Food & Wine Global Tastemakers Top Restaurants 2025

Burdell is the Bay Area's strongest case for California soul food as a serious culinary category; Michelin-plated two years running, an Esquire top-five pick, priced at $$$ against a field of $$$$ competitors. Chef Geoff Davis folds local and seasonal produce into slow-simmered Southern cooking, served in a 1970s-grandmother sitting room on Oakland's Telegraph Avenue. Book two to three weeks out for weekends.

Canlis is Seattle's most decorated fine-dining address, open since 1950 and now sharper than ever under F&W Best New Chef Aisha Ibrahim. The multicourse tasting menu, panoramic Lake Union views, a 12,000-bottle wine cellar make it the city's clearest answer to a serious occasion dinner. Book three to four weeks ahead and budget well above $200 per person with wine.

The Musket Room is the right $$$$ dinner in Nolita for food-focused diners who want a seasonally driven tasting menu; omnivore or vegan; without Midtown formality. Chef Mary Attea is an OAD North America Top 250 ranked chef and multi-year James Beard semifinalist. Book three to four weeks out; this one fills fast.

James Beard Award winner Jason Stanhope's Lowcountry restaurant in a historic Charleston townhouse earned a Michelin Plate in 2025 within its first year. The two-story room; brick walls, fireplaces, a mossy mural; is among Charleston's most distinctive settings for a serious dinner. Book well in advance: this is a hard reservation, especially on weekends.

Emeril's is the right booking when a New Orleans dinner needs to feel serious, polished, worth planning around. With Michelin 2 Stars, a Wine Spectator Grand Award, E.J. Lagasse leading a Cajun kitchen, it is better for a seated special occasion than takeout, delivery, or a casual group meal.

Mr. Tuna opened its brick-and-mortar Portland address in 2024, building on a sushi cart that started in 2017. The focus is local Atlantic bluefin tuna, broken down in-house and served across a range of cuts. Pearl's restaurant editor singles out the tuna sashimi tasting as one of the strongest things to eat in Portland. Book for the tasting; the espresso martinis are a genuine bonus.

My Loup is Philadelphia's most rewarding French-inspired bistro and one of its harder reservations: a 2024 James Beard semifinalist with a daily-changing market menu, a veteran cocktail bar, an intimate room that earns its. Book well ahead for a table, or target bar seats on a weeknight for a faster path in.

Myriel is St. Paul's most decorated tasting menu restaurant, with a 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest and a Food & Wine Best New Chef recognition to its name. Chef Karyn Tomlinson's Scandinavian-inspired, farm-and-forage menu is the right call for a special occasion dinner in Minnesota. Book several weeks out; demand is high and seats are limited.

A 2018 F&W Best New Chef running a daily-changing, wood-fire menu inside a tavern dating to 1782. Stissing House overdelivers for a rural Hudson Valley destination; easier to book than Blue Hill at Stone Barns and more focused on fire-roasted cooking than ceremony. Book two to three weeks ahead for fall weekends; midweek visits are more available: 4.6 (347 reviews).

Nancy's Hustle is Houston's strongest value argument in credentialed dining: two Michelin Bib Gourmands, multiple James Beard nods, a natural wine list that earns its reputation, all at $$ per head. Chef Jason Vaughan's east-side bistro on Polk Street rewards the food-and-wine traveller who books ahead; Hard difficulty means three to four weeks minimum for weekend seats.

Penny is the East Village raw bar that makes the case for restraint: pristine seafood, a 6,000-bottle wine list, counter seats that put you inside the kitchen. Featured on Opinionated About Dining's Casual list for North America (2025) and awarded three stars by The New York Times, it books easier than its reputation warrants. Walk in at opening or grab one of the limited reservations.

Sunny's is the Miami steakhouse to chase when national recognition and a Little River destination feel matter more than predictable steakhouse polish. It is dinner-only, hard to secure, better for a planned special occasion than a casual fallback. If the location or booking friction is wrong for the night, Edge Steak & Bar or Prime One Twelve will be easier fits.

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.

Ranked #203 in North America by Opinionated About Dining, Oyster Oyster delivers a vegetable-focused tasting menu in Shaw, D.C. that earns its reputation through genuine technical precision rather than dietary positioning. At $$$, it undercuts most $$$$ tasting-menu competition in the city. Book two to three weeks out for weekends and expect creative, farm-sourced cooking that holds its own against the best in the country.