One of the biggest nights of the restaurant world is here: The James Beard Awards were just announced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Often dubbed the Oscars of the food world, the James Beard Awards—now in their 35th year—honor the best of the best in the industry, including Outstanding Chef, Best New Restaurant, and Outstanding Restaurateur, among several other categories.
So let’s toast to these winners and make sure you secure a reservation when you can at these restaurants as the awards buzz means tables will book up fast.
Here are the James Beard Awards winners for 2025
Outstanding Restaurateur
A restaurateur who uses their establishment(s) as a vehicle for building community, demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship, and integrity in restaurant operations.
Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d’Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY
Outstanding Chef
A chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals.
Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY
Outstanding Restaurant
A restaurant that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Emerging Chef
A chef who displays exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA
Best New Restaurant
A restaurant opened between October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024, that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine, seems likely to make a significant impact in years to come, and demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations. Those establishments that have opened after September 30, 2024, can be considered for the 2026 Awards.
Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN
Outstanding Bakery
A baker of breads, pastries, or desserts that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.
JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
A pastry chef or baker who makes desserts, pastries, or breads. Candidate demonstrates exceptional skills and can be affiliated with any food business and does not need a brick-and mortar presence.
Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK
Outstanding Hospitality
A restaurant, bar, or other food and drinking establishment that fosters a sense of hospitality among its customers and staff that serves as a beacon for the community and demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.
Atomix, New York, NY
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
A restaurant that demonstrates exceptional care and skill in the pairing of wine and other beverages with food. This includes the selection, preparation,and serving of wine, cocktails, spirits, coffee, tea, beer, or any other beverage with outstanding hospitality and service that helps inform and enhance a customer’s appreciation of the beverage(s). Ethical sourcing will also be considered.
Charleston, Baltimore, MD
Outstanding Bar
A wine bar, beer bar, cocktail bar, coffee bar, or any other business whose primary offering is beverage and that demonstrates consistent excellence in curating a selection or in the preparation of drinks, along with outstanding atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.
Kumiko, Chicago, IL
Best New Bar
A wine bar, beer bar, cocktail bar, coffee bar, or any other business whose primary
offering is beverage, opened between October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024, that already demonstrates excellence in beverages, seems likely to make a significant impact in years to come, and demonstrates consistent excellence in the preparation of drinks, sourcing, service, hospitality, atmosphere, and operations. Those establishments that have opened after September 30, 2024, can be considered for the 2026 Awards.
Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
A service professional who curates and serves wine, beer, or other offerings such as sake, low- and non-alcoholic beverages in a restaurant or bar setting; or winery, distillery or brewery that also serves food. Candidate has set high standards; demonstrates creativity and consistency in excellence, innovation, hospitality; is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture; and has served as an exceptional example or mentor for other beverage professionals.
Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s, Austin, TX
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
A service professional who creates and serves cocktails or other offerings such as low- and non-alcoholic beverages. Candidate has set high standards; demonstrates creativity and consistency in excellence, innovation, hospitality; is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture; and has served as an exceptional example or mentor for other beverage professionals.
Ignacio Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY
Best Chefs (by region)
Chefs who set high standards in their culinary skills and leadership abilities and who are making efforts to help create a sustainable work culture in their respective regions.
Best Chef: California
Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
Best Chef: New York State
Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ
Best Chef: Texas
Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX
Humanitarian of the Year
The 2024 Humanitarian of the Year Award honoree is Chad Houser, founder and CEO of Café Momentum, a Dallas-based nonprofit restaurant with multiple locations nationwide dedicated to equipping justice-involved teens aged 15-19 with skills, education, and employment opportunities in the culinary industry.
Impact Award Honorees
- Angie Craig, U.S. Representative (MN-2); Minority Leader, House Committee on Agriculture
- Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, CEO, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
- Anthony Edwards Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, EatOkra
- Seanicaa Edwards Herron, Founder and Executive Director, Freedmen Heirs Foundation
- Dune Lankard, President and Founder, Native Conservancy
Tanay Warerkar is a content marketing manager at OpenTable, where he oversees features content and stays on top of the hottest trends and developments in the restaurant industry. He brings years of experience as a food editor and reporter having worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater, and the New York Daily News, to name a few.
