Meet the Tastemakers

Announcing the Dallas nominees for 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards

This year's wildcard category highlights Dallas' best sandwiches.

Ashley Gongora

Dallas' culinary scene is unstoppable, and each year we celebrate the city's top restaurant and bar talent with the annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Recently, we revealed the 2026 event dates and released a limited number of discounted tickets, and now it's time for the anticipated unveiling of our Dallas nominees.

These nominees represent the very best in Dallas dining right now, from casual neighborhood spots to Michelin-worthy menus.

Our panel of judges — including local culinary experts and a who's who of past Tastemaker Awards winners — have selected outstanding nominees across nine categories. They'll choose the winner for all but one award — the Best New Restaurant will be crowned by CultureMap readers in an interactive tournament this spring.

Meet the nominees below, then join us May 7 at Astoria Event Venue to find out who wins. You'll nosh on chef-prepared bites from a host of participating nominees, sip perfectly paired cocktails, and be in the room when the winners are revealed. A limited number of First Dibs tickets are still available with big discounts ($50 for general admission and $85 for VIP), so don't delay.

Now, please join us in toasting the 2026 Dallas Tastemaker Awards nominees:

Restaurant of the Year

Cattleack Barbeque
Crown Block
Gemma
Mabo
Mamani
Mot Hai Ba
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen
Nonna
Sushi Kozy
Tatsu Dallas

Chef of the Year

Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table, Radici
Omar Flores, Casa Brasa
John Kleifgen, Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse
Andreas Kotsifos, Andreas Prime
Peja Krstic, Mot Hai Ba, Pillar
Olivia López, Molino Olōyō
Aubrey Murphy, SĒR Steak + Spirits
Misti Norris, Far Out
Charles Olalia, The Mansion
Chris Vogeli, III Forks Steakhouse - Addison

Bar of the Year

Apothecary
Ayahuasca Cantina
Bar Colette
Black Swan Saloon
Bowen House
Boxcar
La Viuda Negra
Leela's Wine Bar
Midnight Rambler
The Wilfred

Best New Restaurant

Avra Estiatorio
Burger Schmurger
Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn
Casa Brasa
Centrale Italia
Domodomo Ko
El Molino Mexican Bistro
Evelyn
Far Out
Flamant
Frenchie
Jo’Seon Wagyu Omakase
Little Blue Bistro
Norman's Japanese Grill
Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q
Winsome Prime

Rising Star Chef of the Year

Reilly Brown, Frenchie
Scott Girling, Osteria Il Muro
Mollie Guerra, Chef Mollie G
Zeina Kamal, Babel Mediterranean Grill
Belal Kattan, Bazaar
Brian Kim, Domodomo Ko
Sonia Mancillas, Via Triozzi
Benjamin Norton, Norman’s Japanese Grill
Eduardo Osorio, Meridian
Kelly Vargas, Curuba Colombian Kitchen

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year

Beverley's
Blues Burgers
Cafe Izmir
Family Thais Asian Bistro
Kenny’s East Coast Pizza
il Bracco Restaurant
La Parisienne
Miriam Cocina Latina
The Mexican
Pillar

Dessert Program of the Year

Crispy Cones
IYKYK Mochi Churro
Le Reve Gelato & Patisserie
Lucia
Pietro’s Italian Bakery
Restaurant Beatrice
Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas
San Martin Bakery & Restaurant
Uchi
Village Baking Co.

Coffee Shop of the Year

Ascension
Cafe Ciro
Cafe Duro
Cultivar Coffee Roasting Co.
Good Boy Cafe
La Réunion
Le SouQ Coffee
Palmieri Cafe
Wayward Coffee Co.
White Rock Coffee

Best Sandwich

Beyond the Bun
Bread Zeppelin
Deli News Restaurant
Empire Baking Co.
Goodfriend Package
Jimmy's Food Store
Latin Deli
Mendocino Farms
Tortas la Hechizera
Trades Delicatessen

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Dallas by Maker's Mark, Shutto, NXT LVL Event, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harvest Project Food Rescue.

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RIP Murph

Dallas restaurateur Ed Murph, owner of Norma's Cafe, dies at 78

GDRA

Edward "Ed" Murph III, RIP

Dallas restaurateur Edward "Ed" L. Murph III, owner of Dallas' treasured home-cooking chain Norma's Cafe, passed away on Monday, February 23; he was 78.

A statement from the Dallas chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association called him "a respected leader and cherished member of our restaurant community" who'd served as a former GDTRA President, Texas Restaurant Association State Board Member, and was a Hall of Honor Inductee.

Murph was also the first-ever Texas recipient of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Neighbor Award, reflecting his unwavering commitment to community service and leadership through Norma's Cafe.

"His impact on our industry and the countless lives he touched will not be forgotten," the association said. "He was truly a great man who will be greatly missed."

One of Dallas' oldest restaurants, Norma’s Cafe was originally opened in Oak Cliff in 1956 by namesake Norma Manis. Murph was a Dallas native who grew up in Oak Cliff and ate at the original location even into his days as a student at Adamson High School.

He'd been in the hospitality industry since 1970, owning a series of clubs, bars, and restaurants, including Café Cancun in the early 1980s.

When he learned Norma's was up for sale, he acquired it in 1986, seeing an opportunity to buy a restaurant that was not only a Dallas icon, but a place he enjoyed as a child. It became his legacy.

"As a kid, my parents took me [to Norma’s Cafe] to eat, and in high school it was the place to go to have French fries and a Coke, because that’s all the money you had,” Murph recalls on the restaurant's website. “It’s been around for so long that [it seems like] everybody in the world has eaten there."

Norma's is the ultimate everyman restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with signature dishes such as the “eNORMAus” chicken fried steak, fried chicken, fluffy biscuits & gravy, cornbread, and housemade "Mile-High Pies."

Murph went on to open four more locations — in Plano, Frisco, North Dallas, and Park Lane — as well as takeout operations in Garland and Fairview. Each location became a destination for its neighborhood.

He also exhibited an uncommon sense of philanthropy, stepping up with many charitable overtures during the pandemic, and continuing its epic annual tradition of serving a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day to those in need.

“Working people like to have breakfast and lunch,” Murph told D Magazine in a 2017 story about his passion for outfitting each location with period-era antiques that would match the profile of the food: lowkey, homestyle, and friendly.

"It gives a feeling of comfort," he said.

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