Here Are the 30 Best Women-Led Restaurants in the U.S.
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Each year since 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards reviews restaurants and chefs across the United States to select the best of the best. In doing so, it celebrates outstanding restauranteurs, chefs, restaurants, emerging chefs, new restaurants, pastry chefs, bakers, hospitality, wine programs and bar service.
The 2022 awards process is currently underway after a two-year pandemic-inspired hiatus. While it doesn’t have a specific female-led category, OpenTable reviewed the most recent winners (from 2019) to specifically spotlight the women that deserve recognition in an industry dominated by men. These are the top 30 based on positive reviews. Pop in to support women-led restaurants, with fantastic food to boot!
30. Jar
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Find it: Jar
Why It's One of the Best
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Starting off the OpenTable list, this chophouse debuted in Los Angeles in 2001 and is the epitome of a traditional American steakhouse. Wood-paneled walls, warm lighting and thick cuts of marbled meats have been presented here for more than 20 years under the care of Chef Suzanne Tracht.
Listed as one of the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles in L.A. Weekly’s annual review since its inception, Tracht’s fame extends beyond the City of Angels, with appearances on numerous television shows and magazines all cheering for the celebrated chef.
29. Terra Plata
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Location: Seattle, Washington
Find it: Terra Plata
Why It's One of the Best
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Led by Chef Tamara Murphy, Terra Plata sources organic ingredients from local and sustainable farmers. Winning the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii in 1995, her rooftop restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood has received accolades aplenty since she opened it in 2012.
The “earth-to-plate” restaurant features dishes like grilled whole branzino, with grilled leek-caper remoulade, charred lemon, arugula-fennel salad and chili-scallion oil, and paella mixto, with chicken, chorizo, clams, mussels, shrimp. Sofrito, chimichurri and saffron rice.
28. Café Juanita
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Location: Kirkland, Washington
Find it: Café Juanita
Why It's One of the Best
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You’ll find a curated four-course dining experience celebrating the foods of Northern Italy at Café Juanita. But this Seattle-suburb hotspot isn’t named for its owner and chef. That would be Holly Smith, who opened the restaurant in 2000 and continues to receive recognition from the James Beard Foundation as Outstanding Restaurant in the U.S. with Outstanding Service nominations as well.
The ever-changing menu features sustainably farmed produce, meats and seafood with sample tasting menus featuring a 30-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano brood, hens yolk crema and sweet pea fiori, and a beet, cinder toffee, watercress, sherry syrup, bonne bouche cheese.
27. Equinox
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Location: Washington, D.C.
Find it: Equinox
Why It's One of the Best
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A five-time James Beard-winning restaurant, D.C.’s Equinox has been under the watchful helm of husband-and-wife and chef-and-business-partner team Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff. For 22 years, Ellen has managed front-of-the-house and is the business manager and “spiritual director” of Equinox, while Todd creates the plant-forward, seasonal Mid-Atlantic-inspired menu.
Ellen has received numerous awards, including Women Chefs and Restauranteurs Golden Fork Award for Front-of-the-House Excellence. She also manages Harvest Moon and Totally Fried Hospitality.
26. Frances
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Location: San Francisco, California
Find it: Frances
Why It's One of the Best
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When you earn a coveted Michelin star, you immediately rise to stardom, which is the case for esteemed chef and restaurateur Melissa Perello and her extremely intimate restaurant, Frances.
Due to the pandemic, the Castro district hard-to-get-into restaurant was forced to close in 2020, and Perello seized the opportunity to reinvent the space. Customers can expect to find signature dishes like bacon beignets and chickpea panisse on the menu.
Why It's One of the Best
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Bangkok-born Nan Niyomkul grew up selling street food alongside her mother before arriving in America at 19 and cultivated a career as a chef in New York. When relocating to Atlanta in 1997, Nan opened her fine dining Thai restaurant that has since received 15 Four-Diamond awards.
The family-owned and -operated Tamarind Restaurant Group now includes Nan’s children and Chai Yo Modern Thai and Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft, also in Atlanta.
