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The Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence, which celebrate the best of Chicago’s restaurant and hospitality scene, have announced this year’s finalists. The winners will be revealed during a ceremony at Venue SIX10 on Sunday, January 25, 2026.
The 2026 awards will feature 12 categories, from Restaurant of the Year to Best Counter Service to Pastry Chef of the Year. Last year’s newcomer, Best Pizza, won’t return this time around. The Banchets will also honor two local legends. Grant Achactz, the molecular gastronomy luminary behind Alinea, will receive the Culinary Excellence Award, while longstanding River North steakhouse Gene & Georgetti will be named the first-ever Iconic Restaurant of the Year.
The Banchets were founded in 2002, named for the influential chef who helped establish Chicago as a dining destination with his French restaurant Le Francais in the ’70s and ’80s. Restaurateur and hospitality veteran Michael Muser serves as executive director, and a portion of this year’s proceeds will benefit Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit providing emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis.
Here are all of the nominees for the 2026 Jean Banchet Awards.
Bar of the Year or Beverage Program of the Year
Best Neighborhood Restaurant
Culinary Excellence (Lifetime Achievement)
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Jeffy Mai
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