Nashville’s Only 2024 James Beard Award Finalist Is Kisser

Kisser — husband-wife duo Brian Lea and Leina Horii’s homage to the Japanese kissaten (a traditional neighborhood café) — is Nashville’s only finalist for a coveted James Beard Award, honoring excellence in the restaurant industry. The James Beard Foundation announced the 2024 finalists, aka nominations or nominees, this morning during a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington D.C.

Part of Strategic Hospitality, Kisser garnered early attention on Eater Nashville’s fall 2022 most anticipated openings list and continues to attract diners from across the city with Japanese comfort food dishes like a chicken katsu sandwich on toasted milk bread, inari, and bowls of udon. This year, Kisser remains in the running for best new restaurant. A gala announcing this year’s award winners is scheduled for Chicago on Monday, June 10.

The rest of Nashville’s semifinalists, who were named in January — Trevor Moran of Locust, Arnold Myint from International Market, and D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe — didn’t make the cut for today’s “short list” of nominees, though their “long list” consideration still carries its own measure of prestige.

Here’s a full list of restaurants in the finals.

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 2024.