The accolades keep coming for Birmingham’s Bayonet, and this one might be the biggest yet. The Gulf Coast seafood spot from chef Rob McDaniel and his wife, Emily, was named to Bon Appétit’s 2026 Best New Restaurants list, which highlights establishments that took real risks with bold, distinctive concepts.

This year’s list features 19 restaurants across 16 cities and celebrates a wide range of culinary voices rather than any single style or price point. Bayonet stood out among them—Bon Appétit specifically noted that the Birmingham restaurant “surprises with Gulf Coast seafood.”

Rob and Emily shared the news on social media, crediting the team behind the restaurant’s success: “What an incredible honor for our little corner of Birmingham. To every person who has been a part of the Bayonet team—past and present—thank you. You helped build this place, shaped what it has become and continue to bring it to life every single day.”

They also thanked the diners who’ve made the restaurant a destination: “To our guests: thank you for showing up, sitting at our tables and staying curious about seafood with us. For trying something unfamiliar, asking questions, trusting us to introduce you to something new and coming back for more.”

It’s the latest in a growing list of accolades for the restaurant, which opened next door to McDaniel’s flagship, Helen, in March 2025. McDaniel, a six-time James Beard Award nominee and 2026 semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, built Bayonet around a wide-ranging, seafood-forward menu that stretches well beyond the Gulf. As he told SoulGrown earlier this year, the goal was never to limit the menu to Gulf seafood alone: “There’s a much bigger fishery out there, and so we’re trying to bring some of those things and highlight those.” That philosophy shows up most in Bayonet’s oyster program, which rotates between 15 and 20 varieties at a time, sourced everywhere from Alabama and Florida to Texas, Massachusetts, Prince Edward Island, and Washington state.

The Bon Appétit nod adds to an already stacked run of national recognition for Bayonet, which has also landed on the New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America list, Southern Living’s Best New Restaurants in the South, Eater’s 15 Best New Restaurants in America, and the inaugural Michelin Guide American South.

Haven’t tried Bayonet yet? Insider tip: they have one of the best happy hours in town. “Two Buck Shuck” runs from 3 to 5 p.m., with plenty of specials on oysters, Alabama Light, and their perfectly-sized tiny ‘tinis.

Bayonet is located at 2015 Second Ave. North in Birmingham and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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