List News
Only one Dallas spot makes Bon Appetit's list of best new restaurants
Texas restaurants are well-represented on Bon Appetit’s list of America’s 50 Best New Restaurants for 2022. Seven Lone Star State establishments earn the magazine's approval.
They are:
- Birdie’s, a counter service restaurant in Austin known for its seasonal menu and well-chosen list of natural wines
- Canje, the Caribbean restaurant in Austin from star chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph
- El Rincon del Maiz, a taqueria in Garland that serves vegan tacos on seven different types of corn tortillas
- La Onda, chef Victor Villarreal’s Latin-inspired seafood restaurant in Fort Worth that includes dry-aged fish among its offerings
- March, the Houston fine dining restaurant dedicated to tasting menus inspired by different regions of the Mediterranean
- The Nicolett, a Lubbock restaurant that serves "High Plains Cuisine" in the form of dishes such as elk tartare and house-made pappardelle stuffed with avocado
- Reese Bros. Barbecue, a San Antonio food truck that pairs classic Texas barbecue with Mexican-inspired sides
The strong showing represents an improvement over 2019, when only four Texas restaurants made the list. The magazine skipped a Best New Restaurants list in 2021, instead recognizing restaurants that showed leadership during the pandemic with its Head of the Table awards.
The magazine's editors express optimism about the state of dining in America. They note that a broader range of immigrant culinary traditions has spread across the country, writing that it means "more Guyanese and South Indian and Palestinian and Indigenous Mexican food for all of us." They also praise restaurants that are putting their staff first by offering improved working environments.
"I hope this list, divided by region and filled with our thoughts on what to order and what to know, acts as an invitation to shake off any skepticism as to whether going out is 'worth it' these days," writes restaurant editor Elazar Sontag.
Each restaurant on the list receives a brief profile along with a list of recommended dishes. For El Rincon del Maiz, a taqueria opened in a former Sonic Drive-In in 2021, they write:
Here, the Saporito family, hailing from Tabasco, Mexico, presses out a rainbow of seven different types of corn tortillas doctored up with homemade flavoring mixes—magenta beetroot, fiery orange guajillo, green nopal. Then, they fill them with clever blends of plant-based ingredients: juicy jackfruit quesabirria, crispy fried hibiscus with cauliflower, even chicharrones made of shredded coconut. Oh, and did we mention the creamy mushroom tamal bathed in salsa verde? There are plenty of excellent meat options too (and a very good horchata) but here, plants really deserve the spotlight.
Their recommendations for what to order include the Vegan Birria Taco, Hibiscus & Cauliflower Taco, and Mushroom Tamale.
From this list of 50 restaurants, Bon Appetit will reveal its ranked top 10 list on September 14.
