Fort Worth barbecue joint Goldee's BBQ earns coveted star in new Michelin Guide Texas

A no-frills barbecue shack wedged next to a diesel machine shop on the outskirts of Fort Worth is now in the same league as some of the finest restaurants from New York to Paris to Tokyo.

The 2026 Michelin Guide Texas, released Thursday, awarded a coveted Michelin Star to Goldee's Bar-B-Q, adding to the growing list of accolades for the 6-year-old business. 

A star in the Michelin Guide, originally created by the tire company in France to highlight destinations for road trips, is one of the highest honors a restaurant can receive. Officially, one star signifies high quality cooking that's "worth a stop," and recognizes restaurants that use "top-quality ingredients and prepare dishes with distinct flavors to a consistently high standard." 

The Michelin inspectors (anonymous diners who rank the restaurants) said the food at Goldee's is "absolutely worth the hours-long wait in the Texas sun."

"Black Angus brisket, cooked low and slow using local post oak, is meltingly tender with a rich, clean flavor. Turkey is notably juicy, while the jalapeño-cheddar sausage delivers a satisfying snap and balanced spice with molten pockets of Tillamook cheese. Sides like old-school potato salad and savory brisket-studded beans show just equal care. Don't skip the banana pudding, layered with buttery house-made vanilla wafer crumbles," the inspectors wrote.

Since launching in 2020, Goldee's was awarded the No. 1 spot on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ list in 2021, and was honored as having some of the nation's best new chefs by Food & Wine Magazine in 2024.

Texas restaurants with Michelin Stars

In addition to Goldee's, two other Texas restaurants were awarded one star in the new guide: Vegan restaurant Fabrik and Japanese restaurant Kappo Kappo, both in Austin.

There are now 19 Texas restaurants with one Michelin star. The others are:

• Barley Swine, Austin
• BCN Taste & Tradition, Houston
• CorkScrew BBQ, Spring
• Craft Omakase, Austin
• Hestia, Austin
• InterStellar BBQ, Austin
• Isidore, San Antonio
• Le Jardinier Houston, Houston
• LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Austin
• Mamami, Dallas
• March, Houston
• Mixtli, San Antonio
• Musaafer, Houston
• Nicosi, San Antonio
• Tatemo, Houston
• Tatsu Dallas, Dallas

The guide can award as many as three stars, but there are no two-star or three-star restaurants in Texas.  

Michelin also gives two other designations to restaurants. The Bib Gourmand list, with 54 entries in Texas, honors "good food at a moderate price." Michelin also listed 76 more eateries as recommended restaurants.