Indienne in River North, chef John Manion win top honors at Banchet awards

As snow fell and nearby protests unfurled outside, many of Chicago’s top chefs and restaurateurs gathered Sunday night in the Loop for the annual Banchet Awards.

At the city’s top local food honors — which recognized winners like Indienne (Restaurant of the Year) and John Manion of El Che and Brasero (Chef of the Year) — the politics of the moment were top of mind. A projected slide showing local restaurants with “Hands Off Chicago” signs in their windows drew loud applause.

“Chicago hospitality is about excellence, but it’s also about humanity,” said Michael Muser, the Banchets’ executive director.

Chef Jake Potashnick of Feld — which won Best New Restaurant and Best Hospitality — ended his speech at the podium with a pointed critique of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Backstage, Potashnick added, “I think anybody with a platform now needs to speak out. I think that's really important.”

The ceremony at Venue SIX10 drew hundreds of attendees, dressed to the nines. The night also featured plenty of jokes, with Muser poking fun at everything from food influencers, to the rise of alcohol-removed wine and use of AI in restaurants for tasks like helping to create recipes.

“So AI can have a part of what we do,” Muser said. “But I promise you, Chicago restaurants are made with human hands, human hearts, and that is something that no robot can replace.”

Manion, of El Che and Brasero, was named Chef of the Year. For him, the word of the night was family, especially what he called his Chicago family.

“This is the city that stands up for each other,” Manion said after accepting the award. “There's so many people in this room that I don't know that have dropped everything to help people they don't know. When people come in from out of town, they always ask, ‘What makes Chicago different?’ And it is that we stand up for each other, we look out for each other. Now more than ever, super important, but I'm just proud to be a little part of this.”

River North’s Indienne — which was Chicago's first Indian restaurant to earn a Michelin star — earned the night’s top award, Restaurant of the Year. Culinary Director Sahil Sethi said the award feels like an affirmation of the restaurant’s direction.

“I think it just means that the community loves us and the work that we do every day with the team and that those efforts are shining, and we see the results,” he said. “I think we just keep continuing what we have been doing for the last three and a half years, and then make Chicago proud.”

The evening also awarded River North steakhouse Gene & Georgetti with an Iconic Restaurant award.

Plus, Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea was given a lifetime achievement honor. When presenting the honor, longtime Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel said, “One could argue that this chef belongs to the world and maybe the ages, but to me, he's ours. 
A Midwestern boy, who for 20 years has been Chicago's standard bearer for culinary iteration and excellence.”

Achatz entered the stage to a standing ovation. Showing his appreciation for Chicago, Achatz said, “we wouldn’t have been able to do this in any other city, I don’t think.”

“It’s an extraordinarily rarefied space to wake up every day and eagerly race to work to make core memories for our guests and ourselves,” he said. “I still do that every day and it makes me very happy … most of the days.”

The awards are named in honor of the legendary chef who ran Wheeling’s Le Francais restaurant in the 1970s and ’80s. Muser said Banchet helped put Chicago’s dining scene on the map. “His legacy lives in your kitchens,” Muser said. “And because of the standards that he set, we have this award show here tonight.”

Here’s the complete list of 2026 Banchet Award nominees and winners, with winners denoted with * and in bold:

Restaurant of the Year

Cellar Door Provisions
HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
* Indienne
Proxi

Chef of the Year

Andrew Lim (Perilla, Perilla Steakhouse, Noriko)
Jennifer Kim (Proxi)
*John Manion (El Che, Brasero)
Zubair Mohajir (Lilac Tiger, The Coach House, Mirra, Sarima)

Best New Restaurant

Cafe Yaya
*Feld
Il Carciofo
Void

Rising Chef of the Year

Alex Cochran (Cellar Door Provisions)
Bailey Sullivan (Monteverde)
César Murillo (North Pond)
*Javauneeka Jacobs (Frontera Grill)

Best Neighborhood Restaurant

Bungalow by Middle Brow
Coda di Volpe
*Mahari
Maplewood

Best Heritage Restaurant

M’daKhan
*Nine Garden
Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine
Torizen

Best Counter Service

Kanin
Rendang Republic
*Sanders BBQ Supply Co.
Taquizas Valdez

Pastry Chef of the Year

Courtney Kenyon (Obelix)
*Justin Lerias (Del Sur)
Mary Eder-McClure (Galit and Cafe Yaya)
Dedre McGee (Pookie Crack Cakes)

Bar of the Year or Beverage Program of the Year

Cantina Rosa – Maria Rodriguez
Daisies – Nicole Yarovinsky
Elske – Monica Casillas-Rios
*Gus’ Sip & Dip – Kevin Beary and Scott Kitsmiller

Sommelier of the Year

*Alex Cuper (Brasero)
Emily Sher (Elske)
Jonas Bittencourt (Class Act)
Owen Huzar (John’s Food & Wine)

Best Hospitality

Asador Bastian
*Feld
Minyoli
Perilla Fare

Best Design

Adalina Prime
Matilda
Noriko Handroll Bar
*The Alston

Iconic Restaurant of the Year

Gene & Georgetti

Culinary Excellence Award

Grant Achatz

Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.