Philly scores seven 2026 James Beard Award finalists
Kalaya, Emmett, and the Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday all scored nominations for Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, and Outstanding Bar, respectively.
Philadelphia will field seven finalists at the 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards in Chicago this June, largely considered to be the most prestigious honor in the American restaurant world.
The showing builds on the momentum from last year, when Phila Lorn was named Emerging Chef for his work at Mawn, the acclaimed Cambodian noodle house he owns with his wife, Rachel Lorn, in Bella Vista.
Philadelphia had 13 semifinalists across eight categories when the first round of honors were announced in January and has already netted one win. Center City stalwart Oyster House was named an American Classic by the Beards in February, an award that celebrates local restaurants with “timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities.”
The Beard award ceremony will take place June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera theater. Here’s who’s representing Philly.
Who are the finalists?
Kalaya — the Michelin-recommended Thai restaurant from chef Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon in Kensington — is competing for the title of Outstanding Restaurant. Suntaranon won Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic in 2023.
Suntaranon told The Inquirer that she cried as soon as she found out and that winning, while nice, would be beside the point.
“I don’t want everything to be about me. Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic was,” she said. “At this point, I don’t have to win. The win was for Philadelphia the minute we made it to the finals.”
Also in Kensington is Emmett, nominated for Best New Restaurant. Redcrest Kitchen alum Evan Snyder opened the Levantine-inspired restaurant in January 2025, and it has already racked up its fair share of accolades, including spots on The Inquirer’s The 76 and Esquire’s list of best new restaurants.
Snyder told The Inquirer that he was in the middle of preparing sausages for dinner service when he heard the news. The trip to Chicago will be he and his wife’s first vacation since they welcomed their second son, Theo, six weeks ago. “This is amazing,” Snyder said. “We’re a small, little restaurant, so this was unexpected.”
Justine MacNeil of Fiore — the Italian bakery and café that moved from Queen Village to East Kensington in 2023 — is nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. At Fiore, MacNeil is in charge of the pastry program, known for Italian treats that range from sugar-dusted bomboloni to traditional maritozzi packed with whipped cream.
MacNeil, who has worked as a pastry chef for 18 years, said the nomination is as much for her as it is for Fiore’s 16-person staff. To celebrate, she told The Inquirer, she plans to spend the day at Smith Memorial Playground going down the big slide with her two children.
“It feels really nice to bring something back for the guys who have stuck with us,” she said.
The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday is nominated in the Outstanding Bar category. Its parent restaurant took home the Outstanding Restaurant prize in 2023 and received one of Philly’s first Michelin stars last year.
Co-owners Chad and Hanna Williams told The Inquirer over a phone call that this nomination felt different than when they were up for Outstanding Restaurant in 2023. That time, it was all nerves, said Chad Williams. “This time,” he went on, “it’s just happiness.”
Philadelphia netted three nominees for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic, which honors talent across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland Virginia, and Washington.
They are:
Jesse Ito of South Philly’s Royal Sushi & Izakaya and the newer Center City spot dancerobot. This was Ito’s ninth time as a semifinalist, and Royal Izakaya earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand last year.
Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, which earned a Michelin star last year. Shulman’s other restaurant, My Loup (which she co-owns with her husband, Alex Kemp), is also recommended by Michelin. ”More than anything, this feels like a recognition of everybody in our building that works so hard every day to deliver an authentic experience we are all proud of," Shulman said in a statement.
Omar Tate and Cybille St.Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle, which transformed in 2025 from a cafe-market to a Michelin-recommended prix-fixe restaurant that honors the Black American diaspora.
Further afield, Nathan Flaim of the acclaimed Italian restaurant Luca in Lancaster is also a finalist in the Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic category.
Who were Philly’s semifinalists?
Not all of the semifinalists from the region made it to the finalist tier.
Those include Cherry Hill-bred restaurateur Greg Vernick, a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur for his work at his four Philadelphia restaurants: Vernick Food & Drink; Vernick Fish; Vernick Coffee Bar, and the new Emilia in East Kensington. Vernick took home the award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic at the Beards in 2017. Food & Drink — his first restaurant — is also recommended by Michelin.
Amá’s Frankie Ramirez was a first-time semifinalist for Emerging Chef. A Stephen Starr alum, Ramirez opened Amá in Kensington in 2025 as an ode to his upbringing in Mexico City.
On the nightlife front: Almanac, the upstairs bar at Ogawa in Old City, was a semifinalist for Best New Bar. Since its 2024 opening, the Japanese cocktail bar has developed a reputation for convenience store-inspired cocktails and excellent sweet and savory martinis.
Philadelphia also had two other semifinalists for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. Deli magnate Russ Cowan was shortlisted for his work at Radin’s Delicatessen in Cherry Hill, as was Ian Graye of Pietramala, the buzzy vegan spot in Northern Liberties. Pietramala received a Green Star from the Michelin Guide in November for commitment to sustainability through Graye’s work as a chef-forager-fermenter.
