Being we live in one of the food capitals of the world, we’re lucky to have some of the best restaurants right at our fingertips for whenever we’re looking to dine out. With that being said, NYC’s culinary scene can certainly be overwhelming–it would take 22.7 years to eat our way through all of the city’s restaurants!
Thankfully rankings like the World’s 50 Best list, NYT’s list of NYC’s top 100 restaurants for 2025, Condé Nast Traveller’s 2025 Hot List, and Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants of 2025 make it easier to sort through which spots are worth selling your soul for a res at, but there’s more where that came from.
As one of the culinary industry’s most celebrated events, the James Beard Awards ceremony has been honoring the exceptional talent, innovation, and dedication of chefs and restaurateurs from across the country for over 30 years. Considered among the nation’s most prestigious honors, the foundation has played a significant role in celebrating and promoting culinary excellence, and their 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners were just revealed!
And, to no surprise, NYC made the list more than once! Here’s how the city shapes up:
2025 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award Winners, NYC:
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr – Frenchette (one of our fav French restaurants), Le Veau d’ Or, and Le Rock
Le Veau d’ Or was also named one of the best new restaurants in the world by Condé Nast.
Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton
- Jungsik Yim, Jungsik
Jungsik is also the first Korean restaurant in the U.S. to earn 3 Michelin stars.
Outstanding Hospitality presented by American Airlines
- Atomix
One of our favorite Korean restaurants in NYC, Atomix was also named the Best Restaurant in North America for two years in a row on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
- Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez, Superbueno
Superbueno was also named the second Best Bar in North America.
Best Chef: New York State
- Vijay Kumar, Semma
One of NYC’s more affordable Michelin star restaurants, Semma was also just named NYC’s Top Restaurant for 2025 according to the New York Times.
See the full list of the 2025 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award winners.