Other
Robb Walsh
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
I was a newbie food writer in 1993 when I called up Patricia Wells at her apartment in Paris and asked her to autograph my copy of the Food Lover’s Guide to France. That kind of close tracking—of names, places, and who signed what—runs through Robb Walsh’s work. He has also said, “For some reason, while I was traveling in France, I got the impulse to ask chefs to sign their names in the book,” and later, “I don’t think I will take it with me while traveling in France anymore.” American, he has moved from editing to criticism to restaurant ownership, and since 2013 has been food editor and restaurant critic at Houstonia magazine in Houston, Texas.
Coming Up
The work moved from editing to criticism to ownership in a sequence that stayed close to the table. At Chile Pepper Magazine, where Robb Walsh was editor-in-chief at Chile Pepper Magazine (1999–2000), the job was to shape coverage with editorial control and a working sense of appetite. That was followed by a decade as restaurant critic at Houston Press in Houston, Texas (2000–2010), where observation had to stay sharp and public judgment had to hold up under the pace of a dining city. In 2011, that distance narrowed further when he became partner and co-founder at El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston, Texas, moving from writing about restaurants to helping build one. Since 2013, Robb Walsh has been food editor and restaurant critic of Houstonia magazine (since 2013), still working inside Houston’s food conversation rather than outside it. He divides his time between Galway Bay, Ireland, and Galveston, Texas. The current role keeps the editorial and critical disciplines in play, with the magazine desk and the dining room still connected by the same habit of attention.
Where They Are Now
Since 2013, he has been food editor and restaurant critic at Houstonia magazine in Houston, Texas. He divides his time between Galway Bay, Ireland, and Galveston, Texas. The current role keeps him close to the city where so much of his earlier criticism took shape, where the rhythms of Houston remain part of his professional landscape. It also leaves room for a life split between two shores, with the magazine work continuing in the middle, a steady center of reporting, editing, and tasting.
Signature
Together, they read like a shelf of sturdy, opinionated markers—books that carry his range from barbecue to Tex-Mex, from oysters to the wider table of Texas food writing.
Honors
Robb's honors include James Beard Award.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Robb
What is Robb Walsh's current role?
As of 2026, Robb Walsh is food editor and restaurant critic.
Where did Robb Walsh work before?
Robb Walsh's earlier career included Chile Pepper Magazine, Houston Press, and El Real Tex-Mex Cafe.
What recognition has Robb Walsh received?
James Beard Award.