24. Chez Zee
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Location: Austin, Texas
Find it: Chez Zee
Why It's One of the Best
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A charming bistro complete with Austin’s unique vibe, Chez Lee is the dream-come-true of Sharon Watkins. Formerly an ad exec, Watkins purchased the live Chez Fred in 1988 and the following year reopened it as her whimsical spot strung with white Christmas lights year-round.
Offering live music, artwork by local artists and Southern American fare, Chez Zee’s awards are particularly bestowed upon the delicious desserts like lemon rosemary cake and the double chocolate gooey butter cake.
Why It's One of the Best
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As co-owner and executive chef, Maneet Chauhan is Nashville’s favorite restaurant namesake.
Combining Indian dishes with traditional Southern fare such as the Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Pakora Sandwich, Chauhan’s menu and ambiance has earned her accolades since opening in 2014, including Best Lunch Spot, Best Cocktails and Where to Eat Brunch.
22. Border Grill
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Find it: Border Grill
Why It's One of the Best
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There are no shortages of excellent restaurants in Las Vegas, but since 1985, chefs and owners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken have been the toast of the town with their Border Grill Mexican restaurant. What began as a 40-seat “taco stand” has blossomed into multiple locations, food trucks and catering.
The duo’s take on Mexican food with the freshness of Californian cuisine has resulted in cookbooks, restaurant spinoffs and appearances in multiple media — one of the earliest women to do so in a male-dominated industry.
21. Nostrana
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Location: Portland, Oregon
Find it: Nostrana
Why It's One of the Best
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Numerous male chefs are directing the kitchen of Nostana, but all of them report to the restaurant’s owner and head chef, Cathy Whims. Having studied in Italy and traveled extensively, Whims has created one of Portland’s most popular Italian restaurants in Nostrana, which first opened in 2006.
Nominated as Best Chef six times by the James Beard Foundation, Whims is also the owner of Pearl District’s modern and urban saloon, Oven and Shaker.
20. Republique
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Find it: Republique
Why It's One of the Best
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A restaurant, a bakery and a quick-service café ranked as one of the essential French Restaurants you need to try in Los Angeles, Republique is owned and operated by wife-and-husband team Margarita and Walter Manzke. As the couple’s sixth restaurant together in both California and the Philippines, the La Brea dinner-only French restaurant has provided classic fare like sole a la Meuniere with potato mousseline and brown Normandy butter since 2013.
The couple also operates Bicyclette Bistro in Beverly Hills and Margarita operates Sari Sari Store with Filipino foods in Downtown L.A.
Why It's One of the Best
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Not every restaurant on the James Beard Foundation’s radar is an array of carefully sourced and decorated dishes. It is possible to have reasonably priced classic foods that are delicious and served by a friendly team in a low-key environment. One such space is Duck Duck Goat, where traditional Chinese cuisine like spring rolls, noodles, fried rice and Moo Shu can be found.
Chef and partner Stephanie Izard cooked for a number of Chicago restaurants before winning "Top Chef" in 2008 — the first woman to do so. She followed her fame with the opening of her restaurant, Girl & the Goat, then opened Little Goat Diner and finally Duck Duck Goat, bringing her admired cooking style to all three.
18. Mr. B’s Bistro
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Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Find it: Mr. B’s Bistro
Why It's One of the Best
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The Brennan name is synonymous with New Orleans for its collection of prized restaurants that started two generations ago. Cindy Brennan is co-owner and managing partner of Mr. B’s Bistro, which opened in 1979.
She still runs the beloved restaurant that offers fine dining in a less stuffy setting. Since its opening, the Royal Street bistro has been a fixture of the French Quarter and practically a must-try when visiting NOLA.
17. Bud & Marilyn’s
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Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Find it: Bud & Marilyn’s
Why It's One of the Best
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Although not a legacy restaurant, even though it looks like one from its interior, Chef Marcie Blaine Turney used her 20-plus years of experience to help revitalize Philadelphia’s 13th Street when she opened Bud & Marilyn’s with co-owner Valerie Safran. Since 2002, the duo has gone on to open eight restaurants, as well as boutiques, to transform a desolate neighborhood into today’s thriving and trendy Midtown Village.
