The Seattle Semifinalists for the James Beard Awards have been announced!
Seattle and its resident chefs are doing impressive things in the restaurant scene, so it comes as no surprise that a large number of this year’s James Beard semifinalists hail from the Emerald City. The semifinalists were announced on January 25, and the official nominations will be released on March 29. The ultimate winners of the James Beard Awards will be announced on June 5 in Chicago.
Read on for the full list of semifinalists in Seattle!
Here are the semifinalists in Seattle within each category:
Outstanding restaurant:
- Copine
Copine is a sophisticated New American and French restaurant in Ballard that offers a set three-course menu that changes every week.
Outstanding chef:
- Renee Erickson, The Walrus and the Carpenter
This chic seafood restaurant in Ballard is a popular spot amongst locals for oysters and fantastic seafood.
Outstanding Restauranteur:
- Yenvy and Quynh Pham, Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat
The Pham siblings are well-known in Seattle for their family-run Vietnamese restaurants.
Best chef, Northwest and Pacific:
- Melissa Miranda, Musang
- David Nichols, Eight Row
- Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi
- Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago
Emerging chef:
- Kevin Smith, Beast & Cleaver
At first glance, Beast & Cleaver is a small butcher shop in Ballard, but it also offers classes and multi-course dinners with excellent wine pairings.
Outstanding hospitality:
- Lark
This New American restaurant in First Hill is one of the few Seattle restaurants that encourages local diners to dress up a little.
Outstanding bar:
- Rob Roy
This cocktail bar in Belltown is a popular spot for craft cocktails. They also have live jazz music on the first Monday of every month.
If you haven’t been to any of these Seattle spots yet, here’s your sign to check them out! You can also read our article about Melissa Miranda at Musang, which is a Filipino restaurant in Beacon Hill, as well as our article about Phởcific Standard Time, which is a cozy Vietnamese speakeasy downtown.
You can also see the full list of semifinalists on the James Beard website.