2022 James Beard Award-Winning Restaurants

Chai Pani is the most decorated affordable restaurant in Decatur: a 2022 James Beard Award winner and back-to-back Michelin Plate recipient (2024, 2025) serving Indian street food at the $$ price point. Book two to three weeks ahead minimum. For a James Beard-level meal without the fine dining price, this is the clearest case in the city.

Cúrate is the strongest case for booking a meal in Asheville: a Spanish tapas bar with a 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality, a 2025 Michelin Plate. Chef Katie Button runs a lively, casual room on Biltmore Ave that consistently delivers serious food in a no-ceremony format. Book two to three weeks out minimum; this one fills fast.

Pane Bianco is Chris Bianco's counter-service sandwich spot on Central Avenue, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats list three years running and backed by a 2022 James Beard Award. Hours are limited; lunch daily except Sunday, dinner Wednesday through Saturday only; so plan ahead. At this price point, it is one of the most decorated casual lunch options in Phoenix.

Chris Bianco's Downtown LA outpost has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024, 2025), a James Beard Award, consecutive top-30 finishes on Opinionated About Dining; all at a $$ price point. The menu runs to six wood-fired pizzas and produce-led small plates. Book several weeks in advance; demand is consistent and the room does not scale up.

The most credentialed restaurant in Savannah, The Grey operates inside a restored 1938 Art Deco Greyhound terminal where Chef Mashama Bailey cooks Port City Southern food rooted in the history of the coastal South. She holds the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. Book three to four weeks ahead for a table, or target bar seating for faster access. Booking difficulty is high.

El Naranjo is Austin's most credentialed Mexican restaurant, with chef Iliana de la Vega holding the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas. Expect a serious, service-forward dinner rooted in Oaxacan tradition. Book three to four weeks out minimum; this is one of the harder reservations in the city, it earns that difficulty.

South Philly Barbacoa is a James Beard Award-winning restaurant on 9th Street serving slow-cooked lamb barbacoa rooted in the traditions of Capulhuac, Mexico. Chef Cristina Martinez has earned an OAD Cheap Eats ranking. Arrive early on weekends, when doors open at 5:30 am, to have the best chance of a table.

Julep is the practical Houston pick when the night needs a drinks-led stop rather than a full restaurant commitment. Go early for easier conversation or use the late Friday and Saturday hours after dinner; choose B&B Butchers and Restaurant or Aiko instead if the priority is a food-first booking.

Virtue is one of Chicago's strongest arguments for James Beard-level cooking at an accessible price point. Chef Erick Williams won Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2022, the kitchen holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand; credentials that are rare at $$ pricing. Book three to four weeks out for weekends; the dining room fills consistently and walk-ins are unreliable.

Dhamaka is the strongest case for regional Indian cooking in New York City at the $$ price point; James Beard Award winner, Michelin Bib Gourmand, consistently ranked by Opinionated About Dining. Book three to four weeks out; tables are small, demand is high, the spice-forward menu rewards groups who order widely.

Sazón is Santa Fe's most credentialed fine dining option; Chef Fernando Olea holds the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, Pearl named it a Recommended Restaurant for 2025. The $$$ dinner menu draws on Latin and Mexican tradition with a wine list of 175 selections strong in Spain and Mexico. Book well ahead; this is not an easy reservation.

Caroline Glover's 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain makes Annette the most credentialed kitchen in the Denver metro area. Based in Aurora with a chef-driven format, it's the right call for a serious occasion dinner or a first real encounter with Colorado's top-tier dining. Book well in advance; this one is hard to land.

Two-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner and 2022 James Beard Emerging Chef Edgar Rico runs Austin's most technically accomplished taqueria at $$ prices. House-milled heirloom corn and precise nixtamalization set the foundation. Weekend lunch service offers the easiest access; expect waits during peak dinner hours.

Chef Dane Baldwin's 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest makes The Diplomat the most credentialed kitchen in Milwaukee; and the Brady Street setting keeps it relaxed rather than ceremonial. Book three to four weeks ahead; this fills. The right call for a serious dinner that does not require you to dress for it.

Owamni won the 2022 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant; and it remains the most distinctive dining address in Minneapolis. Built entirely around pre-contact Indigenous ingredients, the 80-seat riverfront restaurant is hard to book (plan 3–4 weeks out minimum) and worth it for a returning visitor who wants to engage more deeply with the menu's progressive structure.

Joule is one of Seattle's most consistently recognised New Asian restaurants, earning OAD Casual North America rankings in both 2024 and 2025. Chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi run a lively, sharing-format room in Wallingford that rewards repeat visits. Book well in advance; walk-ins are not a realistic option; and arrive ready to order broadly across the menu.

A 2022 James Beard Award winner on Honolulu's Hotel Street, Fête runs under chef Robynne Maii with New American cooking that has held a consistent Opinionated About Dining Casual North America ranking since 2023. The split schedule; daytime only Tuesday through Wednesday and Sunday, late evenings Thursday through Saturday; shapes everything. Book ahead for a Friday or Saturday dinner; walk-ins are a long shot.

The Four Horsemen is the benchmark natural wine restaurant in Brooklyn; two Michelin stars, a James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program, a seasonal New American menu built around North Atlantic sourcing. At 40 seats, it is genuinely hard to book: reserve at the 30-day window or arrive early for the 10 walk-in bar seats. Worth the effort for serious wine and food explorers.

Mister Jiu's is San Francisco's only Michelin-starred Chinese-American restaurant and the strongest value in the city's fine dining tier: James Beard Award-winning cooking at $$$ rather than the $$$$ most peers charge. Built on seasonal Bay Area sourcing within a Cantonese banquet framework, it rewards the booking effort. Reserve via Resy at least two to three weeks out.