The James Beard Awards are back, bringing acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs from across the country to Chicago for the ceremony and a spate of related events.
The so-called “Oscars of the food world” will descend on Chicago’s Lyric Opera House on Monday, June 15.
This year, three Chicago chefs are on the short list to win one of the prestigious prizes: Bailey Sullivan, of the West Loop’s Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, is a finalist in the emerging chef category. Plus, Norman Fenton of Cariño in Uptown and Jacob Potashnick of Feld in Ukrainian Village are among this year’s finalists in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category.
The mainstage award ceremony is sold out, but there are still many ways for Chicago foodies to get in on the culinary fun. Plus, if you want to see in real-time who wins a medal, the ceremony itself will be livestreamed.
From brunches to collaborations galore, plus panel discussions, a night market and a 5K run, here are 21 ways to brush shoulders with some of the culinary world’s biggest stars at James Beard Award-adjacent events.
Friday, June 12
Mirra x Kiko: Tides & Spice
Seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
1954 W. Armitage Ave.
$150
Mirra chefs Zubair Mohajir and Rishi Kumar were recently named to the James Beard Foundation’s 2026-27 TasteTwenty Class, an exclusive list of rising industry talent nationwide.
They will host the Asian-inspired New York restaurant Kiko for a one-night-only collab. The menu is billed as a “progression of coastal and spice-driven dishes,” featuring Maine lobster crispy rice with Chettinad masala and Dungeness crab roll. The Mirra team was a 2026 James Beard semifinalist in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category.
London’s Three Sheets bar at Hawksmoor
5-9 p.m.
500 N. LaSalle Drive
Kick off the weekend with a taste of London at Chicago’s Hawksmoor. The acclaimed London bar Three Sheets will serve up drinks at the Beef & Liberty Bar on Hawksmoor’s second floor. The evening includes complimentary canapés from the host kitchen. Each of the cocktails — billed as minimal and elegant — will be $15.
Saturday, June 13
New Buffalo’s PostBoy at Dove’s Luncheonette
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
1545 N. Damen Ave.
Walk-in only
A weekend of tasty brunches kicks off with a collaboration between PostBoy, the Beard semifinalist from New Buffalo, Michigan, and Dove’s Luncheonette in Wicker Park. PostBoy chef James Galbraith will join Dove’s chef Thomas Hollensed and debut a one-day-only à la carte menu, which will put a brunch twist on PostBoy dishes like Biang Biang Shrimp with bok choy, ginger and fried garlic. Plus, there will be staples of the Dove’s menu, like Chicken Fried Chicken.
RPM’s 10th Annual Beefsteak Invitational
Noon-3 p.m
66 W. Kinzie St.
$175
RPM’s executive chef, Bob Broskey, will welcome a roster of guest chefs for this very beefy collaboration. Each chef will showcase a unique beef and presentation. Visiting chefs include Mitchell Lienhard (One Madison, La Tete d’Or, Le Jardin, Cuisine Boulud), Zach Midgett (Casa Bovina), Josh Smith (Founders Dining Room at The Ned) and Anthony DiRienzo (Bazaar Meat).
IndigeHouse: House of Smoke & Ash
1-10 p.m.
221 N. Paulina St.
Free-$175
This inaugural event lifts up Indigenous chefs, producers, farmers and artists. Throughout the day, the multi-tiered event will feature a market that is open to the public and features a variety of vendors. The ticketed dinner features seven Indigenous chefs from across the Americas: Nephi Craig, Luis Martinez, Stephanie Baryluk, Emmie Strauss, José Contreras, Tawnya Brant and Bleu Adams.
Charlie Trotter’s honors James Beard
Staggered seatings from 4:30-8:30 p.m.
816 W. Armitage Ave.
$370
Step back in time with this one-night-only collaboration inside the famed Charlie Trotter’s dining room in Lincoln Park. Trotter’s son Dylan has been running a pop-up series; this edition brings an eight-course tasting experience that pays tribute to James Beard himself. Nashville-based chef David Breeden will lead the way, along with chef Freddy Money of Atlanta and pastry chefs Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos of Colorado.
Lilac Tiger’s James Beard Night Market
3-9 p.m.
1742 W. Division St.
$75
Wicker Park’s Lilac Tiger recruits several Chicago restaurants for this night market. The event will feature Chicago Secret Burger, Kanin, Haru Haru, and a preview of Chicago’s newest Filipino speakeasy, Bobo. Each ticket includes a punch card to experience six food stations, and additional punches can be purchased on site.
Tacos with Friends
10 p.m.
4662 N. Broadway
$250
This special iteration of Cariño’s late-night taco omakase will benefit charity and is a collaboration with Las Vegas chef Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa. Chef Norman Fenton, who opened Cariño in late 2023, is among this year’s Chicago Beard finalists. Thompson is also a regional chef finalist in the Southwest region. Proceeds from their collaboration will go toward Latinos Progresando, a Chicago-based group that provides immigration legal services.
Sunday, June 14
Pop-up Up South dinner series
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
8655 S. Blackstone Ave.
Chef Maya-Camille Broussard of Justice of the Pies is hosting Chef Dominique Leach of Lexington Betty Smokehouse for part of her ongoing Up South pop-up series, which is meant to “demonstrate that excellent culinary programming can exist inside of neighborhoods historically affected by food insecurity,” according to the event. This year’s event reimagines the shoebox lunches that Black families commonly brought aboard trains during the Great Migration. Broussard was a 2022 James Beard finalist.
