The New York Times’ annual “The Restaurant List” is out, in which a team of editors and reporters reveal their favorite places to eat and drink in hte U.S. Texas has long maintained a small (yet mighty) presence in the curated listicle, now in year five, though it shrunk a little in 2026.
Two Texas taquerias managed to eke out a place among the 50 restaurants the Times favorited this year: Paprika in Austin and Elemi Taqueria in El Paso.
“Austin may feel steeped in the tech industry now, but Paprika-with its cheerful spirit and casual, all-are-welcome vibe-still feels like it belongs to the community,” wrote Texas native and Times food reporter Priya Krishna.
Margarito and Hayden Pérez opened Paprika as a food truck in October 2019. The couple unveiled a more permanent location near its original spot at 6539 N. Lamar Boulevard in the Highland neighborhood of Austin. Texas Monthly taco editor José R. Ralat has spoken highly of Paprika’s suadero tacos, again repeated in Krishna’s bite-sized review of the establishment.
The other Texas entry is Taquería Elemi, which husband-and-wife duo Emiliano and Kristal Marentes opened in 2018 in downtown El Paso. The restaurant later moved northwest to 7729 Paseo del Norte. Its nixtamalized tortillas and al pastor won the business a spot in Texas Monthly’s 2026 Best New (or Improved) Taquerias.
It’s not earthshaking, but two restaurants is down from Texas’ usual performance on the Times list. In previous years, between three and four restaurants have been featured. Last year, in particular, was big for Houston because of the West African restaurant ChopnBlok, which was winning awards left and right. Other local restaurants that have previously made the Times list include Blood Bros. BBQ, El Hidalguense and Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers.
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This article originally published at Only two Texas restaurants made it to New York Times’ 50 best in 2026.
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