Following the San Antonio Spurs’ heartbreaking loss to the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the city took another hit at the 2026 James Beard Awards on Monday night at the Lyric Opera Theatre in Chicago.
Run by the James Beard Foundation, the annual awards ceremony recognizes the restaurants and hospitality pros elevating America’s culinary landscape. It’s akin to the Michelin Guide ceremony in terms of recognition.
Mixtli, San Antonio’s first-ever Michelin-starred restaurant, and Nicosi, chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph’s standout dessert-only spot at the Pullman Market, were up for James Beard Awards in the Outstanding Restaurant and Outstanding Pastry Chef categories, respectively. Both walked away empty-handed.
However, San Antonio chef and author Dora Ramírez took home San Antonio’s first-ever James Beard Award in the media category for vegetable-based cooking with her debut cookbook Comida Casera: More than 100 Vegan Recipes, from Traditional to Modern Mexican Dishes.
Even though Mixtli and Nicosi fell short this year, it’s still considered a remarkable achievement to be named a finalist, and the two restaurants have accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments since opening.
Nicosi earned a Michelin Star in October 2025, shortly after the dessert destination’s one-year anniversary. Bristol-Joseph is a founding partner of Emmer & Rye Hospitality, the group behind Pullman Market at Pearl. Isidore, the upscale Texas steakhouse concept connected to Nicosi, also took home a Michelin Star at the October 2025 ceremony. Bristol-Joseph has also received accolades for his outstanding work as a pastry chef, including recognition as Esquire’s Best Pastry Chef of the Year in 2024.
The 2026 awards weren’t Mixtli’s first rodeo as a James Beard finalist — the restaurant has been previously nominated twice in the Outstanding Restaurant category in 2022 and 2024, in addition to garnering a semifinalist nod for Outstanding Hospitality in 2025. Executive chefs Rico Torres and Diego Galicia were also recognized in Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs class in 2017.
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