Oyster House wins James Beard Foundation 2026 America’s Classics Award

Oyster House is a great, storied fish house of Philly’s seafood glory days. And now it’s a James Beard 2026 America’s Classics Award winner.

On Wednesday, the James Beard Foundation announced six recipients of the award in the Restaurant and Chef awards category. The “America’s Classics” designation is given to local restaurants with “timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities” and “sustain and contribute to American food culture,” according to the Foundation’s statement.

For the mid-Atlantic category, Oyster House was selected for its three generation-long commitment to serving seafood traditions in Philadelphia. The Foundation praised owner Sam Mink and his family for straddling multiple eras of Philadelphia’s restaurant history with specialties like sherried snapper soup and combinations like fried oysters and chicken salad, along with its willingness to evolve with creative modern seafood cookery like executive chef Joe Campoli’s crudos, grilled fish, and halibut glazed in black garlic over dashi.

“Oyster House is not just a venerable ambassador of Philadelphia food history—it remains one of the city’s most rewarding places to eat,” the statement noted.

When Mink received the email announcing the restaurant’s win a week ago, he was surprised “because I really wanted this award.”

“I feel like we are such a classic institution for Philadelphia,” he said. “But to be honored on a national level ... people in Philly know about us — we’ve been around for 50 years ... that recognition means so much [and] just validates what we do day in and day out. We come to work trying to bring give Philadelphia the best seafood possible.”

The restaurant staff was abuzz with congratulations and excitement on Wednesday morning. “I’ve got a great staff here, the managers, the chefs on down to the servers, bartenders, cooks — everyone’s just has a real smile on their face today and is really excited to be here."

While Mink hasn’t had time to think about an immediate celebration for the good news, the Center City restaurant will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a big block party in the spring.

One of the Inquirer’s 76 most vital restaurants in Philadelphia, Oyster House is in a cohort of six restaurants to win this award, including The Serving Spoon in Inglewood, Ca., Johnny’s Cafe in Omaha, Ne., Eng’s in Kingston, Ny., Figaretti’s Italian Restaurant in Wheeling, Wv., and Bob Taylor’s Ranch House in Las Vegas, Nv.

Restaurants are recommended by the Restaurant and Chef Awards voting body and the public during an open call period from October to November, then considered and selected by the subcommittee. America’s Classics restaurants must be open for at least a decade to be eligible.

The winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“Behind each of these cherished restaurants are people who show up day after day to nourish their communities — their powerful stories are ones of creativity, resilience, and tradition,” said Lauren Saria and Erinn Tucker-Oluwole, Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee co-chairs. “On behalf of the Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee, we are honored to celebrate these unsung heroes of American food culture. We hope this recognition opens new doors for their continued success.”