The last year and a half presented the restaurant world with its most urgent challenge and brought to a head many long-simmering issues.
A microcosm of American society, the hospitality industry directly employs about 10% of the U.S. workforce, which doesn’t include most of the supply chain, from farm workers to laundry providers.
Since 2011, Wine Enthusiast has made an annual list of our Top 100 Wine Restaurants. The exception was last year, when the task felt impossible, and it seemed insensitive to try.
This year, as people get vaccinated and the world feels like it’s opening back up, we wanted to celebrate restaurants that not only survived, but did so with integrity.
These 50 restaurants were selected because the people behind them have found creative ways to bring great wine and food to customers, and they’ve gone above and beyond to support their staffs and communities.
While we don’t know what the future of restaurants looks like, we’re raising a glass to these people who are making hospitality hospitable, leading with compassion and ingenuity. We hope that readers and diners have a renewed sense of appreciation for the people who make restaurant experiences special.
