Celebrating the Tastemakers

Dallas foodies toast top chefs and restaurants at 2026 Tastemaker Awards

Dallas' very best restaurants and bars — and the talented pros behind them — were celebrated at the 2026 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards on Thursday, May 7.

More than 600 food fans and cocktail connoisseurs gathered at Astoria Event Venue in Irving to raise a glass to the city's top restaurants, bars, and culinary masters. But first, they got to eat and drink.

Nominated chefs and restaurants served delectable bites, and hard-working bartenders whipped up cocktails incorporating spirits from the event's sponsors. A portion of the proceeds benefited the our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

Lines formed quickly for small plates from some of Dallas' most popular and influential eateries, spread out across the building. Lucky VIP ticketholders got in an hour early to avoid the crowds and enjoy a bar area all their own.

CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2026 The chef from SER prepares activated charcoal-crusted Akaushi ribeye cap and Yukon Gold potato fondant.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

Hungry guests were spotted going back for seconds for dishes including:

Japanese wagyu tartare, crab meat-stuffed avocado, mini lobster rolls, and bacon-wrapped baked dates from Andreas Prime
Tuna tartare from Avra Estiatorio
Sunchoke agnolotti from Bazaar
Caviar and latkes from Beverly's Bistro & Bar
Vegan chimichurri focaccia sandwich from Beyond the Bun
Bread pudding from Bread Zeppelin
The Schmurger from Burger Schmurger
Ham, roast beef, and tomato and mozzarella sandwiches from Empire Baking Co.
Hamachi sashimi from Evelyn
Compressed cucumber from Frenchie
"Not So Fried" chicken sandwich and spicy curried couscous from Mendocino Farms
Foie and Sea Island cornbread from Meridian
Activated charcoal-crusted Akaushi ribeye cap and Yukon Gold potato fondant from SER Steak + Spirits
Ahi tuna Mexicano from The Mexican
Pastrami Reuben bites from Trades Delicatessen
The Dip (spinach, artichoke, and cheese blend) with tortilla chips and truffle lasagna from Winsome Prime

There were also sweet treats and coffee-centered pick-me-ups from our Chef, Coffee Shop, and Dessert Program of the Year nominees:

Dubai chocolate cheesecake mini eclairs from Andreas Prime
Original and chocolate churros with hojicha and matcha soft serve from IYKYK Mochi Churro
Lavender berry and mocha chocolate tartlets from La Reve Gelato & Patisserie
Mini chocolate chip cannolis, an assortment of macarons, ricotta cheesecake, tiramisu cups, torta caprese, assorted Italian cookies, and Italian cream cake from Pietro's Italian Bakery
Rustic apple crisp, mini almond croissants, and alfajores (sandwich cookies) from San Martin Bakery & Restaurant
Caramelized white chocolate semifreddo miso blondies from Uchi
Cold brew and iced White Rockers from White Rock Coffee

CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2026

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The Trades Delicatessen team celebrates their win for Best Sandwich.

CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2026 Lavender berry and mocha chocolate tartlets from La Reve Gelato & Patisserie.Photo by Guillermo Rosas

To help wet the whistle, guests could sip brews from Lone Star Beer, still or sparkling water from S.Pellegrino Acqua Panna, mocktails from Ritual Zero Proof and Seedlip, and a popular Bourbon Sour signature cocktail from Maker's Mark Bourbon — all valued sponsors of the event. Other specialty drinks available at the bar featured Maniball Peanut Butter Tequila, Island Getaway Dark Rum, and Woody Creek Vodka. For those who wanted something sparkling, sponsor Shutto, a transportation company, was pouring bubbles.

In the weeks leading up to the big event, we published a special editorial series highlighting nominees. A panel of expert judges helped select all of the winners, except Best New Restaurant, which was determined by our readers in a bracket-style tournament.

The evening's emcee, NBC5 Texas Today host Cleo Greene, announced winners, who came to the stage to accept their glass trophies.

CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2026 Awards ceremony host Cleo Greene, of NBC5's 'Texas Today.'Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The winners were:

Restaurant of the Year: Mamani
Chef of the Year: Peja Krstic, Mot Hai Ba, Pillar
Bar of the Year: Ayahuasca Cantina
Best New Restaurant: Frenchie
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Eduardo Osorio, Meridian
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Beverley's Bistro & Bar
Dessert Program of the Year: Lucia
Coffee Shop of the Year: Ascension
Best Sandwich: Trades Delicatessen

After the awards were handed out, winners posed for photos with colleagues, fellow winners and nominees, and guests eager to find out more about their establishments — and visit them in person.

Between feasting and celebrating, attendees stopped to snap Insta-worthy photos at a photo booth and bought raffle tickets benefiting Harvest Project Food Rescue.

