Tonight the James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 restaurant and chef award winners at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. For 36 years the prestigious awards ceremony has taken place, and this year one restaurant, one chef, and one beverage pro in New York were recognized.
One of the top awards went to Lei for Best New Restaurant. Helmed by Annie Shi, who also received a Michelin Guide Northeast Cities Sommelier Award this year, Lei is a new wine bar with a lot of personality, unexpectedly located in Chinatown.
“Lei is a very personal project where I get to realize that dream of bridging wine and the food I grew up with alongside my team,” Shi told DiningOut New York during an interview.
On the chef side, Hooni Kim of Meju received Best Chef: New York State. Kim’s star status didn’t surprise us given his pedigree includes celebrated restaurants Daniel and Masa. He trained there before opening Danji, which became the first Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in the world.
Now the Korean chef spends time between Seoul and New York City, toggling between Danji, Hanjan, and his one-Michelin starred Meju at 5-28 49th Ave. in Queens. At the latter he brings to the city a high-end Korean fermentation restaurant centered around a chef’s tasting concept.
Finally, taking home the 2026 award for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, Lee Campbell of Borgo shined. The Flatiron trattoria at 124 E. 27th St. churns out stunning plates of Italian fare, which pair perfectly with Campbell’s penchant for natural wines, seen throughout the heavily European wine list.
Congrats to all the nominees, winners and non-winners alike. You can read more about the 2026 finalists here, and start making those reservations.
