honors Texas ingredients and indigenous foodways through an ambitious, shareable menu anchored by a live-fire hearth in the Pearl District's midcentury modern setting. The popcorn chicken and dry-aged pork chop showcase the kitchen's confident hand with local sourcing and bold spicing.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire 2025 · Miracle of the Well · The Best Martinis in America
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 3. Nicōsi
Creative Dessert
A velvet-curtained counter in a darkened corner of Pullman Market hosts an entirely dessert-focused tasting menu, each course built around acidic, umami, bitter, or sweet. The theatrical plating—tomme cheese mille-feuille with caviar and gold leaf, short rib crowned in house-spun cotton candy—rewards the surrender of phones and photographs alike.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Tavel Bristol-Joseph
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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- AAA Four Diamonds
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #8 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #2 · Top 10 Steakhouses in San Antonio
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Rank 4. Burnt Bean Co.
Barbecue
Lines form before opening at this Seguin barbecue shop, where competition pitmasters Ernest Servantes and Dave Kirkland tend brisket and ribs of precise tenderness and delicate smoke. The industrial room fills completely, diners balancing rich meats with bright pickled okra and firm green beans—a formula that rewards patience.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · David Kirkland and Ernest Servantes
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · David Kirkland and Ernest Servantes
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland
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- AAA Four Diamonds
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #43 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #1 · Top 10 San Antonio River Walk Restaurants
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Rank 9. Leche de Tigre
Peruvian
A small bungalow devoted to Peruvian seafood, where striped bass swims in ginger-spiked leche de tigre alongside plantains and huacatay oil, and the pisco sours flow freely on a buzzing patio. The kitchen moves with equal confidence away from the sea—lomo saltado's umami sauce clings to beef and crispy potatoes with the certainty of a place that knows what it is.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Emil Oliva
- Texas Monthly 2024 · #7 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · Emil Oliva
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Rank 10. Ladino
Mediterranean
Ladino channels Mediterranean ease through wood-fired pita and boldly seasoned vegetables in the Pearl District's verdant courtyard. The kitchen coaxes unexpected depth from seasonal ingredients—fermented tomatoes, labneh, smoked chili—with cocktails that match its restless creativity.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2023 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #12 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 10. 2M Smokehouse
Barbecue
Pitmaster Esaul Ramos Jr. runs a straightforward counter operation where you order by weight and sit among locals at picnic tables or benches, the smoke still clinging to your clothes. The brisket arrives juicy and the turkey brined in citrus-pepper spice, flanked by chicharrón mac and pickled nopales that hint at the kitchen's Mexican roots.
- The New York Times 2025 · Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
- Texas Monthly 2025 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Sue Kim
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 10. Mezquite
Sonoran Mexican
Mezquite pivots toward Sonoran cooking in a sun-faded stall, opening with ceviche before moving to grilled onions and black garlic spread across paper-thin tortillas. Free-range chicken in pipian rojo arrives with a fleet of sides meant for sharing, and the flan closes the meal with custard-soft certainty.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2025 · #10 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #17 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 10. The Jerk Shack
Caribbean
A converted warehouse west of downtown holds Caribbean cooking that rewards the mess—jerk and fried chicken arrive so tender and precisely spiced that the roll of paper towels becomes essential. The industrial room, all exposed beams and bright murals, feels designed for the kind of eating that leaves you satisfied and slightly sticky, the banana pudding a courteous formality at the end.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Nicola Blaque
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- San Antonio Express-News #2 · Top 10 Fried Chicken in San Antonio
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Rank 10. Cullum's Attaboy
French
A cottage near St. Mary's where counter seating overlooks an open kitchen dispensing French-leaning breakfasts on a modest budget: proper omelets glossed with butter and hollandaise, house-made rolls cradling smoked brisket and egg, powdered sugar doughnuts that eclipse most beignets. The breakfast potatoes alone justify a visit—they possess a clarity other versions lack.
- Food & Wine 2024 · Ham & Cheese · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · Christopher Cullum
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 17. Best Quality Daughter
American Chinese
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Grey Hwang
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #4 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #6 · Top 10 Fried Chicken in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #4 · Top 10 Brunch Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #34 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #1 · Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in San Antonio
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #19 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · Top 10 New Orleans Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #8 · Top 10 Brunch Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #35 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · John Ramos and Jonathan Reyes
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #41 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 17. Garcia's Mexican Food
Tex-Mex Mexican
Since 1962, Garcia's has anchored this corner with the kind of Tex-Mex cooking that draws lines around the block at breakfast and dinner alike. The deluxe plate—enchiladas, tamale, chili con carne, hard taco—arrives in a squat dining room where the staff moves through the crowd with genuine warmth.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #24 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
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Rank 17. Reese Bros Barbecue
Texas-style Barbecue
The Reese brothers queue their brisket with house-made tortillas and poblano mac and cheese, departing from Texas barbecue tradition without abandoning its soul. Open Thursday through Saturday only, worth the wait for smoked turkey and piña colada cobbler.
