What Are OpenTable Icons?
OpenTable Icons is a restaurant designation created by OpenTable to highlight notable and in-demand dining destinations. The program brings together restaurants that may be known for critical acclaim, prestigious culinary recognition, celebrated chefs, strong diner interest, or a reputation as one of the most desirable reservations in their city.
Unlike a traditional restaurant award based on a single inspection or judging panel, the OpenTable Icons designation reflects a combination of signals. These may include Michelin Stars, James Beard Foundation awards or nominations, positive reviews from diners and critics, chef reputation, cultural relevance, and reservation demand.
For diners, the designation serves as a discovery tool. It can help identify restaurants that are generating meaningful interest, have earned industry recognition, or have become established dining landmarks within their local markets.
What Makes a Restaurant an OpenTable Icon?
There is no single type of OpenTable Icon. The collection can include luxury tasting-menu restaurants, destination steakhouses, influential neighborhood restaurants, chef-driven contemporary concepts, historic institutions, and popular new openings.
According to OpenTable, restaurants considered for the designation may demonstrate several of the following characteristics:
- Strong interest and demand from diners
- Recognition from respected culinary organizations
- Positive reviews from professional critics and restaurant guests
- Leadership from a notable or celebrated chef
- A reputation as a defining restaurant within its city
- Distinctive food, hospitality, atmosphere, or cultural influence
- Reservations that may be especially competitive during popular dining times
These qualities make the Icons collection broader than a conventional awards list. Some Icon restaurants have Michelin Stars or James Beard recognition, while others stand out because of their popularity, history, innovation, or influence on the local dining scene.
OpenTable Icons vs. Michelin Star Restaurants
| Feature |
OpenTable Icons |
Michelin Stars |
| Primary Purpose |
Highlights acclaimed and highly sought-after restaurants |
Recognizes exceptional cooking |
| Selection Signals |
Diner interest, reviews, awards, chefs, reputation, and demand |
Anonymous inspections using Michelin's culinary criteria |
| Restaurant Types |
Fine dining, neighborhood favorites, historic restaurants, and popular newcomers |
Restaurants meeting Michelin's standards for one, two, or three Stars |
| Main Benefit for Diners |
Helps identify notable and desirable reservations |
Helps identify restaurants serving exceptional cuisine |
| Can Restaurants Hold Both? |
Yes |
Yes |
OpenTable Icons vs. James Beard Recognition
The James Beard Awards recognize chefs, restaurants, restaurateurs, beverage professionals, and hospitality leaders for excellence and contributions to American food culture. OpenTable Icons, by comparison, is a restaurant discovery designation centered on notable and sought-after dining destinations.
A restaurant can appear in both collections. For example, an OpenTable Icon may be led by a James Beard Award-winning chef, may have received a James Beard nomination, or may be nationally recognized for its hospitality and regional influence.
The two distinctions therefore serve different purposes. James Beard recognition celebrates industry achievement, while OpenTable Icons helps diners identify restaurants that combine reputation, acclaim, demand, and a compelling dining experience.
Why Diners Search for OpenTable Icon Restaurants
Choosing a restaurant in a major dining city can be overwhelming. OpenTable Icon restaurants offer a useful shortlist for diners who want something more distinctive than a standard highly rated restaurant.
These restaurants may be especially suitable for:
- Anniversaries and milestone celebrations
- Business dinners and client entertainment
- Destination dining while traveling
- Romantic dinners and date nights
- Chef's tasting menus and omakase experiences
- Popular steakhouses and landmark restaurants
- New restaurants receiving significant attention
- Hard-to-book tables and special occasions
However, an Icon designation does not mean every restaurant offers the same type of experience. Diners should still review the menu, pricing, dress code, reservation policy, dietary accommodations, and atmosphere before booking.
