Infatuation Lists Zaranda Among Best New 2026 Restaurants
The Houston restaurant is one of 25 U.S. spots named to The Infatuation's Best New Restaurants of 2026 list.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Dining Out
The Infatuation included Zaranda, a Houston restaurant from chef Hugo Ortega and his wife, Tracy Vaught, on its Best New Restaurants of 2026 list. The list features 25 restaurants nationwide, including Olōyō in Dallas and Roya in Austin.
Why it matters
The recognition places a Houston dining room alongside newly opened restaurants from across the country on a widely read guide. For Houston diners, it highlights a new option from an established local restaurant team.
The Infatuation's 2026 list covers 25 restaurants chosen from more than 2,600 new restaurants the team visited. Olōyō earned a 9.3 and Roya an 8.5 on the publication's rating scale, while the list itself does not disclose its selection criteria.
The players
The Infatuation
A restaurant review publication known for its dining guides and ratings of new restaurants across the United States.
Hugo Ortega
A Houston chef behind several restaurants in the city, who runs Zaranda with his wife, Tracy Vaught.
Tracy Vaught
A Houston restaurateur who co-leads Zaranda with her husband, chef Hugo Ortega.
The details
Zaranda opened in October 2025 and is named for the wire basket used to prepare select seafood dishes. The restaurant was also named one of Texas Monthly's best new restaurants for 2026 and was the only Texas representative on Robb Report's 2026 best new restaurants list.
Timeline
October 2025: Zaranda opens in Houston.
February: Roya opens as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Austin.
May: Olōyō opens as a pop-up in Dallas.
2026: The Infatuation publishes its Best New Restaurants of 2026 list.
Season Trajectory
Zaranda's inclusion continues a pattern in which The Infatuation's annual best-new list and Texas Monthly's regional rankings recognize newly opened Texas restaurants. The recognition appears in several outlets, making it a repeated signal of the restaurant's reception.
Houston diners now have a new option from chef Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, with dishes built around the wire basket used for select seafood. Readers planning a visit can use The Infatuation's listing to compare price, cuisine, and neighborhood before booking.
The takeaway
Newly opened restaurants often gain attention through annual best-of lists, so diners looking for new options can check these guides before planning a meal. Reviewing a restaurant's listing for price and neighborhood can help set expectations before a visit.
Further reading
Explore more local picks in Houston Dining Out for other restaurants opening in the city.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CultureMap Houston.
