Here Are Las Vegas’s 2026 James Beard Awards Finalists
On Tuesday, March 31, the James Beard Foundation released the 2026 nominees for chefs and restaurants. Today’s announcement includes the final round of nominees before the actual James Beard Award ceremony on June 15, 2026, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. It’s a good year for Las Vegas, with three nominations for Best Chef, Best New Restaurant, and Best Chef: Southwest.
As one of the most prestigious awards for the restaurant, bar, and hospitality industry, the James Beard Foundation embarks on a lengthy selection process to determine the country’s most outstanding restaurants and chefs from across the country. The nominations are trimmed down from the initial, more extensive Beards semifinalist list revealed in January.
In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny after canceling its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misconduct and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in its categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, and returned in 2022.
Among the finalists from Las Vegas are two hospitality veterans for Best Chef: Southwest, with nods for Casa Playa’s Sarah Thompson and Sparrow + Wolf’s Brian Howard. Indian fine dining restaurant Tamba has been named a finalist for Best New Restaurant.
In 2025, Las Vegas restaurants were well represented as finalists, with Thompson receiving her first nomination for Best Chef: Southwest, among others. Las Vegas did not win any James Beard Awards last year.
Best Chef: Southwest
Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, Nevada
Brian Howard, Sparrow + Wolf, Las Vegas, Nevada
Best New Restaurant
Tamba, Las Vegas, Nevada
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
