Philadelphia’s thriving restaurant scene continues to receive national attention, including from the prestigious James Beard Foundation.<\/p>\n
More than a dozen people, restaurants and bars in the Philadelphia area are semifinalists for the James Beard Awards in 2026.<\/p>\n
Greg Vernick is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur for his three restaurants, and Am\u00e1’s Frankie Ramirez is on the list for the Emerging Chef Award.<\/p>\n
Royal Sushi & Izakaya owner Jesse Ito is a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Ito recently opened a second restaurant in Philly called Dancerobot<\/a>.<\/p>\n The final list of nominees will be announced March 31, and the awards ceremony is slated for June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.<\/p>\n In November, three Philadelphia restaurants earned the city’s first\u00a0Michelin stars<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Her Place Supper Club, Friday Saturday Sunday and Provenance \u2014 and several others got nods from the prestigious travel guide.<\/p>\n Pietramala<\/a>, a vegan restaurant in Philadelphia, earned a Green star award from Michelin for its dedication to sustainability. Now chef Ian Graye is a semifinalist for a James Beard Award.<\/p>\n Phila Lorn<\/a>, the chef at Mawn in Philadelphia,\u00a0won the Emerging Chef Award<\/a>\u00a0from the James Beard Foundation in 2025, and\u00a0Vietnam Restaurant<\/a>\u00a0was among the winners of the America’s Classics Award in 2024.<\/p>\n These are the Philadelphia-area people and places on the list of semifinalists:<\/p>\n Outstanding Restaurateur<\/p>\n Greg Vernick, Vernick Philadelphia (Vernick Food & Drink, Vernick Fish, and Vernick Coffee Bar), Philadelphia<\/p>\n Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water<\/p>\n Kalaya, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Emerging Chef presented by S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water<\/p>\n Frankie Ramirez, Am\u00e1, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Best New Restaurant<\/p>\n Emmett, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker<\/p>\n Justine MacNeil, Fiore, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Outstanding Bar<\/p>\n Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Best New Bar<\/p>\n Almanac, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service<\/p>\n Dan Suro-Cipolloni and David Suro-Pi\u00f1era, Tequilas and La Jefa, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)<\/p>\n Russ Cowan, Radin’s Delicatessen, Cherry Hill, New Jersey<\/p>\n Ian Graye, Pietramala, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Dwain Kalup, La Fia, Wilmington, Delaware<\/p>\n Randy Rucker, Little Water, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia<\/p>\n Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Honeysuckle, Philadelphia<\/p>\n