Michelin made a surprise drop of five new restaurants to its DC guide this morning. The list includes Afro-Caribbean Almeda in Petworth, Greek Balos Estiatorio in Dupont Circle, vegetarian Latin American Mita in Shaw, modern Vietnamese Moon Rabbit in Penn Quarter, and Japanese Omakase @ Barracks Row in Capitol Hill.
While all the restaurants are “recommended,” stars and Bib Gourmands (the more casual designation) won’t be announced until later this year. Michelin now adds restaurants to its city guides throughout the year, as opposed to one big reveal. Read what Michelin’s anonymous inspectors had to say about the newest DC additions here.
The DC area currently has 25 starred restaurants (if you include three-starred Inn at Little Washington, about 70 miles away). Last year, the only starred additions were Shaw Peruvian dining room Causa and glitzy Indian spot Rania in Penn Quarter—both awarded one star.
The announcement comes hot off the heels of the James Beard Awards, where DC took home two top prizes. Albi‘s Michael Rafidi was named Outstanding Chef, while Perry’s Masako Morishita was awarded Emerging Chef.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
