The Very First Michelin-Starred BBQ Joints Were In Texas. Meet The Trailblazers

There are all kinds of different styles of regional barbecue across the United States, with each region naturally claiming to be the best. The Michelin Guide may have put an end to that debate, however: In 2024, Michelin held its first Texas award ceremony and gave stars to barbecue restaurants for the first time ever. Four different eateries received one star each, making a huge name for both the Lone Star State and for barbecue within the prestigious inner circle of Michelin star-holders. What are these restaurants and what makes them so good?

The impressive trailblazers who put barbecue on the Michelin map are CorkScrew BBQ in Spring, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Interstellar BBQ in Austin, and la Barbecue, also in Austin. LeRoy and Lewis had been open less than a year when they received their star, an impressive feat — they'd debuted their permanent digs in February 2024 after helming a successful food truck for seven years. Their approach to BBQ is "new school": They source from small ranchers and farmers they trust to prioritize quality meat, and serve it up with sides celebrating Tex-Mex and Korean influences. CorkScrew opened in 2015, serving up mouthwatering beef, ribs, turkey, and tacos. Frito pie, beer-brined turkey, and peach tea-glazed pork belly are on the menu at Instellar, open since 2019. Open since 2012, la Barbecue is a female-owned eatery which also prioritizes responsible sourcing.

The way Michelin guide inspectors award stars is based on consistently delicious flavors, high-quality ingredients, and uniqueness from the chef. One star means a restaurant is "worth a stop" for travelers, and is what the guide crowned these four barbecue joints with. This honor confirms that CorkScrew, Interstellar, LeRoy and Lewis, and la Barbecue are not only among the best barbecue restaurants in Texas, but near the top of the list of best BBQ eateries in the U.S. This is undoubtedly thanks to these restaurants' intentional sourcing and balancing Texas tradition with new methods — for instance, LeRoy and Lewis makes a sausage with Citra hops, while Interstellar makes one fashioned after a jalapeño popper.

Per IBISWorld market research, there are over 15,000 barbecue restaurants in the U.S. It speaks volumes that all of the inaugural Michelin stars for barbecue went to Texas destinations, but instead of focusing on the win for the state, these joints see this as a victory for the cooking styleoverall. In an Ant's BBQ Cookout YouTube video, LeRoy and Lewis co-owner Evan LeRoy says of the star, "It justifies what we've known the whole time, which is that there is just as much detail and difficulty in executing barbecue as anything else." Who knows what took Michelin so long to recognize an essential American cuisine, but we're grateful to these restaurants for being so good that the guide could no longer omit the category.