- Texas Monthly 2025 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #9 · Top 10 Chicken-Fried Steak in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #10 · Top 10 New Orleans Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #7 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #4 · Top 10 Fish Tacos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #3 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #36 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 17. Clementine
Globally Inspired
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · John Russ
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #2 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #8 · Top 10 San Antonio River Walk Restaurants
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- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #22 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- San Antonio Express-News #4 · Top 10 Pizza in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · Top 10 Pizza in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #47 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #3 · Top 10 Castle Hills Restaurants
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · Top 10 Outdoor Dining Restaurants
- San Antonio Express-News #6 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #5 · Top 10 Outdoor Dining Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Alex Sarmiento and Brenda Sarmiento
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 32. Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
Texas American
Inside the old Pearl brewhouse, Southerleigh pairs raw brick and steel with a brisk modern dining room where locals drift between tables and the bar overlooks the working fermentation tanks. Snapper throats arrive with remoulade, crawfish rolls come dressed in spiced fries—the menu speaks Texas Gulf and Southern comfort in a single breath, matched by house beers that taste of the place itself.
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- Texas Monthly 2024 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- San Antonio Express-News #2 · Top 10 Fish Tacos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #23 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News 2024 · #1 · Top 10 Italian Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #7 · Top 10 Pizza in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #13 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 32. Curry Boys BBQ
Thai Barbecue
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #10 · Top 10 Chicken-Fried Steak in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #5 · Top 10 Fried Chicken in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #10 · Top 10 Fish Tacos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #9 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #27 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #48 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #49 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #6 · Top 10 Steakhouses in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #7 · Top 10 Chicken-Fried Steak in San Antonio
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Rank 40. Little Em’s Oyster Bar
Seafood
A seafood bar painted in pastels sits prettily on South Alamo, all cupcake-pink walls and a tree-shaded patio that doubles the footprint of the room. The menu pivots between daily oyster selections and bright preparations—fish tacos, a lobster roll with herbed fries—that taste like summer distilled into a plate. Rosé flows naturally here.
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- San Antonio Express-News #2 · Top 10 Brunch Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #5 · Top 10 Chicken-Fried Steak in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #37 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #3 · Top 10 Brunch Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #20 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #9 · Top 10 Brunch Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #8 · Top 10 Fried Chicken in San Antonio
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- Bon Appétit The Best Breakfast Tacos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #32 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · Top 10 Steakhouses in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #29 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #50 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #4 · Top 10 Chicken-Fried Steak in San Antonio
- Eater The Best Restaurants in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #10 · Top 10 Nachos in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News #4 · Top 10 Outdoor Dining Restaurants
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- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #11 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News #9 · Top 10 Outdoor Dining Restaurants
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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Rank 40. The Barbecue Station
Barbecue
A converted gas station near the Loop holds thirty years of smoke and ritual. Brisket arrives in thick-cut slices on cottony bread; the turkey carries the gentler char of post oak and mesquite. The sides—particularly the house potato salad—deserve their own visit.
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in San Antonio
- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #6 · Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #8 · Top 10 Castle Hills Restaurants
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- San Antonio Express-News 2024 · #5 · Top 10 Italian Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #45 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #4 · Top 10 San Antonio River Walk Restaurants
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- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #42 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #3 · Top 10 San Antonio River Walk Restaurants
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · The Top 5 panaderías in S.A.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Baker · David Cáceres
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · The Top 5 panaderías in S.A.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Baker · David Cáceres
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- San Antonio Express-News #1 · The Top 5 panaderías in S.A.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Baker · David Cáceres
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Rank 82. Signature Restaurant
American
Within La Cantera Resort & Spa, Signature Restaurant pivots between seafood and game with equal dexterity—Spanish octopus arrives grilled crisp over avocado puree and chorizo, while venison emerges precise beneath cherry jus and potato pavé. The wine list is broad and the staff navigates it with genuine care, making this a place where ambitious cooking meets genuine hospitality.
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- San Antonio Current 2025 · The 50 best bars in San Antonio
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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- San Antonio Express-News 2024 · #4 · Top 10 Italian Restaurants in San Antonio
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In San Antonio
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- San Antonio Express-News 2024 · #3 · Top 10 Italian Restaurants in San Antonio
- San Antonio Express-News 2025 · #39 · Top 50 Restaurants in San Antonio
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- Texas Monthly 2023 · #4 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- San Antonio Express-News #9 · Top 10 New Orleans Restaurants in San Antonio
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Rank 271. Curry Boys BBQ
Thai/Texan
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen
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Rank 273. Buttermilk Cafe
Texan Comfort Food
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