Tastemaker Awards

Tastemaker Awards party honors the best in Fort Worth dining for 2025

The afterglow still lingers from the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, celebrating Fort Worth's restaurants, bars, and chefs who've impacted the local dining scene most in the past year.

After months of buildup, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event on Wednesday, April 23 at the 4 Eleven venue on South Main.

The awards presentation was the peak in a night of food and drink, in which more than a dozen nominated chefs and restaurants served up delicious bites, while bartenders crafted cocktails incorporating spirits from the event's sponsors: Still Austin Whiskey and Hornitos Tequila, along with Pennsyvania-based Yuengling Beer, who served their traditional lager as well as Flight, their light lager.

There were espresso martini from Crystal Springs Hideaway, plus two cocktails from The Down N' Out Bar: the Jackass with Hornitos Tequila, cucumber juice, passion fruit, agave, lime juice, and ginger beer; and Dr Pepper Old Fashioned with Still Austin Whiskey, Montenegro, Dr Pepper reduction, and orange and angostura bitters.

Liesl Best and Elma Sobo at FW Tastemaker AwardsAshley Gongora

The tastiest plates of the night included snow crab tacos from Soy Cowboy, braised cab short rib from Restaurant506 at the Sanford House, mini chicken tinga tostadas from Los Guapos, pork belly lumpia from Dayne's Craft Barbecue, passion fruit hamachi tiradito from Toro Toro, whiskey glazed pork belly from Whiskey Cake, grilled meatloaf from Towne Grill, chicken kabobs from Terra Mediterranean, chicken tinga flautas from La Cabrona, turmeric cauliflower tacos from James Provisions, tomato basil soup shooters from Bodega South Main, and cheese & charcuterie from Crystal Springs Hideaway.

Sweet options included piña colada mousse, raspberry chocolate mousse, and pain au chocolate from D'Caramel Patisserie, lemon curd tart from Bodega South Main, vanilla bean mini cupcakes from Sinsational Cakes, mini cowboy cookies, mini triple chocolate-nut brownies, and banoffee tarts from The Omni Fort Worth Hotel, plus lavender bloom & golden chai lattes from LaLa Land.

Lumpia from Dayne's at FW Tastemaker AwardsAshley Gongora

After all that amazing eating and drinking, it was finally time to hand out some awards. For weeks leading up to the event, we published a special editorial series that highlighted nominees in nine categories. Winners were chosen by a panel of local food and beverage experts — except for the category of Best New Restaurant, which was voted on by readers in a bracket-style competition online.

These winners were announced and presented with glass trophies, as the crowd enthusiastically cheered for each one:

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Steve Hoogeboom, 61 Osteria
Pastry Chef of the Year: Lindsey Lawing, Sweet Lucy's Pies
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Bodega South Main
Bar of the Year: The Rabbit Hole Pub
Best Coffee Shop: Avoca Coffee Roasters
Best Barbecue: Panther City BBQ
Best New Restaurant: Whiskey Cake
Chef of the Year: Alessandro Salvatore, Bocca Osteria Romana
Restaurant of the Year: Teddy Wongs

Attendees included Christine Langston, Rexanne Davis, Kelly Davis, Celia Valadez Guerrero, Waylon Cornelius, James Schell, Travis Beeman, Allison Hoffman, Jennifer Pehnke, Bobby Lee, Shelbie Miller, Rebecca Ray, Monica Asghar, Zulema Brock, Tara Hollis, Lynne Hollis, Krystal & Brandon Watson, Alejandra Araiza, and Lauren Bryan-Patterson.

A portion of the proceeds benefited the Fort Worth Food and Wine Foundation, a Fort Worth-based non-profit that supports the North Texas culinary community.

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Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2026.The Tastemaker Awards ceremony was brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Still Austin Whiskey, Hornitos, and PicMe Events. A portion of the proceeds benefited the Fort Worth Food and Wine Foundation .

Ashley Gongora

FW Tastemaker Awards

awards bests chefs tastemaker awards

Peri Peri News

Karino's brings spicy piri piri chicken to buzzy Fort Worth food hall

Karino's

Karino's Piri Piri

There’s piri piri happening in Fort Worth thanks to Karino’s Piri Piri Chicken, a restaurant serving the flavorful South African favorite, now open inside the Funky Town Food Hall dining hall at 1229 8th Ave.

Karino’s is from Deon Stein, a self-taught chef from South Africa who was inspired by his brother’s restaurant in their home country. He moved to Fort Worth from Michigan four months ago to try the concept and bring that style of chicken to a new audience.

Dallas has seen some peri peri places open in recent years such as Nando's, but Karino's is one of the first in Fort Worth.

“Living in the U.S., it’s like sometimes you miss food that people back home enjoy — it was more like trying to enjoy that same food while abroad,” Stein says.

Piri piri chicken, also known as peri peri, refers to a chile pepper used to make the dish's spicy sauce. ("Piri-piri" is the spelling used in Portuguese-speaking countries, while "peri-peri" is more common in Africa.) The spice traditionally comes from a chile called the African bird’s eye pepper, but Stein uses Thai peppers because they're more accessible.

“Our basic piri piri sauce uses lemon, garlic and herb, and turmeric to give it a yellow color," Stein says.

A half chicken with two sides and a roll is $27. Sides include classics like coleslaw and fries, but also intriguing items such as corn drizzled with piri piri sauce or potato brava — roasted potato wedges with melted cheese and jalapenos.

Stein is doing way more than piri piri chicken. It's a little like a home cooking place, if you grew up in the Caribbean, with dishes such as curry goat, jerk chicken, chicken shawarma, and salads.

"On certain days, like the other day when it was cold, we made a beef stew,” Stein says. “We added the new dishes to the menu because people were asking for Jamaican jerk and curry chicken, so that’s our South African-Caribbean fusion.”

One irresistible signature: Portuguese rolls, which Stein bakes daily — light and fluffy and a little sweet. There are also vegetarian options, including a veggie melt and veggie burger.

Karino's joins a fun global mix at Funky Town, next door to Beren Mediterranean, another promising spot.

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