James Beard Foundation names semifinalists for most ‘outstanding restaurant’ in US

(NEXSTAR) – One of the most “outstanding” restaurants in the country might be right in your own backyard.

The James Beard Foundation has announced the semifinalists for its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards, which seek to recognize the best and most “outstanding” eateries and chefs in the United States. This year’s list includes honorees both old and new, representing cuisines that range from fine-dining down to the humble pizza slice.

Semifinalists in each category will be whittled down even further by March, after which the James Beard Foundation will announce this year’s winners at an awards ceremony in June. In the meantime, the foundation is recognizing the semifinalists who wowed judges in categories including “Outstanding Restaurant” and “Best New Restaurant,” among several others.

Outstanding Restaurant  

• Brennan’s, New Orleans 
• Butcher & Bee, Charleston, South Carolina
• Chai Pani, Asheville, North Carolina
• Cora Cora, West Hartford, Connecticut 
• Di Fara Pizza, NYC 
• El Burén de Lula, Loíza, Puerto Rico
• Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia 
• Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, Boulder, Utah
• La Morada, NYC 
• Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy, Depew, Oklahoma
• Métier, Washington, D.C. 
• Mixtli, San Antonio, Texas
• Parachute, Chicago 
• Paragary’s, Sacramento, California
• Post & Beam, Los Angeles 
• Odd Duck, Milwaukee 
• Oriole, Chicago 
• ShinBay, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Honolulu 
• The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle 

Best New Restaurant 

• ABACÁ, San Francisco 
• Angry Egret Dinette, Los Angeles 
• Bacanora, Phoenix 
• BARDA, Detroit 
• Café Mamajuana, Burlington, Vermont 
• Casian Seafood, Lafayette, Colorado 
• Dhamaka, NYC 
• Fritai, New Orleans 
• Gage & Tollner, NYC 
• Horn BBQ, Oakland, California 
• Kasama, Chicago 
• Kimika, NYC 
• Laser Wolf, Philadelphia 
• Leeward, Portland, Maine
• Lengua Madre, New Orleans 
• MACHETE, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Matia Kitchen & Bar, Orcas Island, Washington
• The Marble Table, Billings, Montana
• Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken, Asheville, North Carolina
• NiHao, Baltimore 
• Owamni, Minneapolis 
• Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C. 
• Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, San Leon, Texas
• República, Portland, Oregon
• Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, Texas
• Sooper Secret Izakaya, Honolulu 
• Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis 
• Ursula, NYC 
• Zacatlán Restaurant, Santa Fe 
• Zitz Sum, Coral Gables, Florida

The 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards will also honor 2022’s best and emerging chefs, not only in the U.S. but in every region of the country. Semifinalists were also announced for categories recognizing the nation’s top restaurateurs, bakers and pastry chefs, among others. The full list of semifinalists can be found at JamesBeard.org.

Prior to the announcement of the semifinalists on Tuesday, the James Beard Foundation revealed the winners of the 2022 “America’s Classics” category, honoring six “locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”

The winners are:

• Casa Vega, Sherman Oaks, California
• Corinne’s Place, Camden, New Jersey
• Solly’s Grille, Milwaukee
• Wo Hop, NYC
• The Busy Bee Café, Atlanta
• Florence’s Restaurant, Oklahoma City

The 2022 James Beard Awards will mark the first traditional James Beard Award ceremony since 2019, when the foundation paused its traditional ceremonies amid a “full audit of its policies and procedures” in order to target bias, and lack of diversity among the honorees.

This year’s ceremony is scheduled for June 13 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.