The 2025 James Beard awards mark the 35th anniversary of the ceremony, and this year, three Pittsburgh restaurants made the semifinalists list. These semifinalists will narrow down into nominees on April 2, and then the winners will be announced on June 16. The 35th anniversary of the “Oscars of Food” introduced three new categories focused on beverages: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Pittsburgh got its chance to shine in the Best New Restaurant and Best Chef categories.
Three Pittsburgh Restaurants Are 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists
Fet-Fisk: Best New Restaurant
Since its opening in March 2024, Fet-Fisk has been on fire. Part of what makes Fet-Fisk great is that it’s both cohesive and multifaceted. It can’t be distilled down into just “It’s a Nordic restaurant,” and yet you don’t get lost in a mishmash of different aesthetics or overly twee small plates that some more high-concept restaurants get lost in. The care they take in their image is evident in the fact that the restaurant has a dedicated Creative Director, Sarah Laponte. Fet-Fisk manages to feel both fresh and nostalgic, and this nomination is well-deserved.
Tomasz Skowronski and Kate Lasky of Apteka: Best Chef
Skowronski and Lasky were semifinalists in 2023 and 2024 as well. Lasky and Skowronski have an all plant-based Eastern European menu, but their version of veganism is far from uber-hip corporate salad bowls or tofu scramble. Lasky and Skowronski are culinary artists, and there’s no doubt that Apteka is their vision. It’s all natural wine (many bottles from hard-to-import locations), everything farm fresh, nothing pretentious.
Wei Zhu of Chengdu Gourmet: Best Chef
This is Zhu’s sixth James Beard nomination. Given that he’s been open for eleven years, that’s a pretty strong endorsement for his food and a testament to the restaurant’s longevity. Chengdu Gourmet focuses on Sichuan cuisine and serves not just American-friendly crossovers like Kung Pao chicken but more obscure local dishes like the cumin lamb. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try fry sautéed frog—or stick to the General Tso’s chicken if you’re not there yet. A restaurant like Zhu’s encourages experimentation and curiosity.
Stay tuned to see if these restaurants ascend to the nominations in April! For now, if you haven’t been to any of them, there’s no time like the present to try them.
Story by Emma Riva
Photo by Laura Petrilla of Apteka’s Rwaki dumplings
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