Fort Worth is snubbed by Texas Monthly's 2026 best new resta

The Chumley House made Texas Monthly's 2025 best new restaurants list, but no Fort Worth restaurants were included for 2026.

It's happened again. Another statewide "best of" restaurants list has left Fort Worth out in the cold. This time it's Texas Monthly's highly anticipated list of 10 best new restaurants for 2026.

Published Monday, March 2, the Texas Monthly list is open to restaurants across the state that opened between December 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025.

Texas Monthly

The (unranked) top-10 list includes four restaurants in Houston, three in Dallas, one in Austin, one in San Antonio, and one in .... Paris, Texas. No restaurants in Fort Worth made the list.

Notably, it's the first edition of the list written by Paula Forbes, who succeeded veteran writer Pat Sharpe last year. She writes that that 2025 was "a lackluster one for Texas restaurants. . . Restaurant experiences that feel truly worth it, that have the power to wow, are hard to come by. But they're out there," she continues.

Forbes found those "worth it" experiences at restaurants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Paris, a small town in far northeast Texas near the Oklahoma border.

San Antonio and Paris

Maybe someone (cough cough, Visit Fort Worth) should invite Forbes to Fort Worth - where "worth it" is practically in the name of the city.

Maybe Forbes could take some cues from CultureMap Fort Worth's nominees for 2026 Tastemaker Awards. Sixteen of the city's best new restaurants (yes, 16!) will battle it out in a tournament voted on by readers this spring. The one that's the most "worth it" will take home the trophy.

The restaurants that made the cut this year in neighboring Dallas are:

Fort Worth

Rainbowcat, where James Beard finalist Misti Norris is riffing on comfort fare such as chicken tenders, a McMuffin made with porchetta and braised greens, and a dessert inspired by Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Once again, Houston led the way with four spots. They are:

Austin's representative is Fish Shop, which serves West Coast-inspired seafood such as a Dungeness crab cocktail and halibut crudo alongside Gulf Coast-style fare such as well-sourced oysters.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

San Antonio's Petit Coquin) is Forbes' "favorite" of the three French restaurants on the list thanks to its "streamlined prix fixe menu and laissez-faire atmosphere," she writes. Diners are encouraged to try dishes such as country pâté, steak au poivre, and rice pudding.

BonFire), a French restaurant in Paris, Texas, has Houston ties. Chef Patten Sommers spent the early part of his career in the Bayou City, working at restaurants such as Triniti, Ciao Bello, and Brenner's on the Bayou.

a lackluster one for Texas restaurants. . . Restaurant experiences that feel truly worth it, that have the power to wow, are hard to come by. But they're out there.

Where this fits

Openings get the attention, but it is the second and third year that decide whether a restaurant becomes part of a city's routine.

What to remember

The Chumley House made Texas Monthly's 2025 best new restaurants list, but no Fort Worth restaurants were included for 2026
Published Monday, March 2, the Texas Monthly list is open to restaurants across the state that opened between December 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025
The (unranked) top-10 list includes four restaurants in Houston, three in Dallas, one in Austin, one in San Antonio, and one in ...
Forbes found those "worth it" experiences at restaurants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio
Maybe someone (cough cough, Visit Fort Worth) should invite Forbes to Fort Worth - where "worth it" is practically in the name of the city

The numbers worth knowing

This time it's Texas Monthly's highly anticipated list of 10 best new restaurants for 2026
She writes that that 2025 was "a lackluster one for Texas restaurants. .
Maybe Forbes could take some cues from CultureMap Fort Worth's nominees for 2026 Tastemaker Awards

The questions it raises

What should you know about Fort Worth?