Just one of six Michigan establishments recognized as 2026 James Beard semifinalists has advanced to the nominee round.
Bar Chenin is one of five nominees for the Best New Bar category, the JBF Foundation announced Tuesday. The intimate wine bar opened just over a year ago in the Siren Hotel. Besides vino, Chenin serves cocktails, small bites, and house-made ice cream.
The foundation will announce its winners on June 15 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony. The ceremony will take place at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The James Beard Awards are sometimes nicknamed the “Oscars” of food. They aim to highlight excellence in food, beverage, and hospitality.
Michigan’s most recent Restaurant and Chef Awards winner was Hajime Sato, chef-owner of Sozai in Clawson, in 2024. He clinched the title for Best Chef: Great Lakes. However, his restaurant would close only a year or so later when he relocated to the Pacific Northwest.
In its relatively short time being open, Bar Chenin has already received plenty of praise, both at a local and national level. Just earlier this month, Travel + Leisure name-checked it in an article that declared Detroit the “Most Underrated City Everyone Should Visit.” It also made the Detroit Free Press’s Top 10 list.
In an interview last year with Hour Detroit‘s Will Reaume, owner Nick Arone explained his philosophy behind the bar’s intentional approach to wine selection and food:
“Natural winemakers are people who are really against the grain,” he said. “These are people that really want to give you the cleanest, most back-to-earth product. And that’s just something I identify with as far as food and wine, but specifically wine.”
The bar opened in March 2025 in the Siren Hotel suite that once housed Albena, 509 Broadway St Suite A-1, Detroit.
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