The global dining scene is continually improving, reaching new levels of excellence year after year as chefs explore new culinary trends, revisit traditions with a fresh eye and invest more care into what goes on the plate. Restaurants are also dedicating much of their attention to their cellars—as evidenced by the recently announced 2025 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners, a collection of more than 3,800 dining spots around the world recognized for their commitment to wine.
This year, 148 Restaurant Award–winning destinations were promoted to Best of Award of Excellence status to honor the extra steps they take to offer extensive wine lists with depth and breadth, plus stellar presentation. Among those rising star restaurants are the 11 establishments below, which include an Argentine steak house in Chicago, a casual Napa Valley destination with serious wines, a celebrity haunt in Los Angeles and a French tasting menu destination in New York City. All found in the U.S., these spots have put in the work to achieve their accolades—and the proof is in their cellars.
For more great wine-and-dining spots in the U.S. and farther afield, explore our more than 1,700 Best of Award of Excellence winners as well as the 97 Grand Award recipients that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see in one of our Restaurant Guides? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Bludorn
807 Taft St., Houston
Telephone (713) 999-0146
Website bludornrestaurant.com
Best of Award of Excellence
The namesake restaurant from chef Aaron Bludorn, Best of Award of Excellence winner Bludorn takes Gulf dining to a new level, with excellent wines from France and the U.S. to boot. Having risen in the New York City dining scene under the wing of chef Daniel Boulud, Bludorn brings pedigree to the kitchen, with his seasonal, French-leaning menu highlighting ingredients from around the Houston area. Recent dishes include sorghum-dusted, dry-aged duck with rice pilaf, phyllo-wrapped Ōra King salmon over sun-dried tomatoes and smoked prime rib with a jalapeño Yorkshire pudding. (Bludorn also operates the Houston-based Award of Excellence winners Bar Bludorn and Navy Blue.) Overseen by wine director Evan White, the 560-selection beverage program is dominated by domestic and French bottlings, particularly those from Burgundy, with picks from Domaine des Lambrays, Joseph Drouhin and William Fèvre.
Charlie’s
1327 Railroad Ave., Saint Helena, Calif.
Telephone (707) 804-3099
Website charliesnv.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Like Saint Helena itself, Charlie’s is quaint but sophisticated, with a top-notch focus on food and wine. Owner and chef Elliot Bell—who was born in New Zealand and raised in Iowa, and who has worked at elite institutions such as Grand Award winner The French Laundry—brings a unique culinary perspective to an inventive, approachable menu showing serious gastronomic flair. To start, consider options such as oysters with a charred pineapple and Padrón pepper mignonette, pretzel-wrapped kielbasa with a sweet-hot mustard or steelhead trout crudo with Castelvetrano olives. Recent larger plates include hearth-roasted “beer can” chicken, grilled San Francisco Bay sole and Charlie’s fried chicken (a house specialty available in three- and six-piece servings). Wine director Greg Neal’s 485-selection list spans far beyond the typical Cabernet Sauvignons from the restaurant’s home of Napa Valley. While there are local standouts such as Dominus, Lokoya and Staglin, there’s equal, if not greater, representation of lighter-bodied Old World wines. Burgundy’s Antoine Jobard, the Mosel’s Joh. Jos. Prum and Provence’s Clos Cibonne are among the many global producers on the list. Charlie’s also regularly hosts wine-focused events, recently collaborating with Occidental for an Icons + Innovators multicourse dinner.
El Che Steakhouse & Bar
845 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
Telephone (312) 265-1130
Website elchechicago.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In a city well-acquainted with big beef, Best of Award of Excellence winner El Che Steakhouse & Bar fits right in. An Argentine steak house from chef John Manion, formerly of the beloved Brazilian restaurant La Sirena Clandestina, El Che is known for its flame-grilled beef and seafood offerings. A recent menu included plates such as Italian beef empanadas, whole branzino with a jalapeño-mango hot sauce and fugazzeta (an Argentine-style stuffed pizza, in this case filled with onions, Provolone and tomatoes). The entirely South American wine list is the work of longtime wine director Alex Cuper, who during the pandemic eliminated all selections that weren’t from South America. In the years since, he has steadily expanded El Che’s cellar to 455 selections, prioritizing wines from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. The 40-plus–page wine list categorizes selections by style and country, with bottlings from Catena Zapata and Zuccardi among the robust Uco Valley offerings. There are also featured producers throughout the list, most recently Don Melchor and Lapostolle.
