Birdie's is the only Austin restaurant to make it to the finalist round for the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Arjav Ezekiel, the restaurant's co-owner and beverage director, is up for the Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service — a new award introduced this year. The James Beard Foundation announced the list of finalists Tuesday. Winners will be named June 16 during an awards ceremony in Chicago.
Five other Austin restaurants were given a nod in the semifinalist list announced in January. Those include:
Outstanding Chef: Tavel Bristol-Joseph of Canje
Best New Restaurant: Lao’d Bar
Outstanding Bar: Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar
Best Chef: Texas:
- Takéhiro Asazu and Masazumi Saio of Uroko
- Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue
