The 2025 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards were presented in mid-June during the ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The annual ceremony recognizes the dedication and talent of food and beverage professionals across the U.S. This year marks the organization’s 35th anniversary, and as part of the celebrations, the foundation added three new award categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Several establishments awarded offer catering and/or private event space for planners to take advantage of, and others provide places for attendees to unwind and try something flavorful before, after, or between meetings.
Midwest
Minnesota shone its light this year with Minneapolis’ Bucheron taking home the title of Best New Restaurant and Karyn Tomlinson of St. Paul’s Myriel being awarded Best Chef: Midwest. Located in Chicago, Japanese-style bar Kumiko won the inaugural Outstanding Bar award and Noah Sandoval of the city’s contemporary American restaurant Oriole took home Best Chef: Great Lakes.
Planner highlights: Bucheron welcomes private events up to 48 attendees, Myriel’s private dining room hosts up to 14 (with full buyouts for 20-35 also available), and Oriole contains a private dining room for up to 20.
Northeast
The majority of this year’s awards went to chefs, restaurateurs, and establishments in the Northeast, with New York restaurant Atomix taking the Outstanding Hospitality award and Charleston in Baltimore taking the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program award. Chefs Jungsik Yim of New York City’s Jungsik and Phila Lorn of Mawn in Philadelphia were recognized for Outstanding Chef and Emerging Chef, respectively. Restaurateurs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette, Le Veau d’Or, and Le Rock in New York City were honored with the Outstanding Restaurateur award. Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic went to Carlos Delgado of Causa and its upstairs bar Amazonia in Washington, D.C., and Best Chef: Northeast went to Sky Hanuel Kim of Gift Horse in Providence, Rhode Island.
Planner highlights: Atomix has a chef’s counter experience for up to 14 and also offers full buyouts, Charleston hosts groups up to 90 with two exclusive dining rooms, Jungsik’s private dining room holds up to 16 (buyouts for up to 35), Le Rock offers buyouts for up to 175 cocktail-style, Le Veau d’Or has a private dining room for up to 24, and Causa and Amazonia boast three event venues.
Northwest
JinJu Patisserie in Portland, Oregon—known for having a chocolatier and pastry chef under one roof—won for Outstanding Bakery. Best Chef: Mountain went to Salvador Alamilla of Amano in Caldwell, Idaho, and Timothy Wastell of Antica Terra in Amity, Oregon, took home Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.
Planner highlights: Amano’s private dining rooms accommodate up to 16, and large parties might be accommodated upon request for tasting-menu experiences at Antica Terra.
Southeast
Nando Chang of Peruvian Japanese fusion tasting counter Itamae AO in Miami won Best Chef: South for serving up fresh seafood dishes. Best Chef: Southeast went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville, Tennessee, which features modern Spanish and French cooking techniques.
Planner highlights: While neither offer private dining rooms, full buyouts are available upon request at Itamae AO and Peninsula.
Southwest
The Southwest region claimed five awards this year. Outstanding Restaurant went to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado; Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker went to Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service went to Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie’s restaurant and wine bar in Austin, Texas. Best Chef: California went to Jon Yao of Los Angeles’ Taiwanese-influenced Kato, Best Chef: Southwest went to Yotaka Martin of Lom Wong in Phoenix, and Best Chef: Texas was awarded to Thomas Bille of Mexican American joint Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas.
Planner highlights: Frasca Food and Wine offers a private dining space, full buyouts, as well as an on-staff private event coordinator to assist with planning needs. Private events might be hosted at Birdie’s upon request, Kato has a private dining room for up to eight, and Belly of the Beast offers catering.
View the full list of awards at jamesbeard.org.