Essential by Christophe
103 W. 77th St., New York City
Telephone (646) 478-7928
Website essentialbychristophe.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Chef Christophe Bellanca has a distinguished culinary résumé, with stints as culinary director for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in New York and Miami as well as chef at the now-shuttered restaurants L’Orangerie in Los Angeles and Le Cirque in Manhattan. Since 2022, he’s been at the helm of Best of Award of Excellence winner Essential by Christophe, an Upper West Side establishment known for refined explorations of French and Asian flavors. The restaurant offers three- and four-course tasting menus ($175 and $205 per person, respectively, with optional wine pairings for an additional cost), with recent dishes including sea urchin with broccolini, smoked scallops with osetra caviar and, among the desserts, an orange marmalade soufflé with cardamom ice cream. A particular pull for enophiles is the Essential Menu ($425 with traditional wine pairings; $500 with reserve wine pairings), which offers combinations such as poached wild turbot with Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Côte and Wagyu beef cap with Château de Sales Pomerol. Wine director Karen Choi manages the 460-selection list, which shows particular strength in France, with offerings from Alsace’s Trimbach, Burgundy’s Domaine Faiveley and Champagne’s Billecart-Salmon.
Jing
10975 Oval Park Drive, Las Vegas
Telephone (702) 333-1512
Website jingrestaurant.com
Best of Award of Excellence
On the western border of Sin City, Best of Award of Excellence winner Jing is a mecca for Asian flavors just outside the hustle and bustle of the Vegas Strip. Owned by restaurateur Charlie Huang, Jing has two sibling locations in Colorado, with another scheduled to open in Arizona in late 2025. In Las Vegas, chef Thomas Griese delivers a menu of Japanese- and Chinese-influenced dishes, including Maine lobster dim sum, roasted Peking duck and a variety of sushi rolls. Filet mignon, Delmonico rib eyes and long bone tomahawks are among the available cuts of steak, all of which are butchered in-house. The 405-label wine list is dominated by Californian and French producers, with Napa’s Frank Family and The Prisoner Wine Company among the by-the-glass offerings.
Juniper and Ivy
2228 Kettner Blvd., San Diego
Telephone (619) 269-9036
Website juniperandivy.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winner since 2015, Juniper and Ivy earned its first Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 for its 490-selection wine list and inventive Californian cuisine. Culinary director Jon Sloan highlights produce, meat and seafood sourced from Southern California across a rotating menu, with recent dishes including miso black cod with roasted shiitake mushrooms, a rockfish tostada with avocado crema and uni crab puffs with Old Bay aioli. Wine director Daniel Cools oversees Juniper and Ivy’s beverage program, which represents wineries around the globe while homing in on Californian labels. Notable Golden State picks include Napa’s Mayacamas and Sonoma’s Littorai and RAEN. Among the Old World classics are Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Bordeaux and Oddero Barolo, with esoteric selections including Sicilian orange wines from COS and Chilean Cinsault from De Martino.
Mara
245 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Telephone (612) 895-5709
Website mararestaurantandbar.com
Best of Award of Excellence
It’s hard to discuss the Minneapolis dining scene without uttering the name Gavin Kaysen—the hometown hero of a chef who left his career in New York City (as executive chef for Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group) to make his mark on the Midwest dining scene. After launching his Spoon and Stable restaurant and the tasting menu venue Demi, Kaysen expanded his culinary empire further into downtown Minneapolis with Best of Award of Excellence winner Mara. The Mediterranean restaurant is inside the Four Seasons Hotel, with the Mississippi River just a 10-minute walk away. The dinner menu is divided into appetizers, pastas and mains, with recent dishes including buffalo milk burrata with focaccia, branzino a la plancha (a Spanish method of cooking, combining high-temperature searing and light smoking) with potato puree and flat iron American Wagyu beef steak with king oyster mushrooms. Spearheaded by sommelier Mary Kennedy, the 385-selection wine list primarily sources from California and France but has strong picks from Italy and Spain as well, including Piedmont’s Vietti, Priorat’s Álvaro Palacios and Mount Etna’s Benanti. The list also indicates selections that were made using organic, biodynamic and natural winemaking practices.
