If you’re from the Houston area, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that Agnes and Sherman is receiving nationwide recognition for being one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants for 2026. The food and entertainment publication has been around since 1956 and remains a trusted source for those seeking new recipes and restaurants to try out.
Agnes and Sherman received a nod alongside 18 other eateries across the country. According to the editors from Bon Appétit, who selected these specific spots, “The restaurants we found the most exciting are, of course, delicious, but they were also fearless about challenging the playbooks by betting on community and creativity. These are the traits that help evolve modern American cuisine.”
Evolving modern American cuisine is the name of the game at Agnes and Sherman, which has been hailed for its creative take on updated diner classics with an Asian twist. Opened by Lisa Lee and chef Nick Wong in April 2025, the Houston establishment is beloved for its cheeseburger fried rice (you can find Wong’s recipe for it here), and its wedge salad, which is completed by ginger scallion ranch, youtiao croutons, and lap cheong.
In the write-up for its section on the list, Kate Kassin said of Agnes and Sherman, “Roughly a tenth of the metro Houston population identifies as Asian, and this restaurant serves up a refreshing kind of nostalgia that is simultaneously specific and expansive.”
Speaking with Chron about the recent honor, Lee and Wong said, “While it was hard for many to grasp, we had a strong conviction about creating dishes and a space that reflected how we grew up and were also distinctly Asian American. We are immensely proud to represent Houston, Texas, on this list and to keep building a place that makes it just a little easier for our guests and staff to be themselves.”
The restaurant received several other recent honors
Agnes and Sherman making Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants for 2026 list is just one of several accolades the restaurant has received recently. At the end of 2025, it landed a spot on the Texas Michelin Guide as a recommended restaurant. Then, in the beginning of 2026, Texas Monthly contributor Paula Forbes bestowed the title of Restaurant of the Year on Agnes and Sherman. Shortly after, in March 2026, it was named as a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Good Morning America highlighted the fusion spot on an August 12 segment, and Food & Wine featured Agnes and Sherman in its article titled “The Most Exciting Place to Eat in America is Right Here in Texas.” In that piece, writer Boris Fishman shouted out the establishment’s crawfish egg foo young, Disco Fries with pork gravy and pickled mustard greens, and its rice cakes with beef ragù, and spoke with chef Nick Wong about the idea behind the restaurant.
Wong said it was named after his parents, and that he and Lee were inspired by their respective heritages and upbringings. He told Fishman, “A lot of Asian American narratives are about preserving your grandmother’s recipes, and they’re beautiful. But our parents didn’t cook. I started cooking because they didn’t have time to. You don’t have to be traditional to be authentic. It’s just food.”
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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