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 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
