These 5 Restaurants in San Antonio Deserve a Michelin Star

The state of Texas is known for its food, especially BBQ and Tex-Mex. However, there are no Michelin Star restaurants in San Antonio, or anywhere within the great state of Texas. While the Michelin Guide is one of the more famous culinary awards, it does not cover Texas. In fact, the Michelin Guide currently only covers a small number of cities in the U.S.

Other culinary awards set certain San Antonio restaurants apart. The James Beard Award, for instance, has a much broader reach in terms of its awards system. Named after the Oregonian chef, author, and educator, James Beard, the foundation nominates chefs, restauranteurs, and restaurants in multiple categories.

There are two rounds of judging. To even make it into the semifinals for one of the categories is a big deal. These categories are judged by previous winners, food writers, educators, and all kinds of experts from the world of food. The judges consider the mission, values, and inclusivity of a chef and their kitchen. They also look at the presentation and personality of the food.

Several restaurants in Texas have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation. Let’s dive further into Texas cuisine and learn about the best restaurants in San Antonio that could one day earn a Michelin Star.

Landrace

111 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78205

Landrace is housed in the Thompson San Antonio Hotel, and its chef, Steve McHugh, will appear a couple of times on this list. This restaurant is mentioned on the Michelin website ; while it isn’t equivalent to formally receiving stars, it’s still a notable distinction. McHugh has been nominated multiple times for James Beard awards for his other restaurant, also on this list: Cured. He became the chef of Landrace in 2021 and has curated a culinary experience of seasonal offerings with a focus on the celebration of local Texan cuisine and its inspirations (via San Antonio Magazine ).

The menu is centered around the categories of starter plates, soups and salads, main dishes, and sweets and cheese. Begin your Landrace experience with citrus-cured tuna or lamb tacos. There are fried duck wings in an apricot-habanero glaze, deviled eggs, and bacon cheddar biscuits. Enjoy a fresh Caesar salad or their current asparagus and pea soup.

Kitchen mains include scallops in a roasted carrot pureé with blackberry coulis, and seasonal fish with green mole, on a bed of greens with fennel pollen. Heartier mains feature a bacon-wrapped venison steak, 34oz dry age tomahawk ribeye,  and roasted chicken with habanero yogurt and blue corn tortillas. Get some sides of roasted carrots, house fries, mac n’ cheese with brisket, and grilled broccolini. And finally, take your pick of seasonal gelato offerings or try the warm Texas sheet cake.

Moon’s Daughters

115 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78205

Moon’s Daughters is another restaurant housed in the Thompson San Antonio Hotel . This rooftop lounge and small-bite eatery offers great views of the city from the 20th floor. They offer small bites for sharing or enjoying all on your own. They specialize in aesthetic and delicious cocktails. Moon’s Daughters offers brunch pairings, a variety of meat options, and dessert dishes as well.

Try their turmeric-pickled vegetables or grilled halloumi cheese. For heartier dishes, they offer seared bass, grilled lamb chops, a New York strip steak, and more.  From Landrace to Moon’s Daughters, this hotel in San Antonio provides some great culinary experiences with a view of the city to boot!

Cured

306 Pearl Parkway, Unit 101, San Antonio, TX 78215

Back again to Chef Steve McHugh, Cured is one of the close-to Michelin Star restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. This New American restaurant was nominated for the 2022 James Beard Awards. They are also a Smart Catch leader, another James Beard recognition, for their dedication to sustainable seafood.

This restaurant made it on the list of Good Food’s 100 Good Restaurants in 2021. Cured opened in 2012, named after McHugh’s battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, as well as a nod to the cured meat they make in-house (via Forbes ). Overall, their menu features local ingredients, and their own line of canned, cured, and pickled items. Nestled in the historic Pearl’s Administration Building, this San Antonio gem is well worth a visit.

The menu features shared options, warm appetizers, main dishes, and some delicious dessert offerings. Charcuterie options include pork rillettes, cured pork belly, pickled pimento cheese, and a chicken liver mousse. They have fried chicken liver in lemon aioli with pepper jelly, duck leg confit, steak frites, and crawfish gnocchi. Save room for the limoncello cake, opera cake, or soft-serve ice cream.

Mixtli

812 S Alamo St., Suite 103, San Antonio, TX 78210

Mixtli is a creative tasting menu experience that draws inspiration from traditional Mexican recipes. In 2022 it was short-listed for the James Beard category of “Outstanding Restaurant”. Their menu changes according to themes and different seasonal celebrations; for instance, the current menu celebrates the restaurant’s ten-year anniversary. Overall, the goal of Mixtli is to represent the diversity of regional produce and ingredients from Mexico and to help you fall in love with their culinary offerings. The tasting menu costs $140 per person.

The current menu features a sampling of Mixtli’s favorite dishes from its history. It starts with a sopa de aguacate and smoked oysters. Next comes mole rosa and smoked pork chops. Other dishes include braised beef tongue and pasta de rancho. Finally, the featured dessert for the current menu is comprised of caramelized milk, hazelnut, and sorghum.

2M Smokehouse

2731 S WW White Rd, San Antonio, TX 78222

Chef Esaul Ramos Jr. of 2M Smokehouse has been nominated multiple times for the James Beard regional “Best Chef” award. Ramos and his partner Joe Melig, brought their smokehouse dreams to life when they opened the location in 2016. Named for their grandparents, the smokehouse is centered around the values of family and sharing time while smoking meats and preparing food. The menu items are made daily in-house, and there are dining tables as well as take-out options for enjoying the wonderful meats offered at this San Antonio establishment.

On their menu, you can order brisket, smoked turkey breast, pulled pork, and pork ribs by the pound. There’s also house-made sausage, meat sandwiches, and family packs for picnics and dinners. Get a steaming side of chicharoni macaroni, Maria’s beans, (which can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan) sweet coleslaw, or Mexican street corn. Dessert options change from day to day.

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