Portland Snags Two James Beard Awards for 2026

Portland brought home awards in both national and regional categories 2026 James Beard Awards gala on Monday, June 15. Popular subterranean bar Scotch Lodge clinched a win in the Outstanding Bar category, while Ryan Roadhouse of multi-course Japanese restaurant Nodoguro snagged the medal in the Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific category.

“Without sounding like Tony Robbins, if you can dream it, it can happen,” Roadhouse said during his acceptance speech. “So never stop dreaming. If you stop dreaming, it’s time to die.” Nodoguro emerged as a pop-up in 2014, and that same year, Roadhouse was named a Rising Star Chef by Portland Monthly. The pop-up eventually settled into a restaurant space before relocating to a new address in 2022. Roadhouse, who was also under consideration in the category in 2025, was joined in the regional category by fellow Portland-based chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly of pan-Asian restaurant Gado Gado.

Overall, the mood on Monday evening was celebratory. Many speeches throughout the night championed the achievements and contributions of immigrants and women within the hospitality industry. Portland Monthly was up for a media award on Saturday evening, but the category ultimately went to Roads & Kingdoms.

When Scotch Lodge’s team took the stage on Monday night to accept their award in the national category, one of the group noted emphatically, “We’ll see you at karaoke afterward. The gauntlet’s been thrown down.”

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.