Filipino fine dining powerhouse Archipelago and newcomer Atoma were named as finalists for the James Beard Awards on Wednesday, April 2, putting them up for prizes often referred to as the Oscars of the food world. Though more than a dozen other local restaurants, chefs, and owners were JBA semifinalists this year, only those two and Jay Blackinton of Houlme on Orcas Island became finalists.

Atoma is nominated in the Best New Restaurant category, while Archipelago is up for Outstanding Hospitality, both nation-wide awards. Blackinton is up for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific, a regional award.

Archipelago is a familiar name to anyone who follows Seattle restaurants. The high-end Filipino restaurant is known not just for its food but its unique-to-Seattle format, which has staff members presenting dishes while also informing them about local and Filipino history and culture. Chef and co-owner Aaron Versoza has been up for James Beard Awards several times in the past but this is the first time his restaurant has been highlighted in the Hospitality category.

Atoma is also a familiar name — it was Eater Seattle’s Restaurant of the Year for 2024, one of several local and national awards it accrued. Owners Sarah and Johnny Courtney (the latter a Canlis alum) have transformed a former house in Wallingford into one of the city’s hottest dining rooms, a place that combines a relaxed but exceptionally welcoming vibe with brazen displays of culinary technique. Last year, we wrote, “There are dozens of ‘new American’ or ‘Pacific Northwest’ restaurants in Seattle that put local and seasonal ingredients at the forefront of what they do, but it feels like Atoma just raised the bar.”

Jay Blackinton, a seven-time JBA semifinalist, is an important figure in the Orcas Island restaurant world, and one reason the San Juan Islands have become a dining hotspot. His old restaurant, Hogstone, was renowned for its innovative tasting menus, which would do things like pair a piece of pork with the food the pig ate when it was alive. HIs new restaurant, Houlme, pairs small plates with sourdough pizzas.

View the full list of nominees for the 2025 James Beard Awards here.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation.