Houstonians are going out to eat more in 2024, with reservations on the popular reservation platform OpenTable up 7.2% through November 2024, compared to the same period last year. With rising consumer confidence this trend is expected to continue, especially with the announcement of Michelin ratings in Texas. In November alone--the month Michelin accreditations were announced--Houston showed a 16.9% jump in reservations compared to November of the previous year.

The buzz around Michelin may be having a similar impact in other Texas cities with recognized restaurants.  The Dallas-Fort Worth metro showed a 21.3% gain in restaurant reservations in November, while Austin and San Antonio saw a 9.3% increase and 11.9% increase, respectively. When compared to other cities on a national scale, it appears that buzz over Michelin ratings in Texas has benefited the Lone Star State’s restaurant industry. In November, as an example, Atlanta showed a 3.8% loss in reservations, while cities like Miami and Phoenix only saw gains of 2.7% and 1.7%-- lower than gains we are seeing in Texas.

Michelin ratings in Houston are only enhancing the city’s already long list of restaurant industry accolades in 2024. On top of a Michelin recommendation, for example, Late August earned a coveted spot on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America list for 2024, citing the restaurant’s cuisine as, essentially, the bridge between global cuisines. Additionally, both Little’s Oyster Bar and Katami secured spots on Yelp’s coveted top 25 new restaurants list.

Houston will capitalize on this momentum in 2025, as the city continues to garner accolades and open new dynamic and unique restaurants adding to the 12,000 establishments already here. New buzzworthy restaurants opening in 2025 include Agnes and Sherman, a modern Asian American diner launched by former Underbelly Hospitality Chef Nick Wong and Camaraderie, a neighborhood restaurant with French inspired cooking methods, headed up by Cheff Shawn Gawle, former pastry chef for Goodnight Hospitality.

Written by Megan Henson 

Pictured: Hugo's