Often considered “the Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Foundation announced its restaurant, chef, and bartender finalists for 2026 this morning. Dreamy cocktail lounge Scotch Lodge moved forward in the Outstanding Bar category after being named a semifinalist in January, while Ryan Roadhouse (Nodoguro) and Thomas Pisha-Duffly (Gado Gado) advanced with Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. They’re all invited to Chicago for the awards ceremony this June.  

Oregonians might be feeling a bit of a sting—that’s only three of the state's 10 semifinalists for 2026. Portland’s Le Pigeon missed out on Outstanding Restaurant, after being named a semifinalist in the category for the first time (though owner Gabriel Rucker has two awards and a whopping 15 previous semifinalist nominations). Jack Strong—chef for wine country’s Jory and a prominent voice for Indigenous chefs—and Kristen Murray of Portland luncheonette darling Måurice were both passed over. Neither Coquine nor Heavenly Creatures advanced for their wine and beverage programs. Perhaps most surprisingly, Josh Dorcak, of Mäs in Ashland, did not advance. His Northwestern fine-dining experience has attracted recent national attention to the Southern Oregon town, with The New York Times naming Mäs among the 50 best restaurants in the United States in 2022. 

Despite the city's relatively small population, Portland has often enjoyed an oversize presence during award season. In 2023, the Rose City won gold seven times, more than any other city, and for more than just the quality of our food: Celebrated Haitian restaurant Kann was that year's Best New Restaurant and Berlu’s Vince Nguyen took home the hardware for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific, but the foundation also recognized the emergent Burgerville Workers Union with the Leadership Award, as well as a handful of media outlets and journalists. Things have been a bit quieter the past few years, but the metro area has generally maintained a solid presence. In 2024, Kann’s Gregory Gourdet followed up his Best New Restaurant win with Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific, while Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom’s Thai tasting menu, Langbaan, took the coveted Outstanding Restaurant award. Last year, bakery Jinju was named Outstanding Bakery for its incredible laminated pastries, and Timothy Wastell took the Northwest chef category—the first time a winery tasting room chef would do so. Jinju is temporarily closed, while Wastell has recently moved to the city to take over the kitchen at Sunnyside’s Old Pal.  

This is the second year in a row that Scotch Lodge has made it to the finals, though it lost last year to Chicago’s Japanese dining bar Kumiko. Pisha-Duffly was a semifinalist last year, and a finalist in 2022 and 2023, all in the same category. And Roadhouse is no stranger at all to the awards. For his sensational, mutable Japanese-inspired tasting experience at Nodoguro, he’s been a semifinalist seven times for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. Last year marked his first advancement to the final round—maybe that means he’ll snag gold this time.