Announcing Michelin’s 2019 Bib Gourmands for D.C.

It’s Michelin time again in Washington, and while the wait is on to see if any D.C. restaurant will finally earn the top honor of three stars this time around, the Bib Gourmands are out on Thursday. This is Michelin’s list of more affordable restaurants “that offer excellent food at a reasonable price.” The 39 newly named Bib Gourmand restaurants — which includes Maydan, Thip Khao, and Bad Saint — are not eligible for Michelin stars, which will be announced next week.

“In the inaugural edition of the Guide, our team found 19 restaurants that really impressed,” said Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin Guide, in a statement. “After two years, these restaurants were consistently impressive, and we uncovered nearly twice as many to join their ranks.”

Here’s a rundown of the 2019 list:

19 new restaurants made the cut

New additions to the list include vegan restaurant Fancy Radish; Captiol Hill’s Spanish-themed tapas bar Joselito Casa de Comidas; and Wharf newcomer Kaliwa. There’s also a few not-so-new restaurants on the list this year: Capitol Hill’s five-year-old Balkan eatery Ambar and Toki Underground, which first brought ramen to H Street in 2011.

The list means a few high-profile restaurants aren’t getting Michelin stars

Hot spot Maydan, ranked one of this year’s best new restaurants by both Eater critic Bill Addison and Bon Appetit, will be ineligible for a star with its latest placement on the Bib Gourmand list. And critically acclaimed Bad Saint and Thip Khao, also Bib Gourmands, won’t join the prestigious Michelin group this year either. The 2019 Michelin-starred restaurants will be announced on Thursday, September 13.

A few restaurants disappeared from the list this year

Two restaurants that didn’t get a Bib Gourmand this time around are Boqueria, which is about to plant its second D.C. location in Penn Quarter, and pizza haven 2 Amys, which closed temporarily this summer after suffering extensive flooding damage. But most of the 20-some restaurants that made it on the list last time also appeared this year. Four restaurants from José Andrés are still on there, as are favorites like The Red Hen and Pearl Dive. All those restaurants aren’t moving up to a star, but they didn’t get kicked off the list either.

Here’s the full list, with asterisks marking the newcomers:

Ambar*

Bad Saint

Bidwell

Chercher

China Chilcano

Chloe*

Das

Doi Moi

Fancy Radish*

Hazel

Ivy City Smokehouse

Jaleo

Joselito’s Casa de Comidas*

Kaliwa*

Kyirisan

Lapis

Maketto

Maydān*

Millie’s*

Mola*

Napoli Pasta Bar*

Ottoman Taverna

Oyamel

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

Red Hen (The)

Royal

Sababa*

Sfoglina

Spark*

Spoken English*

Succotash*

Supra*

Thip Khao

Tiger Fork*

Timber Pizza Co.*

Toki Underground*

Unconventional Diner*

Whaley’s*

Zaytinya

• Announcing Michelin’s 2018 Bib Gourmands for D.C. [EDC]
• D.C.’s 2018 Michelin Stars, Mapped [EDC]