2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area
All the San Francisco Bay Area semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Award. James Beard San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, bars, wine programs and more.
See last year’s James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area here.
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Each week, I recommend a specific drink or dish to try out in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several establishments have been nominated below. You can check it out here.
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2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists San Francisco Bay Area
Below are the San Francisco Bay Area semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Award.
The restaurant & chef nominees will be announced on March 31, 2026, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 15, 2026 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Outstanding Restaurateur
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, The Progress, and State Bird Provisions), San Francisco, CA
Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar, Ettan, Copra, and Eylan, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Altos, and Menlo Park, CA
Outstanding Chef
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Restaurant
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco, CA
Emerging Chef
Steve Joo, Joodooboo, Oakland, CA
Best New Restaurant
The Happy Crane, San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Bakery
N/A
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Monique Feybesse and Paul Feybesse, Tarts de Feybesse, Oakland, CA
Outstanding Hospitality
House of Prime Rib, San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
The Progress, San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Bar
Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco, CA
Best New Bar
The Valley Club, San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Paul Einbund, The Morris, San Francisco, CA
Derek Stevenson, Auro, Calistoga, CA
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Kevin Diedrich, Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
Best Chef: California
Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald, Restaurant Josephine, Auburn, CA
Kim Alter, Nightbird, San Francisco, CA
Harrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco, CA
Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu, Sun Moon Studio, Oakland, CA
Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland, CA
Zareen Khan, Zareen’s, Palo Alto, CA
Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor, Valley Bar & Bottle, Sonoma, CA
Brandon Rice, Ernest, San Francisco, CA
Fik Saleh and Rachel Saleh, Fikscue Craft BBQ, Alameda, CA
Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA
Despite all the amazing bakeries we have in the San Francisco Bay Area, the region was shut out in two (one) notable category:
Outstanding Bakery
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker(edit: missed Tarts de Feybesse)
Disclosure: I am not part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards this year. I was not a part of the voting body last year nor any year for that matter.
Full 2026 list here: https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/james-beard-award-semifinalists-2026
What are your thoughts about this year’s recommendations? Any places get snubbed?
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Really strong coverage of the Bay Area semifinalists! The exclussion from Outstanding Bakery feels odd given how many world-class bakeries operate in the region. I visited Tartine a few years back and the quality was unreal, so its interesting to see other areas getting recognized instead. Curious if the voting body has shifted its focus more toward innovative concepts over traditional excellence.
Monique Feybesse from Tarts de Feybesse in Oakland was nominated for Pastry Chef.