Bud & Marilyn’s menu elevates homemade comfort foods like mac ‘n' cheese and meatloaf and also transforms them into something special.
16. A16
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Location: San Francisco, California
Find it: A16
Why It's One of the Best
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When pizza is done so well that the James Beard Foundation takes notice, you know it will be great. Originally opening in San Francisco and since expanding to Oakland and even Tokyo, A16’s recipes have appeared in cookbooks and won their own awards.
But the James Beard Foundation particularly acknowledges A16 for its outstanding wine offerings and service. Thank the award-winning owner, operator and wine director Shelley Lindgren for this.
15. The Love
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Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Find it: The Love
Why It's One of the Best
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With 20-plus years as the owner of some of the most exciting restaurant offerings in Philadelphia, Aimee Olexy’s 12-person tastings at Talula’s Table were called the “Toughest Table in America.” Her follow-up, Talula’s Garden, paired her with Stephen Starr in 2011 and did so well the duo went on to open additional restaurants, of which the most recent is The Love, which debuted in 2017.
An instant success, customers won't want to miss buttermilk fried chicken with corn grits, comeback sauce and collard greens known as Lovebird.
14. Little Goat
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Location: Chicago, Illinois
Find it: Little Goat
Why It's One of the Best
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This is the aforementioned Stephanie Izard’s second Chicago restaurant.
Little Goat Diner features unique takes on breakfasts, sandwiches, appetizers and burgers, such as the kimchi burger, tonkatsu breaded pork sandwich and This Little Piggy Went to China scallion cheddar biscuit with sunny side eggs, Sichuan pork sausage, chili garlic chive sauce and smoked blueberries.
Why It's One of the Best
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When this Mediterranean kitchen and bar known as Barbuzzo opened, it had more than the city buzzing. It had the James Beard Foundation in a tizzy, reaching the semifinals as Best New Restaurant in 2011.
Who’s behind this treasure? The same feminine duo of Bud & Marilyn’s, chef Marcie Blaine Turney and front-of-the-house co-owner Valerie Safran.
12. Osteria Mozza
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Find it: Osteria Mozza
Why It's One of the Best
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Osteria Mozza is so popular in Los Angeles that it claims its menu can be recited by heart. That menu is created by owner Nancy Silverton (with pastries designed by Dahlia Narvaez). It’s not her only restaurant in California, either. The award-winning chef received the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef award in 2014 and was also named the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by Fortune and Food and Wine magazines.
If you can’t make it to Osteria Mozza, she’s penned eight cookbooks you could pick up.
11. Arnaud’s
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Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Find it: Arnaud’s
Why It's One of the Best
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A staple of the French Quarter for more than 100 years, Arnaud’s fine dining has been the place for life’s celebrations and milestones for countless generations. Named for the French wine salesman who opened the restaurant in 1918, Arnaud’s was taken over by Archie and Jane Casbarian in 1978.
Today, their daughter, Jane, owns and manages the restaurant, along with her son and daughter-in-law, Archie and Katy Casbarian. Their main goal? Keeping the restaurant to the vision and standards of when Arnaud opened it more than 100 years later.
10. RL Restaurant
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Location: Chicago, Illinois
Find it: RL Restaurant
Why It's One of the Best
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Bearing the name of the American and world-famous clothing designer Ralph Lauren, RL Restaurant is just one of his forays into hospitality.
Managed by Anne Finnegan, the restaurant not only embodies the Ralph Lauren brand and spirit but, under her leadership, also became one of the top 100 restaurants in America for two consecutive years.
Why It's One of the Best
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Far removed from Paris in distance only, the French cuisine and décor in this Larimer Square bistro place diners in the heart of Paris. Co-owned by executive chef Jennifer Jasinski and general manager Beth Gruitch, Bistro Vendome has been a local favorite since it opened in 2003.