Marsh House
401 11th Ave. S., Nashville, Tenn.
Telephone (615) 262-6001
Website marshhouserestaurant.com
Best of Award of Excellence
The Music City may not be bordered by any oceans, but that doesn’t keep it from supplying locals and tourists alike with fresh, sustainable seafood—case in point, Best of Award of Excellence winner Marsh House. Since opening in 2016, the restaurant has been serving fine Gulf Coast ingredients, with an emphasis on meticulously prepared seafood dishes. Chef Brack May’s dinner menu leads with seafood towers and raw bar options, followed by plates such as Portuguese shrimp fritters with green garlic aioli, line-caught ahi with a chicory-watercress salad and the restaurant’s namesake lobster roll with fries. Wine director Todd Johnston’s 415-selection list focuses on reds, whites and sparklers, with highlights including Sandhi from California’s Sta. Rita Hills region and Lucien Crochet from France’s Sancerre. Among the heavy-hitting Burgundies are Domaine Parent and Domaine de Villaine, while Napa Valley Cabernet is well-represented by producers such as Dalla Valle and Heitz.
Osteria
640 N. Broad, Philadelphia
Telephone (215) 763-0920
Website osteriaphilly.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Since opening in 2007, Best of Award of Excellence winner Osteria has been bringing the traditional tastes of northern Italy to the City of Brotherly Love. Chef Matthew Arcomone’s seasonal dinner menu celebrates pizza and handmade pasta, with recent entrées including rigatoni with chicken liver and cipollini onions, francobolli (postage stamp–shaped) ravioli with Robiola and trumpet mushrooms and tajarin (a Piedmontese take on tagliatelle) with rabbit Bolognese and Parmesan. Wine director Bram Johnson says the goal of his 495-selection, Italy-focused program is to make wine “an approachable thing to be shared, part of an experience rather than a simple beverage or status symbol.” It’s a diverse list, with an array of Franciacorta, Lambrusco and Prosecco options for those seeking sparklers, while well-known Italian producers such as Biondi-Santi, Pio Cesare and Tornatore are also on offer. Among the off-the-beaten-path options are several Foradori Teroldego bottlings and Nebbiolo not from Piedmont but rather Lombardy’s Mamete Prevostini.
Restaurant Nisei
2316 Polk St., San Francisco
Telephone (415) 827-6898
Website restaurantnisei.com
Best of Award of Excellence
There’s a colorful precision to chef David Yoshimura’s dishes at Nisei, his highly acclaimed Japanese restaurant in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. His seasonal tasting menus blend East Asian techniques with fresh local ingredients, and the results are a sight to behold. Creations include the likes of a rice cracker topped with raw tuna and vinegar-marinated cucumber; a take on chowder comprising ichiban dashi, mirepoix, potatoes and clams; and oshizushi (pressed) sushi with Santa Barbara uni, apple, pickled radish and shiso leaf. Wine director and Master Sommelier Andrey Ivanov’s 450-selection wine list celebrates California and France, with Joseph Drouhin, Maison Roche de Bellene and Vincent Girardin among the strong Burgundy offerings. The program also boasts an extensive sake collection as well as an impressive selection of white wines from Austria and Germany, including Alzinger, Bründlmayer and Schlossgut Diel.
The Musso & Frank Grill
6667 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles
Telephone (323) 467-7788
Website mussoandfrank.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Even legends can reach for the stars—and that’s certainly the case for Los Angeles icon and new Best of Award of Excellence winner The Musso & Frank Grill, which expanded its cellar to 3,800-plus bottles this past year. On Hollywood Boulevard, the restaurant has served actors, musicians, tourists and Angelenos since 1919. The dinner menu hasn’t changed much since the 1950s, with a smattering of steak and fish offerings joining a lineup of classic Italian entrées, including spaghetti and meatballs, rigatoni in a spicy vodka sauce and fettuccine alfredo. Where Musso’s has changed things up is on the wine list. Wine director Andrea Scuto’s program has ample selections from France and California, with big names such as Duckhorn, Kosta Browne and Paul Hobbs, as well as smaller wineries such as Arnot-Roberts, LIOCO and Sea Smoke.
Edited by Megan Tkacy
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