Austin’s Tastemaker winners

Austin’s latest restaurant bragging rights went to places that don’t look like carbon copies of one another: a long-running South Lamar favorite, a family barbacoa truck, a new East Austin bar, and a pizzeria that opened only a few months ago. CultureMap handed out the 2026 Tastemaker Awards on April 9 at Distribution Hall, after a month of nominee coverage and a live awards event. (austin.culturemap.com, austin.culturemaptastemakers.com, eventbrite.com) The top restaurant prize went to Odd Duck, a South Lamar restaurant that has spent years turning Texas ingredients into shareable plates like redfish ceviche, cheddar cornbread, pork belly chalupa, and braised goat pizza. Its menu changes with the season, but the formula stays the same: local product, big flavor, and dishes built for a table to pass around. (austin.culturemap.com, oddduckaustin.com, guide.michelin.com) Odd Duck’s win also fits the way Austin’s food scene has been judged lately. Michelin gave Odd Duck a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 guide, which is Michelin’s value-focused category, and Austin’s tourism bureau said 44 local restaurants were recognized when Michelin launched its first Texas guide in 2024. (guide.michelin.com, austintexas.org) Chef of the Year went to Daniela Landaverde and Rosa Landaverde of La Santa Barbacha, and their story starts before Austin. On the truck’s official site, the siblings say they grew up in Central Mexico helping their parents make barbacoa, then went to culinary school in Mexico before opening La Santa Barbacha in Austin in 2021. (austin.culturemap.com, lasantabarbacha.com) That background shows up directly in the food. Michelin lists La Santa Barbacha as a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 guide, and the truck’s menu centers on barbacoa tacos, crispy cheese tacos, and other dishes that turn a single family specialty into a full identity instead of a one-note concept. (guide.michelin.com, lasantabarbacha.com, la-santa-barbacha.square.site) Bar of the Year went to Parley, which is a much newer name than Odd Duck but won with a very old idea: be the place people actually return to. Parley describes itself as a neighborhood bar on East Cesar Chavez serving handcrafted cocktails, cold beer, and food, and KXAN said the bar opened with a pitch built around affordable drinks and community programming. (austin.culturemap.com, parleyatx.com, kxan.com) Best New Restaurant went to Moderna Bar & Pizzeria, which opened in December 2025 at 1717 West 6th Street with chef Leo Spizzirri leading the kitchen. CultureMap’s opening report said Spizzirri built the restaurant around what Moderna calls “Post-Heritage Neapolitan,” a house pizza style paired with a full Italian menu and a serious cocktail program. (austin.culturemap.com, modernapizzeria.com, austin.culturemap.com) Put those four winners together and Austin’s 2026 snapshot gets pretty clear. The city rewarded a veteran farm-to-table restaurant, a family-run Mexican truck, a neighborhood bar, and a polished new pizzeria at the same ceremony, which says the local scene is still broad enough that “best” does not mean one style, one neighborhood, or one price point. (austin.culturemap.com, guide.michelin.com, austintexas.org)