Pacific Cocktail Haven was listed as an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in the James Beard 2024 awards. Pictured is the Thrilla in Manila cocktail, one of the signature cocktails at Pacific Cocktail Haven in San Francisco on March 11, 2022.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The list, which was broken down into 22 categories, highlighted Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Hospitality, among other distinctions. In total, 17 Bay Area restaurants and chefs were called out for excellence, with a total of 39 semifinalists in California.
San Francisco’s Kiln restaurant got a nod for the Best New Restaurant category, while Lazy Bear was recognized in the Outstanding Hospitality section. The only Bay Area restaurant included in the Outstanding Restaurant category was Koi Palace in Daly City.
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San Francisco bars were also celebrated and included The Morris in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category, while Pacific Cocktail Haven made the cut for Outstanding Bar.
The James Beard semifinalists also featured a roster of chefs divided among sections that included Outstanding Chef and Emerging Chef.
San Francisco chef-owner Sylvan Mishima Brackett of Izakaya Rintaro landed in the Outstanding Chef category, while Emily Lim of Dabao Singapore had a nod in the Emerging Chef category. San Francisco pastry chef Kristina Costa of Loquat was also listed in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category.
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Chef-owner Geoff Davis of Burdell is a Best Chef: California semifinalist in the James Beard 2024 awards.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATEMore Bay Area chefs were listed in the California Best Chef section, which featured Oakland chefs C-Y Chia and Shane Stanbridge of Lion Dance Cafe, Geoff Davis of Burdell and Finn Stern of Daytrip. San Francisco chefs included Laura Ozyilmaz and Sayat Ozyilmaz of Dalida, Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan of Copra, Jeong-In Hwang of San Ho Won, and Kristina Liedags Compton of Hilda and Jesse.