CultureMap trekked across Texas this spring to toast the Tastemakers during our annual culinary awards program — and this year was bigger than ever. In addition to our longstanding events in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, we brought the party to Fort Worth and San Antonio for the very first time.

The series began April 26 with our inaugural San Antonio event before returning to Austin's Fair Market on April 28. The Texas culinary tour then headed to Cowtown for our Fort Worth debut on May 10, followed by an evening at Dallas' Fashion Industry Gallery on May 12. The foodie fun wrapped up May 25 in Houston with another sold-out night at Silver Street Studios.

The 2022 Tastemaker Awards served as a Texas-sized celebration of the culinary scenes they honored, with guests savoring bites from participating nominees, sipping signature cocktails alongside culinary stars, and raising a glass to the winners during our live awards ceremonies.

Nominees were selected by local panels of industry experts, including past Tastemaker winners and CultureMap editors. The panels then selected all winners, except for Best New Restaurant, which was determined by readers in our online tournament.

Meet all of the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winners, listed by city, below.

 Dallas:

 
• Restaurant of the Year: Meridian
 
• Chef of the Year: Ji Kang, Sloane's Corner
 
• Bar of the Year: Rattlesnake Bar
 
• Best New Restaurant: Hawkers Asian Street Food
 
• Rising Star Chef of the Year: Aldo Lugo, Jose
 
• Pastry Chef of the Year: Amy La Rue, Carte Blanche
 
• Bartender of the Year: Reid Lewis, Atlas
 
• Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Hillside Tavern
 
• Brewery of the Year: Vector Brewing
 
• Wine Program of the Year: Monarch
 
• Best New Pizza: 400 Gradi
 

 Fort Worth:

 
• Restaurant of the Year: Belenty's Love Vegan Mexican Restaurant
 
• Chef of the Year: Jenny Castor, Luckybee Kitchen
 
• Bar of the Year: The Lobby Bar at Hotel Dryce
 
• Best New Restaurant: Dusty Biscuit Beignets
 
• Best Breakfast: Ol' South Pancake House
 

 San Antonio:

 
• Restaurant of the Year: 2M Smokehouse
 
• Chef of the Year: Jason Dady, Jardín
 
• Bar of the Year: Bar 1919
 
• Best New Restaurant: Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar
 
• Best Brewery: Dorćol Distilling & Brewing Co.
 

 Austin:

 
• Restaurant of the Year: Cuantos Tacos
 
• Chef of the Year: Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria
 
• Bar of the Year: Tiki Tatsu-Ya
 
• Best New Restaurant: Wax Myrtle's
 
• Rising Star Chef of the Year: Amanda Turner, Olamaie
 
• Pastry Chef of the Year: Susana Querejazu, Lutie's
 
• Bartender of the Year: Cory Starr, Tiki Tatsu-Ya
 
• Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Better Half Coffee & Cocktails
 
• Wine Program of the Year: Birdie's
 
• Brewery of the Year: Meanwhile Brewing Co.
 
• Best Vegan Restaurant: Counter Culture
 

 Houston:

 
• Restaurant of the Year: Street to Kitchen
 
• Chef of the Year: Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn
 
• Bar of the Year: Tongue-cut Sparrow
 
• Best New Restaurant: d’Alba Craft Kitchen & Cocktails
 
• Rising Star Chef of the Year: Benchawan Painter, Street to Kitchen
 
• Pastry Chef of the Year: Christina Au, Blacksmith
 
• Bartender of the Year: Sarah Crowl, Better Luck Tomorrow
 
• Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Click Virtual Food Hall
 
• Wine Program of the Year: Tiny Champions
 
• Best Pop-up: Luis Mercado and Paolo Justo, Neo
 

The series kicked off with our inaugural San Antonio event.

  

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The series kicked off with our inaugural San Antonio event.