Bar Chenin in Downtown Detroit Named Finalist for James Beard Best New Bar Award

Bar Chenin, a wine bar tucked inside the Siren Hotel in downtown Detroit, secured a finalist spot for the 2026 James Beard Award in the Best New Bar category. It's the only Michigan business to reach the final nomination this year.

The finalists were announced on March 31. Bar Chenin will compete against Bar, Please! from Boise, Idaho, Clemente Bar out of New York City, Later Bye in Oklahoma City, and Loma in Providence, Rhode Island.

The wine bar serves square pizza, ice cream and burgers. Bar Chenin earned the No. 6 spot on the Detroit Free Press/Chevy Detroit Top 10 New Restaurants and Dining Experiences list in February.

"It's truly a crazy feeling to be recognized in this way," said owner Nick Arone said per  Detroit Free Press. "We're such a small space with no partners or backing, and I think even making it this far is a win for small independent restaurants without big PR budgets and massive buildouts."

Michigan had six businesses or groups of chefs named as semifinalists in January. All other contenders were knocked out from the final round.

The Best New Bar category recognizes establishments opened between October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. Winners must show excellence in drink preparation, sourcing, service, hospitality, atmosphere and operations.

"As we mark 40 years of the James Beard Foundation, we're reminded of just how vital it is to celebrate and champion the people driving American food culture forward," said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, per The Detroit News.

Hajime Sato won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2024 for his Clawson restaurant Sozai. He closed the restaurant in 2025. Warda Bouguettaya won Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2022 for Warda Pâtisserie in Midtown Detroit.

Winners will be announced at the James Beard Awards ceremony on June 15 in Chicago at the Lyric Opera.