This morning, the James Beard Awards released its list of Restaurant and Chef semifinalists, which also includes the country’s restaurateurs, beverage professionals, and other hospitality workers. This year, eight Oregon restaurants and individuals have been named semifinalists, including Le Pigeon for Outstanding Restaurant and Scotch Lodge for Outstanding Bar. 

Often referred to as the “Oscars of the food world” and named for Portland’s own famous chef, the James Beard Awards are considered some of the highest accolades in the industry, right up there with Michelin and World’s 50 Best. Despite the city’s relative size, Portland has had a consistent presence on the list, especially in the past decade. Last year, six Oregon semifinalists made it to the finals in Chicago, with Jinju Patisserie winning for Outstanding Bakery for its beautiful laminated pastries and entremets, and chef Timothy Wastell giving a rousing declaration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement when he picked up his award for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.  

This year’s Oregon semifinalists include some very big names. Chef Gabriel Rucker’s boundary-pushing tasting menu restaurant Le Pigeon has been recognized for the prestigious Outstanding Restaurant category. Chef Rucker is no stranger to the awards, having collected a staggering 15 nominations—he won Rising Star Chef in 2011 and Best Chef: Northwest in 2013. While Le Pigeon is one of the city’s most defining restaurants—bringing a punk rock sentiment to French and Northwest cooking since it opened in 2006—this is the first time the restaurant itself has been recognized by the Beard Foundation.  

While Portland is absent on the national lists for Outstanding Chef and Best New Restaurant, it has garnered some recognition for its drink scene. Scotch Lodge, the sexy, whisky-drenched cocktail lounge tucked in the Buckman neighborhood, is on the longlist for Outstanding Bar for its second year running. Last year saw it make it to the finals but ultimately the bar lost to Chicago’s Kumiko. Similarly, Joel Gunderson, of the intimate, Parisianesque wine bar Heavenly Creatures, made the list once again for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service.  

Another national nod went to Coquine, under Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. While the restaurant, as well as chef and co-owner Katy Millard, have been nominated seven times over the years in various categories, this is the first time co-owner Ksandek Podbielski, who is married to Millard, has been recognized for his wine program. A somewhat surprising addition to the list of beverage semifinalists is the Elbow Room, the recently zhuzhed, ’70s-vibed cocktail bar in Vancouver, Washington. Toby Maloney, of Chicago’s lauded Violet Hour, helped with the revamp, likely aiding its James Beard prospects.

Perhaps the most glaring absence on a national list is for Best New Restaurant. 2025 was a relatively quiet year for openings in the Pacific Northwest, but it’s bound to ruffle feathers that L’Échelle, chef Naomi Pomeroy’s final restaurant (which opened posthumously), wasn’t acknowledged.  

Portland has often made a strong showing in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category, and this year is no different. For the first time, Taylor Manning and Siobhan Speirits, of the fabulous bakery and restaurant Cafe Olli, have been nominated. Thomas Pisha-Duffly has made the list for a fourth time for his nontraditional Indonesian-Chinese cooking at Gado Gado, and it's the seventh time Kristen D. Murray has been recognized for her Nordic-French luncheonette, Måurice. And while the category name has shifted over the years, it will be the ninth time Ryan Roadhouse has received recognition for his ever-mutable omakase experience Nodoguro. Outside of the city, Jack Strong made the longlist for his wine country restaurant Jory at the Allison Inn, while Ashland’s Josh Dorcak is on his fifth year in a row for Mäs.  

The 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists

Portland Semifinalists in National Categories

Outstanding Restaurant: Le Pigeon

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Coquine

Outstanding Bar: Scotch Lodge

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Joel Gunderson, Heavenly Creatures

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): 

• Josh Dorcak, Mäs (Ashland)
• Taylor Manning and Siobhan Speirits, Cafe Olli (Portland)
• Kristen Murray, Måurice (Portland)
• Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado (Portland)
• Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro (Portland)
• Jack Strong, JORY Restaurant at The Allison Inn & Spa (Newberg)