Emmer & Rye
Restaurant · Town Lake ·
Farm-first dining showcasing heirloom grains, seasonal produce, and fermentation
Farm-first dining showcasing heirloom grains, seasonal produce, and fermentation
"Opened in 2015 on Rainey Street, this restaurant staked its identity on Texas farmers, in-house grain milling, and constant experimentation, pursuing a terroir-driven answer to what Texas food is rather than a fixed genre; in its first year the team cooked 400 unique dishes (250 the next), keeping the producers constant and the plates ever‑changing. Early nights meant 20 to 30 covers and 14‑ to 16‑hour shifts while they kept going, but the work eventually drew national attention, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef honors in 2016, and, today, both a Michelin Green Star and Bib Gourmand." - H. Drew Blackburn
"Marking its 10th anniversary, this Rainey Street flagship is hosting a two-day celebration with a Breaking Bread dinner on Saturday, November 8 featuring Gregory Gourdet of Portland’s Haitian restaurant Kann and Sousòl, followed on Sunday, November 9 by a 3 to 7 p.m. party showcasing bites and drinks from across its group (Hestia, Canje, Ezov, Kalimotxo, and San Antonio’s Ladino, Henbit, Fife & Farro, Mezquite, Isidore, and Nicosi). Founded in 2015 by chefs Kevin Fink and Tavel Bristol-Joseph, it’s been acclaimed for highly seasonal menus and in-house milled grains, has earned a Michelin Green Star and a Bib Gourmand, and helped launch a hospitality group that, as of fall 2025, boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants (Hestia, Isidore, and Nicosi). Reservations for the dinner and dine-around are available through OpenTable." - H. Drew Blackburn
"A New Texan restaurant that kept its Michelin Green Star from 2024 and is also a Bib Gourmand and Eater Award–winning restaurant." - H. Drew Blackburn
"As part of a worldwide campaign honoring Jacques Pépin's 90th, the restaurant will host a Breaking Bread dinner on Thursday, May 22 with various seating times. Chefs Kevin Fink and Tavel Bristol-Joseph will reinterpret recipes from Pépin's 2012 Complete Techniques into an a la carte menu: starters include goujonnettes (crispy strips of red snapper marinated in Texas Keeper Cider, coated in buckwheat and rouge de bordeaux grain, paired with a classic sauce tartare), gnocchi Parisienne (a Sonoran wheat dumpling gratin finished with Parmesan), and pain de ménage (rustic country loaf served with chicken skin cracklings, chicken liver pâté, and cultured butter flowers). Entree options include fish en papillote (parchment-baked Gulf grouper with braised celtuce and a fennel nage) and ficeler la volaille (a trussed, deboned stuffed chicken with traditional sauce chasseur). Reservations are available on OpenTable and walk-ins will be seated if space allows." - Courtney E. Smith
"Powerhouse team chef Kevin Fink and executive pastry chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph run this New Texan restaurant at the end of Rainey focused on using heritage grains, local products, and in-house fermentation. It’s known for a delicate cacio e pepe pasta and creative desserts from Bristol-Joseph like sorbet with salted cream. The vibe is modern industrial, with exposed brick, wood walls, matching shelves, and lighting using black metal. It’s a good spot for dinner with friends and family." - Erin Russell