James Beard Awards
Fort Worth gets passed over for 2026 James Beard Award nominations
The 2026 James Beard Awards have arrived, with a first list of semifinalists — a list that includes eight North Texas restaurants, bars, and chefs — but once again, no actual restaurants, bars, or chefs in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth also got snubbed by the 2025 Michelin Guide.
This is starting to feel personal.
Broadening the list to "Tarrant County" brings in one James Beard nominee in Arlington: Patrick Hicks, the more-than-deserving owner of Smoke'N Ash BBQ, earned a nomination for Best Chef in Texas. Zooming up I-35W north of Fort Worth, we have Scott Girling of Osteria Il Muro in Denton, also up for Best Chef in Texas.
But the Fort Worth omission for the second year in a row is disappointing, as the city's culinary scene continues to buzz. If the James Beard folks need some ideas, they're welcome to crib from the list of 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners.
Taking a closer look at the DFW semifinalists who did make the cut, five have earned nods for national awards, competing against restaurants from across the U.S. The other three semifinalists are in the regional category of Best Chef in Texas — competing against other Texas nominees.
Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize excellence by chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant.
The Dallas semifinalists are as follows:
- Best New Restaurant: Far-Out
- Outstanding Bakery: Starship Bagel
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Maggie Huff, Lucia
- Outstanding Bar: Ayahuasca Cantina
- Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Gabe Sanchez, Midnight Rambler
These are DFW semifinalists for Best Chef in Texas:
- Scott Girling, Osteria Il Muro, Denton
- Patrick Hicks, Smoke'N Ash BBQ, Arlington
- Masayuki Otaka, Mabo, Dallas
Elsewhere in Texas, Houston boasts 12 nominations, San Antonio has seven, and Austin received nine.
The full list of nominees is on JamesBeard.org.
Note: These are just the semifinalists. Finalists for the Restaurant and Chef Awards will be announced on March 31. Nominees for the Foundation’s Media Awards will be announced on May 6. The Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on June 15.
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Stephanie Allmon Merry and Teresa Gubbins contributed to this report.