Sanders BBQ x Mahari
11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
1504 E. 55th St.
$75
Two of Chicago’s most exciting restaurants, Beverly’s Sanders BBQ and Hyde Park’s Mahari, are teaming up for one day only with a brunch menu curated specifically for this event. Tickets include a full meal, with a cash bar available. Sanders BBQ burst onto the local scene when it opened in 2024, quickly earning accolades, including being a James Beard semifinalist this year. Mahari, an African fusion restaurant, opened last year in Hyde Park. It was named the city’s best neighborhood restaurant at the Banchet Awards in January.
Brunch soirée at Nobu Chicago
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
854 W. Randolph St.
$95
Hosted on Nobu’s West Loop rooftop, this brunch features skyline views, passed bites and unlimited craft cocktails. The menu includes French toast, chicken karaage and waffles, wagyu beef kushiyaki, plus sushi rolls and assorted desserts.
JBF Greens Chicago x The Publican
11:30 a.m.
837 W. Fulton Market
$95
JBF Greens, the James Beard Foundation’s event series aimed at food lovers in their 20s, 30s and 40s, is teaming up with West Loop’s The Publican for this special awards weekend brunch. The menu is being led by One Off Hospitality’s Paul Kahan and head butcher, Rob Levitt. Diners will enjoy dishes such as smoked Steelhead Trout with green garlic ricotta, marinated English peas, and sesame sourdough, plus a brunch-inspired take on the dish, Ham Chop in Hay.
The Bread Room at Bad Butter
1-3 p.m.
1655 W. Cortland St.
Chicago’s Bad Butter welcomes Philadelphia’s The Bread Room for a pop-up that brings a taste of Philly to town, via roast pork sandwiches on focaccia and soft pretzels paired with Dan Koester’s (of Bad Butter) pastries. The collaboration highlights Bad Butter’s newly opened storefront in Bucktown.
Panel discussion: Leadership Beyond Awards
1:30 p.m.
18 S. Michigan Ave.
Free
A James Beard Foundation panel will bring together industry insiders at Kendall College. Moderated by local dining critic John Kessler, the discussion centers around how industry leaders can build workplaces focused on inclusion and sustainability. The panel features Chicago’s own Jason Hammel, chef and owner of the James Beard Award-winning Lula Cafe. He’ll be in conversation with Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia; Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani, of Chai Pani, which has locations in North Carolina, Georgia and Washington, D.C.; and Tavel Bristol-Joseph of Emmer & Rye in Austin, Texas.
Panel discussion: 40 Years of American Food Culture and Storytelling
2:30 p.m.
18 S. Michigan Ave.
Free
Ahead of the James Beard Media Awards on Saturday night at the Art Institute, this panel at Kendall College looks back on four decades of food media, awards and restaurant culture and how they have helped shape the narrative about cooking and shared identity. Moderated by food journalist Chandra Ram, panelists include Los Angeles Times dining critic Bill Addison and Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Jamila Robinson.
Bar Sótano + Friends Patio Party
3:30-6:30 p.m.
443 N. Clark St. Alley
$125
Chef Rick Bayless, who was Chicago’s first-ever Beard winner back when the awards were established, is bringing a lineup of James Beard-nominated chefs together for this patio party. Taste food from Gilberto Cetina (Holbox in Los Angeles), Hugo Ortega (Hugos in Houston) and Jeff Chanchaleune (Bar Sen in Oklahoma City), plus Bar Sótano’s own Jackie Hernandez.
Pandan rooftop sensory experience
6-9 p.m.
1118 N. State St.
$50
Pandan, the restaurant atop the Viceroy Chicago hotel, will host a special rooftop party in honor of the Beards weekend. Billed as a multisensory experience, the party features Southeast Asian-inspired food and cocktails, including bites of pork lumpia, tuna kinilaw and sweet corn tempura. There will also be a DJ, views of the Chicago skyline and a make-your-own perfume station.
Chicago Cocktail Classic
6-10 p.m.
167 N. Green St.
$100
Back for a second year, this event brings together more than three dozen bars from around the world. Chicago will be well represented with drinks from spots like Three Dots & a Dash, Gus’ Sip & Dip, The Meadowlark, Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club, Bisous, Lemon, Nine Bar, Queen Mary and Bar Bambi. They will join visiting bars from Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris, Mexico City and beyond. Each ticket includes 10 sample-size cocktails.
Denver’s Yacht Club at Bar Bambi
9 p.m.-12 a.m.
1703 W. Chicago Ave.
A finalist for this year’s James Beard Awards in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category, the Denver bar Yacht Club docks at Chicago’s Bar Bambi for one night. The new cocktail bar from Katie Renshaw opened earlier this year, featuring elevated cocktails and bar snacks. Walk-ins are welcome as capacity allows.
No Proof Run Club
8:30-9:15 a.m.
18 S. Michigan Ave.
No Proof podcast host Joshua Gandee and Christina D’Esposito of the James Beard Foundation host a 5K run along Lake Michigan to kick off the day of the award ceremony. The run will begin at Kendall College with conversation and coffee. Gandee’s podcast highlights sobriety among chefs, bartenders and hospitality workers.
Advocacy Meet-Up
10 a.m.
18 S. Michigan Ave.
Free
The James Beard Foundation will hold a meet-up for chefs, restaurateurs, and operators who engage in advocacy work. The event is a chance to share success stories, obstacles and get ideas from others in the industry.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.