Explore OpenTable Icon Restaurants by City
OpenTable Icons are organized around individual dining markets, allowing users to discover notable restaurants in major cities and culinary destinations. The selection has expanded beyond its original launch markets and now includes restaurants in cities such as New York City, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Seattle, Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
RestaurantListings makes these restaurants easier to explore alongside detailed listing information. Browse by city to compare cuisine, neighborhood, pricing, hours, amenities, and dining style before choosing the restaurant that best suits your plans.
Types of Restaurants Found in the Icons Collection
The OpenTable Icons collection reflects the diversity of modern dining. It is not limited to one cuisine, price point, or service style.
Depending on the city, diners may find:
- Michelin-recognized fine dining restaurants
- James Beard Award-associated restaurants
- Contemporary American restaurants
- Japanese omakase and sushi counters
- Steakhouses and chophouses
- Italian and Mediterranean restaurants
- Mexican and Latin American dining destinations
- Seafood and waterfront restaurants
- Chef-driven neighborhood restaurants
- Historic restaurants with long-standing reputations
- New openings attracting significant diner interest
This variety is one of the program's strengths. Diners can use the designation to discover both formal, occasion-driven restaurants and more relaxed establishments that have become important parts of their local food communities.
How to Choose the Right OpenTable Icon
The best-known restaurant is not always the right restaurant for every occasion. Before making a reservation, consider the experience you want rather than choosing solely because a restaurant carries a designation.
Review the Current Menu
Menus can change seasonally, especially at chef-driven restaurants. Check whether the restaurant offers à la carte dining, a prix fixe menu, an omakase experience, or a required tasting menu.
Understand the Expected Cost
Look beyond the listed price category. Wine pairings, supplements, service charges, valet parking, and cancellation fees can significantly affect the final cost of the experience.
Check the Reservation Policy
Some highly sought-after restaurants require prepaid reservations or a credit card guarantee. Review cancellation deadlines, late-arrival rules, and whether deposits are refundable.
Consider the Atmosphere
An energetic hotspot may be ideal for a group celebration but less appropriate for a quiet business dinner. Review the restaurant's setting, noise level, seating style, and dress expectations.
Plan Around Location and Transportation
Check parking, valet service, public transportation, and nearby attractions. In busy neighborhoods, allowing additional travel time can prevent a late arrival and possible cancellation.
Are OpenTable Icon Restaurants Difficult to Book?
Many OpenTable Icon restaurants are known for strong diner demand, which means prime reservations may be limited. Friday and Saturday evenings, holiday periods, and special-event weekends can book quickly.
For a better chance of securing a table:
- Book as soon as the restaurant releases reservations
- Consider weekday or early-evening availability
- Use a restaurant's waitlist or notification feature
- Check for newly released tables closer to the dining date
- Consider lunch, brunch, or bar seating where available
- Review the cancellation policy before confirming
Availability can change frequently, so diners should confirm current reservation options directly with the restaurant or its authorized booking platform.
How RestaurantListings Uses the OpenTable Icons Designation
RestaurantListings identifies restaurants that have been presented by OpenTable as Icons and organizes them into a dedicated discovery collection. Our purpose is to help diners compare recognized restaurants with practical listing information, city guides, cuisines, and other restaurant distinctions.
OpenTable Icons is a designation created and maintained by OpenTable. RestaurantListings does not determine which restaurants receive the designation, and inclusion on this page should not be interpreted as an independent OpenTable award issued by RestaurantListings.
Because restaurant recognitions and selections can change, diners should consult OpenTable and the restaurant's official channels for the most current designation, reservation availability, menu, pricing, and operating information.
Discover Notable Dining Experiences Across America
OpenTable Icon restaurants represent a wide range of influential and in-demand dining experiences. Some are recognized internationally for culinary technique, while others have become beloved institutions, popular new arrivals, or defining restaurants within their neighborhoods.
By bringing these restaurants together with other forms of recognition—including Michelin Stars, Bib Gourmand selections, Michelin Selected restaurants, and James Beard honors—RestaurantListings helps diners see a broader picture of culinary excellence in the United States.
Explore the restaurants listed on this page, compare their locations and dining styles, and choose an experience that fits your occasion, preferences, and budget.
