James Beard Finalists 2026
The 2026 James Beard Finalists to Know in NYC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago
The 2026 James Beard Restaurant & Chef Award finalists are out, and these five cities are packed with standout names—from destination tasting counters and breakout new restaurants to powerhouse wine, bar, and chef nominations.
Every spring, the James Beard Awards give diners a fresh map of where the country’s most exciting restaurant talent is right now. This year’s finalists show just how much range there is across major food cities: New York’s depth, Philadelphia’s momentum, Los Angeles’s chef firepower, San Francisco’s bar-and-fine-dining strength, and Chicago’s continued hold on ambitious tasting-menu culture.
Below is a city-by-city guide to the 2026 finalists worth bookmarking—and, ideally, booking.
New York City
NYC’s finalist list stretches from Brooklyn wine-world icons to downtown beverage destinations and one of the year’s most intriguing emerging chefs.
- Outstanding Restaurant The Four Horsemen Brooklyn’s acclaimed restaurant and wine bar lands in one of the night’s biggest categories.
- Emerging Chef Rasheeda Purdie — Ramen by Ra A nod for one of the city’s most distinct ramen stories.
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program Chambers A major beverage-program finalist from Tribeca.
- Best New Restaurant Lei One of the city’s finalists in the national best-new-restaurant race.
- Best New Bar Clemente Bar A stylish Manhattan finalist in one of the most watched bar categories.
- Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service Lee Campbell — Borgo Recognition for a beverage leader tied to one of the city’s buzziest newer restaurants.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia may have the most balanced finalist slate of the bunch, with major national-category nominations and real depth in the regional chef race.
- Outstanding Restaurant Kalaya A marquee national-category finalist and one of Philly’s biggest culinary success stories.
- Best New Restaurant Emmett A fresh Philly entrant with serious national momentum.
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker Justine MacNeil — Fiore A pastry finalist tied to one of the city’s most beloved bakery-cafés.
- Outstanding Bar The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday A destination cocktail room with another national finalist nod.
- Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Jesse Ito — Royal Sushi & Izakaya One of the region’s most respected sushi talents.
- Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Amanda Shulman — Her Place Supper Club A finalist representing one of Philly’s most distinctive dining rooms.
- Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Omar Tate & Cybille St. Aude-Tate — Honeysuckle A finalist pair bringing Philadelphia yet another regional-chef nomination.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles shows off huge range this year, from chef-driven fine dining and new-restaurant contenders to hospitality, beverage, and coffee recognition.
- Outstanding Chef Gilberto Cetina — Holbox A national chef finalist from one of LA’s most celebrated seafood destinations.
- Outstanding Chef Niki Nakayama — n/naka Another major chef-category finalist for one of the city’s defining tasting-menu restaurants.
- Emerging Chef Fátima Juárez — Komal An emerging-chef nod tied to a masa-driven concept inside Mercado La Paloma.
- Best New Restaurant Ki A finalist in the national best-new-restaurant race.
- Outstanding Hospitality Providence LA lands a top hospitality finalist, too.
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program Kato A beverage-program nod for one of the city’s elite restaurants.
- Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service Jack Benchakul — endorffeine coffee bar Coffee gets James Beard attention here, not just cocktails and wine.
- Best Chef: California Kwang Uh — Baroo A regional-chef finalist from one of LA’s most talked-about restaurants.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s finalists show strength at every level: fine dining, bars, cocktails, and the California regional chef category.
- Outstanding Chef Michael Tusk — Quince A flagship San Francisco chef in one of the night’s headline categories.
- Outstanding Restaurateur Srijith Gopinathan & Ayesha Thapar — Cal-India Collective Recognized for a restaurant group that includes Ettan, Copra, Eylan, and Little Blue Door.
- Outstanding Bar Smuggler’s Cove One of the country’s best-known bars is back in the Beard conversation.
- Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service Kevin Diedrich — Pacific Cocktail Haven A standout bartender finalist from Union Square.
- Best Chef: California Harrison Cheney — Sons & Daughters San Francisco stays visible in the state’s regional chef category.
- Best Chef: California Sarah Cooper & Alan Hsu — Sun Moon Studio An Oakland finalist that strengthens the Bay Area’s overall showing.
Chicago
Chicago’s 2026 finalist list leans tasting-menu heavy, with national attention for emerging talent and strong regional-chef representation.
- Emerging Chef Bailey Sullivan — Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio A national emerging-chef finalist from one of Chicago’s most popular restaurants.
- Best Chef: Great Lakes Norman Fenton — Cariño A regional finalist from one of the city’s most ambitious newer restaurants.
- Best Chef: Great Lakes Jacob Potashnick — Feld Another Chicago finalist representing the city’s experimental edge.
