Philly Restaurant Wins James Beard Foundation's 2026 America's Classics Award

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia restaurant has been named a winner of the James Beard Foundation's 2026 America's Classics Award.

A Restaurant and Chef Awards category, the honor is given to locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities.

Philadelphia's Oyster House was named the mid-Atlantic's American Classics Award winner.

Here's what the foundation said about the 1516 Sansom St. restaurant:

Few restaurants straddle multiple eras of Philadelphia’s restaurant history like Oyster House. In a city that was defined for much of the 20th century by legendary seafood restaurants, Oyster House is the last of its generation. Specialties such as sherried snapper soup and the distinctive combination of fried oysters and chicken salad offer a direct link to 18th and 19th century Philadelphia food traditions. Three generations of the Mink family have been caretakers of this institution since 1947, when Samuel Mink bought Kelly’s on Mole Street, a locale whose roots date to 1901. David Mink, Samuel’s son, opened Oyster House at its current location on Sansom Street in 1976, where Samuel's grandson, Sam Mink, maintains the restaurant’s relevance.

The bright dining room, featuring whitewashed walls hung with antique oyster plates, thrums with the energy of a diverse cross-section of the city: families diving into clambake feasts, Market Street power lunchers devouring luxurious lobster rolls, and thirsty happy hour millennials sipping some of the city’s best martinis. The region’s top raw bar, overseen by master shuckers like Gary McCready and Ameen Lawrence, is the restaurant’s beating heart and spotlights New Jersey’s revitalized oyster industry. A willingness to showcase creative modern seafood cookery with sustainable dock-to-table ingredients has also kept this Philly standby up-to-date, and shines through in executive chef Joe Campoli’s vibrant crudos, deftly grilled fish, and contemporary classics like halibut glazed in black garlic over dashi, which sit alongside signatures like peerless crab cakes, bountiful fisherman’s stew, and rich butterscotch pudding. Oyster House is not just a venerable ambassador of Philadelphia food history—it remains one of the city’s most rewarding places to eat.

The restaurant is owned by Sam Mink and boasts 4.6 stars on Google Reviews based on 2,618 reviews.

Oyster House and the other winners join more than 100 restaurants across the country that have received the Award since the category’s inception in 1998. They will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

"Congratulations to the 2026 winners," Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, said. "There’s a reason why the America’s Classics are often referred to affectionately as the heart of the Restaurant and Chef Awards. These are adored neighborhood establishments, pillars of their communities, that have stood the test of time through incredible food and a deep commitment to the people they serve. It’s a privilege to honor their legacy and the vital role they continue to play in the culture of this country."

Below are other winners of the 2026 James Beard Award America’s Classics Award:

• The Serving Spoon, Inglewood, California, owners Justin Johnson and Jessica Bane
• Johnny's Cafe, Omaha, Nebraska, owners Sally Kawa, Kari Kawa Harding, and Jack Kawa
• Eng’s, Kingston, New York, owners Tom Sit and Faye Sit
• Figaretti’s Italian Restaurant, Wheeling, West Virginia, owner Dino Figaretti
• Bob Taylor’s Ranch House, Las Vegas, owner Jeff Special