Also employing Ariana Diziulis as an additional executive chef, this female-driven bistro sources local and seasonal ingredients in dishes paired with 65 selections of French wine.
8. Etch
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Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Find it: Etch
Why It's One of the Best
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Award-winning chef Deb Paquette brought her globally inspired dishes to downtown Nashville when she opened the eclectic Etch to feature tastes inspired by her travels around the world. The first woman in Tennessee to ever qualify as a certified executive chef, Paquette has won awards as a trailblazing chef and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.
Beside her preparing Etch’s pastries is Megan Williams, keeping the leadership amongst the ladies.
Why It's One of the Best
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While this isn't the only Yardbird location, which has strong support from the James Beard Foundation, its kitchen at the glamourous Venetian Las Vegas is led by Kimberly-Ann Ryan.
Receiving fame for winning season 16 of Gordon Ramsey’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” Ryan continues to impress the world’s best chefs with her dishes at this delicious dining establishment.
6. Foreign Cinema
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Location: San Francisco, California
Find it: Foreign Cinema
Why It's One of the Best
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More than a restaurant, Foreign Cinema provides outdoor dining where movies are screened under the stars, making it a romantic destination in San Francisco for more than 20 years. Meant to be a movie theater with a bistro, chefs John Clark and Gayle Pirie were hired for the job.
However, the duo went on to save the restaurant from bankruptcy and transformed it into the James Beard-nominated restaurant it is today. Foreign Cinema remains one of the nation’s top 100 restaurants under their guidance.
5. Boulevard
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Location: San Francisco, California
Find it: Boulevard
Why It's One of the Best
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Since 1993, Boulevard has stood sentinel over the San Francisco Bay from the Embarcadero waterfront. Its owner and chef, Nancy Oakes, was a pioneer when she launched the restaurant nearly 30 years ago and has won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in California in 2001 and Outstanding Restaurant in the U.S. in 2012.
Diners will find a classic steak and seafood fare menu, including wild king salmon with English peas and fava beans, toasted rye mashed potatoes, double smoked bacon, wild arugula and radish.
4. Rioja
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Location: Denver, Colorado
Find it: Rioja
Why It's One of the Best
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Winning the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef Southwest in 2013 and reaching the semifinals for Outstanding Chef in 2016, Rioja slowly became a star restaurant since its opening in 2004.
The slow-and-steady climb had much to do with founders Beth Gruitch and chef Jennifer Jasinski. The partnership was so successful that the duo continued to open four additional restaurants as Crafted Concepts, and Jasinski received recognition as Chef of the Year, Best New Chef, Rising Star and more from numerous publications.
3. Mustards Grill
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Location: Yountville, California
Find it: Mustards Grill
Why It's One of the Best
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For nearly 40 years, Napa Valley’s “Deluxe Truckstop” Mustards Grill is the acclaimed creation of local owner and executive chef Cindy Pawleyn. She began working in kitchens at age 13, and today, her 1-acre organic garden is used to provide fresh ingredients to the restaurant so that diners between wine tastings can replenish with dishes from the wood-burning grill.
Guests will find those fresh ingredients in dishes like grilled avocado tostada with broccolini, black beans and cabbage-jicama slaw as well as the adult grilled cheese with sharp cheddar, fontina and parmesan cheeses, basil aioli and red wine fig jam.
Why It's One of the Best
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After two restaurants from Chef Stephanie Izard appeared on this list, it should be no surprise that her first restaurant after winning "Top Chef" is the highest on this list. Girl & the Goat, which opened in 2010, won her the James Beard award for Best Chef Great Lakes in 2013.
The success has been so great that a second location opened in Los Angeles in 2021.
Why It's One of the Best
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Founded in 1983 by JoAnna Filomena, Filomena Ristorante has been an Italian restaurant staple in Washington, D.C. Unlike the other restaurants on this list filled with inspired chefs, Filomena is a home-cooking sensation with Old World recipes direct from the Abruzzo, Italy, kitchen of JoAnna’s mother, Filomena.
Nothing beats Nona’s traditional recipes!
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