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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