The Banchet Awards, recognizing chefs and restaurants across Chicago, announced the nominees for 2026 on Thursday, plus a new category honoring a historic icon.
“The Banchets are a yearly celebration where the food and beverage universe of Chicago takes a deep breath and looks back upon the previous year,” said Michael Muser, director of the awards.
Nominees can be found across the city and suburbs, from counter service to fine dining.
“The awards pay honor and respect to the hard work and the dedication that goes into the craft of hospitality by so many small business owners and restaurateurs and chefs and sommeliers and managers and bartenders,” said Muser, who was previously director of operations at the critically acclaimed restaurant Ever and its cocktail bar, After.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in January.
“It really is focused on restaurant people,” he added. “So all the jokes are restaurant jokes.”
Twelve categories include Best Neighborhood Restaurant and Best Heritage Restaurant.
“The neighborhood and heritage categories are The Banchets at their best and most exciting,” Muser said. “As soon as I saw the list, I jumped into my car, went out to M’daKhan and that place was awesome.”
The Middle Eastern barbecue restaurant in the Little Palestine area of Bridgeview is a nominee for Best Heritage Restaurant along with Nine Garden in Chinatown, Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine in Edgewater and izakaya-inspired Torizen in Schaumburg.
The Banchets will give the inaugural Iconic Restaurant award, for establishments 25 years or older, to Gene & Georgetti, the steakhouse open in River North since 1941.
“Restaurants come and go, so it is rare and it is special and it is iconic when one hits 25-plus years old,” said Muser.
The Iconic Restaurant of the Year category is one that the panel thinks about a lot, he said, and they’re already thinking about it for next year.
A secret panel includes about 11 people, he added, who are chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and super diners.
“They do it on their own time, and they do it on their own dime,” he said.
Chef Grant Achatz will receive the Culinary Excellence award for lifetime achievement.
“I was so happy when he said, ‘Of course I will be there,’” said Muser.
Achatz has been on a 20th anniversary tour for Alinea throughout much of this year.
“It’s just going to mean so much to everybody that he’s even in the room,” Muser said.
The Banchets are not just an award ceremony, but a gala event. Next year, a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit organization providing emergency assistance to food service workers.
“The evening begins with a champagne reception,” Muser said.
Then everyone’s seated for a tight and hopefully a little comical presentation of awards, he said.
The after-party is held in a huge ballroom with dancing and DJs, he added, and eight chefs will provide bites for everybody in the house.
“It’s always fun to have the super interesting bites,” said Muser. “But I got Superdawg to show up last time and they handed out boxes of hot dogs and fries, and people just lost their minds.”
Superdawg, the iconic hot dog stand founded in 1948, has a suburban location in Wheeling, next to the site of Le Francais, the legendary French restaurant opened in 1973 by the late great chef Jean Banchet.
The Jean Banchet Awards of Culinary Excellence, as they were originally known, debuted in 2002, with the namesake chef himself presenting medals to winners.
The Banchet Awards 2026 winners will be announced Jan. 25. The ceremony will be held at Venue SIX10 in the South Loop. Tickets are on sale now for $250 at thebanchetawards.com.
Here are The Banchets 2026 finalists and recipients in all categories:
Iconic Restaurant (25+ years)
Gene & Georgetti
Culinary Excellence (Lifetime Achievement)
Grant Achatz
Chef of the Year
Jennifer Kim (Proxi)
Andrew Lim (Perilla Fare, Perilla Steakhouse, Noriko Handroll Bar)
John Manion (El Che, Brasero)
Zubair Mohajir (The Coach House, Lilac Tiger, Mirra, Sarima)
Pastry Chef of the Year
Mary Eder-McClure (Galit, Cafe Yaya)
Courtney Kenyon-Snider (Le Bouchon, Obélix)
Justin Lerias (Del Sur Bakery & Café)
Dedra Simmons (Pookie Crack Cakes)
Rising Chef
Alex Cochran (Cellar Door Provisions)
Javauneeka Jacobs (Frontera Grill)
César Murillo (North Pond)
Bailey Sullivan (Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio)
Sommelier of the Year
Jonas Bittencourt (Class Act)
Alex Cuper (Brasero)
Owen Huzar (John’s Food & Wine)
Emily Sher (Elske)
Restaurant of the Year
Cellar Door Provisions
HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
Indienne
Proxi
Best New Restaurant
Best Counter Service
Kanin
Rendang Republic
Sanders BBQ Supply Co.
Taquizas Valdez
Best Neighborhood Restaurant
Bungalow by Middle Brow
Coda di Volpe
Mahari
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery Lounge
Best Heritage Restaurant
M’daKhan
Nine Garden
Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine
Torizen
Bar of the Year or Beverage Program of the Year
Cantina Rosa (Maria Rodriguez)
Daisies (Nicole Yarovinsky)
Elske (Monica Casillas-Rios)
Gus’ Sip & Dip (Kevin Beary and Scott Kitsmiller)
Best Hospitality
Asador Bastian
Feld
Minyoli
Perilla Fare
Best Design
Adalina Prime
Matilda
Noriko Handroll Bar
The Alston
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