NYC’s 2025 James Beard Restaurant & Chef Awards Semifinalists Have Been Revealed
It’s no secret that New York City is one of the world’s culinary capitals–there’s a reason it was just named one of the best foodie cities in the world–so it’s only natural that we dominated the James Beard Awards once again!
For 30+ years the James Beard Foundation–established in 1990 with the first Awards given in 1991–has been considered among the nation’s most prestigious honors, recognizing exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries. The foundation has played a significant role in celebrating and promoting culinary excellence through fundraising initiatives and events.
2025 marks an incredible milestone: the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Awards, and the 2025 James Beard Awards semifinalists have just been unveiled. From fine dining to casual establishments, here’s now NYC shapes up:
Here are the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists representing NYC:
Outstanding Restaurateur:
- Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr (Frenchette, Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock)
- Simon Kim, of Gracious Hospitality Management (COTE, Undercote, and COQODAQ)
Outstanding Chef:
- Gabriel Kreuther (Gabriel Kreuther)
- Jungsik Yim (Jungsik)
Outstanding Restaurant:
- Don Angie
- The Four Horsemen
Emerging Chef:
- Danny Garcia (Time and Tide)
- Daniel Garwood (Acru)
Best New Restaurant:
- Café Carmellini
- Corima
- Kisa
- Penny
Outstanding Bakery:
- Fan Fan Doughnuts
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker:
- Camari Mick (Raf’s)
Outstanding Hospitality:
- Atomix
- Melba’s
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages:
- Hawksmoor
Outstanding Bar:
- Leyenda
Best Chef:
- Fariyal Abdullahi (Hav & Mar)
- Nasim Alikhani (Sofreh)
- Ayo Balogun (Dept of Culture)
- Giovanni Cervantes (Carnitas Ramirez)
- Chris Cipollone (Francie)
- Suzanne Cupps (Lola’s)
- Aretah Ettarh (Gramercy Tavern)
- Markus Glocker (Koloman)
- Eiji Ichimura (Ichimura)
- Brian Kim (Oiji Mi)
- Hooni Kim (Meju)
- Atsushi Kono (Kono)
- Vijay Kumar (Semma)
- Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana)
- Hillary Sterling (Ci Siamo)
- Emily Yuen (Lingo)
In celebration of the Awards’ anniversary, the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards have introduced three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Best New Bar:
- Bar Contra
- Sip & Guzzle
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service:
- Cassandra Felix (Daniel)
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service:
- Ignacio Jimenez (Superbueno)
- Takuma Watanabe (Martiny’s)
The list of semifinalists will be narrowed down later this spring, with the list of finalists to be unveiled on Wednesday, April 2nd. Final winners will be revealed on Monday, June 16th at the ceremony held at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
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