The James Beard Foundation has released the list of nominees who may taste glory at its 2017 Restaurant Design Awards on 25 April.

The organisation – which celebrates America's culinary heritage – will hand out awards in three categories: restaurants with 75 seats and under, those with 76 seats and over, and an honourary Design Icon Award – which will be presented to The Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant in New York, located under the chambers of Grand Central Station designed by architect Rafael Guastavino Moreno.

The nominees are:

75 Seats and Under

SingleThread, Healdsburg, California

Firm: AvroKODesigners: Kristina O’Neal, William Harris, Adam Farmerie, Greg Bradshaw

Kismet, Los Angeles

Firm: GugaDesigner: Jeff Guga

Leo’s Oyster Bar, San Francisco

Firm: Ken Fulk Inc.Designers: Tiffany Kramer and Jon de la Cruz

76 Seats and Over

Momotaro, Chicago

Firm: AvroKODesigners: Kristina O’Neal, Adam Farmerie, Greg Bradshaw, William Harris

Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant, Los Angeles

Firm: Home StudiosDesigners: Evan and Oliver Haslegrave

St. Cecilia, Atlanta

Firm: Meyer DavisDesigners: Will Meyer, Gray Davis, Katie McPherson

Design Icon

The Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant, New York

The judges were seeking “beautiful, functional designs that seamlessly meld the setting and theme of the restaurant environment.” Entries had to be located in North America and open since January 2014.

Commenting on the shortlist, architect James Biber, the jury chair, told CLAD: “This year’s entries mark a new record both for quantity and quality, making the jury’s final selection even more difficult than in previous years.

“The wide range of spectacular design work, at all levels of cost and size, reflect the public demand for better environments no matter what the type of restaurant.

“Especially interesting are not just the latest design trends but the scale of innovation in all things food-related,” he added. “Congratulations to the nominees and to all who submitted; you are all shaping a rapidly evolving restaurant design landscape.”

The winners of the 2016 award were design studios Renzo Piano Building Workshop (for the Untitled restaurant at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York), Demian Repucci Design (for New York’s Bruno) and Land and Sea Dept (for Cherry Circle Room in Chicago).

The icon award was won by The Four Seasons restaurant in New York, which will soon move to a new home created by Brazilian designer Isay Weinfeld.