The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday announced the semifinalists for its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards, and Chicago saw 22 restaurants, chefs and bars make the cut. The awards, which are among the most prestigious in the U.S.
culinary industry, are marking their 35th anniversary this year. “As we mark this milestone, we are committed to our vision of a vibrant independent restaurant industry that stands as a cornerstone of American culture, community and economy; and drives towards a better food system,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. This year, there are three new categories with a focus on beverages, and Chicago has semifinalists in each: Bisous and Truce for Best New Bar, Thomas Kakalios of Asador Bastian for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Christopher Marty of Best Intentions for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Chicago continues to see strong representation in the Best Chef: Great Lakes regional category, which highlights chefs from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The Chicago semifinalists were Marcos Ascencio of Mariscos San Pedro; Thai Dang of HaiSous; Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya Antojería; Bo Fowler of BiXi Beer; Joe Frillman of Daisies; Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower of Maxwells Trading; Lamar Moore of ETC.; Noah Sandoval of Oriole; Sujan Sarkar of Indienne; and Zeeshan Shah and Yoshi Yamada of Superkhana International.
Other notable Chicago semifinalists include mainstays such as Daisies and .
