Three Greater Boston Restaurants Land 2025 James Beard Nominations

Duck at Urban Hearth. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

We don’t know if it’ll be 40 degrees or 60 these days, but there’s one thing that’s certain in early April: The James Beard Foundation awards season continues. Back in January, the organization dropped its annual semifinalists list for the upcoming restaurant and chef awards; today, the whittled-down list of nominees has been announced. Two local restaurant chef/owners made the list—Cassie Piuma of Sarma and Erin Miller of Urban Hearth—plus Brookline bar Merai. More on our local nominees below, but first, a little James Beard awards 101.

The big-deal awards—maybe you’ve heard them called “the Oscars of the food world”—happen annually, recognizing emerging and established talent throughout the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. Each year, around two dozen categories (25 in 2025) are referred to collectively as the restaurant and chef awards (although they also include beverage professionals, bakers, etc.) and are announced in a multi-step process from January to April to, finally, a June gala in Chicago when the winners are revealed. (It’ll be on June 16 this year.) Before all this, there’s a public open call for recommendations, and decisions are made by a voting body that’s a mix of Beard Foundation subcommittee members and appointed judges around the country.

Sullivan’s Castle Island burger. / Courtesy photo

Beyond the restaurant and chef categories, several other types of awards—media, lifetime achievement, etc.—are announced, too, some on separate timelines. One such award is dubbed America’s Classics, given to six restaurants across the country that, as the organization puts it, have “timeless appeal [and] serve quality food and are beloved by their communities.” This year’s America’s Classics winners were announced in February, including Boston’s own Sullivan’s Castle Island, the iconic hot-dog-and-seafood stand whose seasonal reopening is the most important sign of spring. Boston will have to wait a couple years for a shot at another America’s Classics award; the James Beard Foundation rotates the regions considered for the award each year.

So, which other local spots might be getting awards in 2025? Here’s a closer look at who made today’s nominees list.

Boston-Area Nominees for 2025

Harissa barbecue duck shish at Sarma. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Cassie Piuma of Sarma

Outstanding Chef nominee

Piuma oversees a kitchen full of Mediterranean-inspired magic at this Somerville gem, a notoriously tough reservation to book. If you manage to get in—we recommend trying for a walk-in bar seat right at opening—you’ll dine on intriguing culinary mashups like Tunisian tacos with tuna tartare; mapo tofu tagine with spicy beef; and lamejun chili verde. Be sure to save room for the fried chicken, if available, and the Black Sea cornbread with honey and feta. Piuma’s been nominated for a Beard award quite a few times already, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that this is her year.

249 Pearl St., Somerville, 617-764-4464, sarmarestaurant.com.

Merai’s kra pao sausage with caramelized onions, salted yolk mayo, and bacon. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Merai

Best New Bar nominee

This Thai-inspired “elevated dive bar” in Brookline—sibling to Thai favorite Mahaniyom—is just so fun, and we’re delighted it’s getting national attention. Head there for fusion-y dishes like tom kha mushroom risotto; a Thai-spiced take on yukhoe, a Korean-style beef tartare; and the hot dog-like kra pao sausage with salted yolk mayo. Cocktails meant to be easy-drinking, particularly highballs, are the stars here.

14 Harvard St., Brookline Village, meraibar.com.

A dish at the Urban Hearth chef’s counter. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Erin Miller of Urban Hearth

Best Chef: Northeast nominee

The tasting menu at Miller’s tiny chef’s counter is such a trip, an adventurous foray into the season’s best ingredients. But don’t shy away from this North Cambridge destination for more down-to-earth date nights, too, for à la carte farm-to-table fare in a rustic-chic setting. Whatever you do, make sure your meal starts with the big buttermilk biscuit with smoked miso maple butter.

2263 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge, 617-682-7295, urbanhearth.net.

New England Nominees Beyond Massachusetts

Outside of Massachusetts, our New England neighbors snapped up a respectable number of nominations, too. For your spring and summer road-tripping pleasure, here are some spots to watch.

Honey Road. / Photo by Kristin Teig

• Cara Chigazola-Tobin and Allison Gibson, Honey Road and Gray Jay, Burlington, VT (Outstanding Restaurateur nominees)
• Oberlin, Providence, RI (Outstanding Restaurant nominee)
• Nikhil Naiker, NIMKI, Providence, RI (Emerging Chef nominee)
• Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH (Outstanding Bakery nominee)
• Wolf Tree, White River Junction, VT (Outstanding Bar nominee)
• Avery Buck, May Day, Burlington, VT (Best Chef: Northeast nominee)
• Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI (Best Chef: Northeast nominee)
• Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT (Best Chef: Northeast nominee)
• Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI (Best Chef: Northeast nominee)