The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors spend all year uncovering the best restaurants to recommend—and what they've found is too good to keep a secret. These exciting new additions across the nation's capital are sure to whet your appetite for something delicious.
Also new this year? New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. will be feted at our MICHELIN Guide Ceremony on November 18 along with brand-new selections in Philadelphia and Boston as part of our Northeast Cities selection.
Elmina
Cuisine: African
Elmina is the kind of place with wide-reaching appeal, where a warm spirit and a stylish, contemporary decor encourage lingering over Chef Eric Adjepong's modern West African/Ghanian cuisine. Choose between a multicourse tasting menu or the à la carte bar menu, a play on Ghana’s popular, counter-service-style “chop bars,” with snacks like tartare, okra fries and pork belly. Those who opt for the tasting will be rewarded with the likes of scallop crudo with cucumber granita and coconut broth, as well as braised goat with fufu, or pounded plantain and cassava, and a tableside pour of creamy, deep orange-red nkati nkwan sauce. Malva pudding cake with sweet, pickled apricot and vanilla gelato is a delightful ending.
Fish Shop
Cuisine: Seafood
If the name isn't a clear sign and the location facing the waterfront doesn't give it away, one look at the sophisticated nautical decor will set you straight. The large space includes a semi-open kitchen but the patio with marina views is the place to be on warm days.
The menu echoes their sister spot in Scotland with a clear focus on fish, though here it's given a Mid-Atlantic update. The Maryland crab crumpet perfectly illustrates that across-the-pond connection and is a perfect opener. The fish is sourced from the Chesapeake region and from a D.C. farming operation, and the menu presents plenty of interesting items, like sugar toads, or northern puffer fish, served whole and crispy fried. Order the Virginia peanut tiramisu for a twist on a classic.
Karravaan
Cuisine: Asian
Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya takes diners on a journey along the Silk Road at Karravaan. The wide-ranging menu promises bold flavors and generous portions intended for sharing. To begin, swipe the smoky eggplant dip, layered with labneh and pureed Italian eggplant with caramelized onions and pomegranate seeds, onto a piece of piping hot, house-made flatbread for a delicious introduction to the meal. Then, perfectly cooked, medium rare duck breast glazed with harissa honey is set over a bed of forbidden rice for a particularly skillful dish. Fluffy jasmine rice tucked with seasonal vegetables is served within a colorful tagine for an impressive dish that pleases the eye and the palate.
La'Shukran
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
La' Shukran feels like a discovery, as you'll need to walk down an alley, look for a green door and climb the stairs to arrive at this cool spot with a funky, retro vibe. It's definitely a hot spot for drinks, but the Levantine cuisine designed for sharing is far from second place.
From escargot and sweetbreads to labneh with Maryland crab, summer peppers and corn in green harissa, some dishes lean less traditional, while others, like haswei, or fried rice with seven-spice lamb, seem simple but are spot on. Every table needs an order of their soujek dumplings. Filled with beef and lamb shoulder and resting in a vibrant smoked corn and tomato brodo with urfa chili crunch and toum, it's easy to see why reservations are snapped up so quickly here.
PhoXotic
Cuisine: Vietnamese
It's strictly first come, first serve at this compact spot in Bloomingdale just north of the Union Market district. Some order takeout at the touch screen, while others pull up a seat at the counter and order via QR code. It's all very straightforward, as is the menu with a narrow focus on spring and summer rolls, as well as impressive pho. Chef Hai Le has a background in butchering, perhaps best seen in signatures like the Butcher’s Choice with brisket, bone-in rib and beef shank, or The Works, with an array of different cuts topped with torched bone marrow. The broth is rich and savory, and while set bowls are always a good choice, the build-your-own option is equally appealing. Order a Vietnamese iced coffee or salted lime soda to go with these skillfully made offerings.
Providencia
Cuisine: Contemporary
You could easily dismiss this small space as just a (really good) bar with its moody ambience and smashing cocktail list. That is, until you taste the food from co-chefs Erik Bruner-Yang and Paola Velez. Their cooking presents an enticing mash-up of Asian, Caribbean and Latin American cuisines and traditions. Equal parts nostalgic and creative, dishes like papusa with salsa verde or pan de playa, with shredded crab in a Caesar dressing and tomato gochujang mayo tucked inside toasted brioche, show off unlikely yet successful flavor combinations. Even dessert is wild and unexpected, with a Japanese twist on baked Alaska featuring kakigori-style shaved ice with guava and strawberry puree and coconut lime sauce enrobed in a torched meringue.
Raw Omakase
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
There may be plenty of restaurants to choose from on busy 14th Street in Logan Circle, but it's worth going to the third level (above Takara 14) to find this new counter helmed by Chef John Yi. It's small, with room for under ten guests, and there are only two seatings nightly for this impressive omakase experience. A pan-fried tomato set over onion mayo and topped with salmon roe shares a spectacular flavor combination before a smart progression of nigiri with seasonal nods. Kinmedai is given a quick sear; Hokkaido scallop is set with yuzu and flaky salt; and salmon belly is torched for a delightful texture. Honeydew sorbet with yuzu rounds out the meal.
The list of aged sake is certainly worth a perusal.
Your Only Friend
Cuisine: Gastropub
Your Only Friend blends the laid-back feel of a neighborhood sandwich shop with the polish of a cocktail bar. The menu is cheeky—think sandwiches like the "Hot Nug" with chicken nuggets and Nashville hot sauce, the “Caul Me Maybe,” a roasted cauliflower number, or the "Mortz & Mootz" piled with mortadella, mozzarella and pickled red pepper jelly. Not everything is between the bread, and rotating specials might include blue cheese-brined wings with a crispy coating and their self-described strip mall-style garlic parm. Sides like Seattle fries and pimento dip, as well as bar snacks like miso Chex mix are a worthy order. The cocktail list is short but sharp, with drinks like the orange creamsicle-tasting Irish Cream Soda.
Hero image: Nico Schinco / Elmina