Among the guests spotted in the crowd, having a good time, were: Caleb Wettig, Loren Wettig, Natalie Castlean, Andrew Castlean, Stephen Fagin, Emily Williams, Frank Bliss, Risa Bliss, Jason Harlow, Filipe Harlow, Sky Williams, Bianca Baidoo, Felipe Guiterrez, Carlos Presa, Clara Martinez, Brandt Wood, Megan Wood, LuisPerez, Sarah Perez, and hundreds more.

Scroll through the gallery of nearly 50 photos, above, to see who was there, what was eaten, and who won awards.

Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2027. Cheers!

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony was sponsored in Dallas by Maker's Mark, Shutto, NXT LVL Event, Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof, H-E-B, Marine Foods Express, and S.Pellegrino Acqua Panna. A portion of the proceeds benefited Harvest Project Food Rescue.

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Pizza News

California-based Burattino Pizza to bring pepperoni pies to Plano

dallas.culturemap.com

A small pizzeria chain from Southern California is expanding its presence in DFW: Burattino Pizza, known for its thin-crust pepperoni pies, is opening a location in Plano, at 6405 W. Parker Rd. #300, taking over a space previously occupied by Papa John's.

According to DFW franchisee George Gomiashvili, the restaurant is slated to open in December.

Burattino was founded in 2016 in San Pedro, California, then acquired by entrepreneur Emil Chiaberi, whose savvy use of social media transformed the concept into a viral sensation, with millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

The chain has five locations in California, one in Salt Lake City, and one in North Richland Hills, its first in Texas, where its opening in March was met with long lines, true to form considering its crazy social media following.

Gomiashvili, a veteran restaurateur and winemaker from California, says that Burattino embodies "California-style pizza," with a thin, crunchy-yet-chewy crust, edge-to-edge toppings, and bold, imaginative recipes.

”It’s a crisp, thin crust baked in brick ovens with a strong focus on high-quality pepperoni pies and unique ingredients like fermented black garlic," Gomiashvili says. "The goal has always been to keep the menu simple but do a few things extremely well."

Burattino is most famous for its pepperoni pizzas, with multiple pepperoni options including pork, beef, and wild boar; and for the crunchiness of its crust.

Other notable menu items include:

Dirty Pepperoni — pepperoni and black olives on Burattino's Black Garlic Sauce
White Clam — white garlic sauce, chopped clams, bacon, garlic, oregano, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese
120 Pepperoni — pepperoni pizza with mozzarella and marinara sauce. The 120 stands for 120 slices of pepperoni
Mexican Pepperoni — red and green chorizo, bacon, garlic, red onion, jalapeños, mozzarella cheese, on chunky mild salsa

The Mercedes pizza is a sampler, allowing you to order three of Burattino's classic pizzas in one: Meatlovers, Hawaiian and Margherita, XL size only. Pizzas start at $13 for a cheese pizza and top out at $28 for the Mercedes.

In addition to pizza, they offer calzones, mozzarella sticks, salads such as a chicken Caesar, and baked wings in four flavors: plain, hot, Korean BBQ, and garlic parmesan. Much of their approach is "extreme" including the Cheese Lava Pie, with a four-cheese blend — mozzarella, provolone, feta, and Parmesan — placed both inside and on top of the crust, creating a hot cheese lava that makes for outrageous social media posts.

"The response to our recipes in North Richland Hills has been amazing," Gomiashvili says. "The 120 Pepperoni has been a standout, and our fermented black garlic pizzas and Cheese Lava Pie are other signatures that show what makes Burattino different."

Gomiashvili says they're still getting to know their audience in Texas, but that the reception they've received has been encouraging.

"Our approach is the same: distinctive pizza people love, generous portions, everyday prices and genuine hospitality," he says. "We want to become a neighborhood favorite that people feel connected to and come back to regularly."

In addition to Plano, they're also opening a location in Arlington at 6204 S. Cooper St. #108, forecast to debut in February 2027.

When it comes to scouting locations, they look for second-generation restaurant spaces that are easy to convert.

"Plano was a Papa John’s, and Arlington was a Simple Simon’s," Gomiashvili says. "Both had much of the infrastructure in place, which allows us to reopen more quickly. We also like Plano and Arlington for their dense, diverse communities and large families. That’s a great fit for our generous pizzas and everyday prices."

He says that the core menu and operating hours will be the same at all three locations. They'll also introduce specials and rotating pizzas.

"The main differences will be the service format and beverage program," he says. "Arlington will have a full bar with a cocktail program. Plano will focus mostly on delivery and takeout, potentially with some beer and wine to go rather than an extensive beverage program."

Meanwhile, for North Richland Hills, they've applied to sell beer and wine and anticipate they'll have approval in about a month.

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