Mar 26, 2026 | 1:01 pm
For nine of the 10 categories in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our judges’ panel picks the winners. The one exception is Best New Restaurant, where we ask CultureMap readers to vote for the champion.
We’ve matched up 16 Houston restaurants that opened in 2025 in a bracket-style, head-to-head tournament. To keep things interesting, round one always matches up restaurants that have a common tie, whether it’s geography, style of cuisine, or something a little more ephemeral. Let the debates begin!
Voting is open now at this link. People may vote once per day. The results are closely monitored for cheating and other shenanigans, so don’t even try to game the system. Round one ends at 11:59 pm on Monday, March 30, and the tournament continues through April 14…