MICHELIN Guide Inspectors spend all year on the road uncovering the best restaurants to recommend—and what they've found is too good to keep a secret. Whet your appetite with a sneak peek of the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Washington D.C.—five new additions spread across the nation's capital.
Greece may be an ocean away, but who says we can't find equally tasty and authentic Greek cuisine in the States? Featuring ingredients flown in from the beautiful islands and decidedly creamy tzatziki, Balos Estiatorio might just be home to some of the best Greek food in Washington, D.C.
Those who prefer plant-based dishes, however, will find themselves right at home with the contemporary Latin American menu at Mita. From watermelon crudo with fermented carrot to mushroom terrine wrapped in greens, this spot promises a variety of textures and flavors.
Keep reading below for the full scoop on our latest new additions! And in case you wanted to know how to explore the nation's capital, here's how to enjoy it the MICHELIN Guide way.
Almeda
Cuisine: Caribbean
A number of chefs have had their go at this tiny Petworth space, which has room for fewer than 20 seats. Chef Danielle Harris is the latest talent determined to stick the landing. Her inspired, Afro-fusion cooking comes in the form of grilled galbi short ribs coated in an awaze marinade, jollof risotto, and shrimp boil aguachile with masa chips. Fried cornbread and panko-crusted catfish served with spaghetti and a bottle of Chrystals Hot Sauce is pure home comfort. All of it, down to the warm coconut crunch cake, strikes a familiar, immensely satisfying chord that rings of careful preparation. All of it is also properly portioned to share. During the day, the restaurant becomes Little Food Studio Café serving pastries and sandwiches.
Balos Estiatorio
Cuisine: Greek
With two large rooms dotted with olive trees and decorated with wall hangings and fine pottery, you might just convince yourself that you've left DC for this restaurant's namesake— an idyllic location on Crete. This impressive spot from three friends offers a roll call of Greek favorites (think spanakopita and citrus-toned avgolemono). Choose meats from the grill or regional fish grilled with ladolemono and capers flown in from Greece. There's always the classic chicken souvlaki with wonderful, salty pita bread and creamy tzatziki, but it's those Greek fries that win your heart every time. Of course, when dessert comes around, it's no question: baklava with iced Greek yogurt for the win. Greek wines round out the experience.
Mita
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Latin American cuisine, only plant based. That's the premise behind this contemporary space set in the Shaw neighborhood. It's tasting menu only, but short and long formats ensure a fit. Chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra share their creative spirit here, where influences span from Brazil and Bolivia to Colombia and dishes sport originality. A basket of arepas is a fun dish featuring a variety of textures and flavors with tasty sauces like guasacaca, cashew sour cream with chili oil, and butter made of chontaduro. Watermelon crudo with fermented carrot in a cucumber leche de tigre sauce is inventive and bold, while a slice of mushroom terrine wrapped in greens with layers of potato delivers on umami, bite after bite.
Moon Rabbit
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Chef Kevin Tien's highly popular Moon Rabbit hopped across town to a bright and contemporary space on F Street. The crowd's all here for Chef Tien's creative cooking, a mash-up of his Cajun Louisiana and Vietnamese roots. There's a real flair seen in reimagined classics like crab rangoon, with layers of crab, sweet garlic robiola, and pepper jelly. Solid ingredients and the twists on tradition hit all the right notes, as in the fried quail filled with duck sausage served over crispy tomato rice with clementine mustard. Dessert is equally memorable, especially the vegan pandan panna cotta tucked with Okinawa seaweed and surrounded by chocolate cookie crumble. It's a surprising balance of sweet and savory.
Omakase at Barracks Row
Cuisine: Japanese
"Chef Yi "Ricky" Wang, who trained under Chef Nakazawa before running a series of pop-ups, is now settled in at this counter, located up a set of metal stairs in an industrial-chic space. Take special note of the paintings that line that staircase—they're nods to a longstanding tradition of fishermen brushing their catch with ink and pressing it into rice paper—and you may be presented with a similar piece at your meal.
Chef Wang's omakase features a few otsumami, perhaps poached sweet shrimp in a smoked Maine uni sauce, before progressing to nigiri. It's all impressive, from the Boston surf clam finished with kumquat kosho to the hay-smoked Spanish mackerel sourced from the Carolinas that's bold but balanced. Musk melon with strawberries imported from Japan is a satisfying finale."
Hero image: Rey Lopez / Almeda
