James Beard America's Classics Award Winners (1998–2026)
James Beard Foundation · updated 2026 · 135 restaurants. Read the original list.
Restaurants on this list
- 2nd Avenue Deli — Midtown, New York
- A&A Bake and Doubles — Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
- Al Ameer Restaurant — Dearborn
- Al's Breakfast — Dinkytown, Minneapolis
- Al's French Frys — South Burlington
- Anchor Bar — Allentown, Buffalo
- Annie's Paramount Steakhouse — Dupont Circle, Washington, DC
- Archie's Waeside — Le Mars
- Arnold's Country Kitchen — Wedgewood-Houston, Nashville
- Aunt Carrie's — Point Judith, Narragansett
- Bagaduce Lunch — Brooksville
- Barney Greengrass — Upper West Side, New York
- Beaumont Inn — Harrodsburg
- Ben's Chili Bowl — U Street, Washington, DC
- Bertha's Kitchen — Park Circle, North Charleston
- Bob Taylor's Ranch House — Westside, Las Vegas
- Bowen's Island Restaurant — James Island, Charleston
- Breitbach's Country Dining — Sherrill
- Brooks' House of Bar-B-Q — Oneonta
- Bully's Restaurant — Fondren, Jackson
- Busy Bee Cafe — Vine City, Atlanta
- Cafe Pasqual's — Downtown, Santa Fe
- Calumet Fisheries — South Deering, Chicago
- Camp Washington Chili — Camp Washington, Cincinnati
- Casa Vega — Sherman Oaks
- Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe — South End, Boston
- Chef Vola's — Chelsea, Atlantic City
- Corinne's Place — Haddon Avenue, Camden
- Doe's Eat Place — Greenville, MS
- Dong Phuong Bakery — New Orleans East, New Orleans
- Dooky Chase's Restaurant — Treme, New Orleans
- Duarte's Tavern — Pescadero
- El Chorro Lodge — Paradise Valley
- El Guero Canelo — Midtown, Tucson
- El Taco de Mexico — Art District on Santa Fe, Denver
- Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar — Pike Place Market, Seattle
- Eng's — Midtown, Kingston
- Figaretti's Italian Restaurant — Wheeling
- Florence's Restaurant — Northeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City
- Frank Fat's — Downtown, Sacramento
- Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana — Wooster Square, New Haven
- Fry Bread House — Melrose, Phoenix, AZ
- Gaido's — Galveston
- Galleria Umberto — North End, Boston
- Gioia's Deli — The Hill, St. Louis
- Gott's Roadside — St. Helena
- Grand Central Oyster Bar — Midtown East, Manhattan
- Guelaguetza — Harvard Heights, Los Angeles
- Hamura's Saimin Stand — Lihue
- Hansen's Sno-Bliz — Uptown, New Orleans
- Helena's Hawaiian Food — Kalihi, Honolulu
- Irma's Restaurant — Downtown, Houston
- Jim's Steak and Spaghetti House — Downtown, Huntington
- Joe T. Garcia's — North Side, Fort Worth
- Joe's Bakery & Coffee Shop — East Austin, Austin
- Joe's Stone Crab — South Beach, Miami Beach
- John's Roast Pork — South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
- Johnny's Cafe — South Omaha, Omaha
- Jones Bar-B-Q Diner — Marianna
- Keens Steakhouse — Garment District, New York
- Kramarczuk's — Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis
- La Casita Blanca — Santurce, San Juan
- La Taqueria — Mission District, San Francisco
- Lagomarcino's — Downtown, Moline
- Langer's Deli — Westlake, Los Angeles
- Lassis Inn — South End, Little Rock
- Le Veau d’Or — Upper East Side, Manhattan
- Lem's Bar-B-Q — Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago
- Lexington Barbecue — Lexington
- Los Hernandez Tamales — Union Gap
- Louie Mueller Barbecue — Taylor
- Lucky Wishbone — Fairview, Anchorage
- Manago Hotel Restaurant — Captain Cook
- Mandalay — Inner Richmond, San Francisco
- Maneki — International District, Seattle
- Mario's — Belmont, Bronx
- Mary & Tito's Cafe — North Valley, Albuquerque
- Moosewood Restaurant — Downtown, Ithaca
- Mosca's — Avondale, LA
- Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room — Historic District, Savannah
- Mustache Bill's Diner — Barnegat Light
- Nezinscot Farm — Turner
- Nora's Fish Creek Inn — Wilson
- Olneyville New York System — Olneyville, Providence
- Oriental Mart — Pike Place Market, Seattle
- Oyster House — Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
- Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge — Strip, Las Vegas
- Perini Ranch Steakhouse — Buffalo Gap
- Peter Luger Steak House — Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge — Brookings
- Philippe the Original — Chinatown, Los Angeles
- Pho 79 — Little Saigon, Garden Grove
- Pickwick Restaurant and Pub — Canal Park, Duluth, MN
- Polly's Pancake Parlor — Sugar Hill
- Primanti Bros. — Strip District, Pittsburgh
- Prince's Hot Chicken Shack — Downtown, Nashville
- Puritan Backroom — Manchester, NH
- Rancho de Chimayo Restaurante — Chimayo
- Ray's Boathouse — Ballard, Seattle
- Sahadi's — Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
- Sally Bell's Kitchen — Museum District, Richmond
- Schultz's Crab House — Essex
- Sehnert's Bakery & Bieroc Cafe — McCook
- Sevilla Restaurant & Bar — West Village, New York
- Shady Glen — Manchester, CT
- Skylight Inn BBQ — Ayden
- Solly's Grille — Glendale, WI
- Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse — Love Field, Dallas
- St. Elmo Steak House — Downtown, Indianapolis
- Stroud's — Northeast Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
- Sullivan's Castle Island — South Boston, Boston
- Sun Wah BBQ — Uptown, Chicago
- Swan Oyster Depot — Polk Gulch, San Francisco
- Sylvia's Restaurant — Harlem, New York
- Tadich Grill — Financial District, San Francisco
- The Berghoff — The Loop, Chicago
- The Bright Star — Downtown, Bessemer
- The Original Pancake House — Multnomah Village, Portland, OR
- The Pioneer Saloon — Ketchum
- The Serving Spoon — Inglewood
- The Shed — Downtown, Santa Fe
- Three Brothers Restaurant — Bay View, Milwaukee
- Totonno's — Coney Island, Brooklyn
- Tufano's Vernon Park Tap — Little Italy, Chicago
- Vera's Backyard Bar-B-Que — Southmost, Brownsville
- Versailles — Little Havana, Miami
- Vietnam Restaurant — Chinatown, Philadelphia
- Wade's Restaurant — Spartanburg
- Wagner's Village Inn — Oldenburg
- White House Sub Shop — Chelsea, Atlantic City
- Willie Mae's Scotch House — Treme, New Orleans
- Wo Hop — Chinatown, New York
- Yank Sing — Rincon Center, San Francisco
- Yuca's — Los Feliz, Los Angeles
- Zehnder's of Frankenmuth — Frankenmuth
The Critic List — the critics’ “best restaurants” lists, in one place. We don’t write the lists; the critics do, and every one links back to the original.