The Resy Guide to Washington D.C.’s 2023 Michelin Winners

Since 2019, Patrick O’Connell’s destination has been the only three-star restaurant in the Washington metropolitan area, and for good reason: The experience remains one-of-a-kind, and the cooking blends classic techniques with timeless deliciousness. Note: The Inn at Little Washington is a Global Dining Access restaurant. 

Aaron Silverman’s ode to fine dining upends everything you thought you knew about it. At Pineapple and Pearls, you’re cordially invited to experience one of the best, and most memorable parties you’ve ever been to, that also just happens to have some incredible food, too. Our pro tip for dining here? Expect the unexpected.

Newly starred this year is Albi, where chef Michael Rafidi isn’t afraid to experiment with traditional recipes and techniques for wood-fired Levantine cooking that you’ve likely never quite experienced before. And don’t leave without ordering the brown butter knafeh, a childhood favorite of Rafidi’s that changes with the seasons.

Culinary luminary Fabio Trabocchi pays tribute to his native Italy with eight restaurants in the D.C. area and Florida, but this is his flagship — where both modern and traditional Italian fare are offered in the form of five-course fixed-price menus that’ll make you think you’re in Tuscany or on the Adriatic coast.

Set in a former tomato packing warehouse in the historic Ivy City neighborhood, Matt Baker’s first solo venture gives equal billing to meat and vegetables. Choose from a variety of experiences, from the five-course chef’s tasting menu to the three-hour chef’s counter extravaganza to the Conservatory lounge option.

This whimsical tasting menu restaurant — featuring a seven-course prix fixe menu for $85 — from the same team behind Rose’s Luxury and Pineapple and Pearls is a delightful dinner party unlike any other. Chef Aaron Silverman’s deft cooking is modern, seasonal, and is super soigne — in a very approachable way.

Anchored by a blazing pit, Maydān is a sight to behold: cooks dance around the flames like brazen ballerinas, playing with fiery logs and glimmering coals. Hunks of lamb shoulder hang above the hearth, juices dripping and splattering below; crackly-pillowy flatbread is pulled still puffy and fresh from the clay oven; and blistered vegetables feel the heat of the open flame. It’s a tantalizing ode to North African and Middle Eastern flavors, and a show-stopping experience unto itself.

One of the more exciting restaurants to open in the pandemic is Oyster Oyster, and now Michelin has awarded it a star. Don’t let the name fool you. Oyster Oyster serves up more than just bivalves in its charming and airy space. In fact, much of chef Rob Rubba’s exceptional tasting menu focuses on vegetables, alongside the freshest of oysters. By the way, the wine list is pretty spectacular, too.

The four-course, choose-your-own-adventure menu at Rooster & Owl unravels like a flavor-packed reverie, and we’d expect no less from chef Yuan Tang, who extols the flavors of multiple regions and cuisines, from the Carolinas and Thailand to France and Japan, seamlessly.

The warm and enchanting interior at this intimate adjunct to Pineapple & Pearls is reason enough alone to make this worthy of any Washingtonian’s bucket list, but the food puts it over the top. At Rose’s Luxury, you’re the boss: Each table chooses a select number of dishes from the prix-fixe menu, and whatever you pick, you can’t go wrong.

Rethink your concept of fish in two hours and 20 bites at Sushi Nakazawa. At a sleek, minimalist counter, chef Daisuke Nakazawa, of “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” fame, prepares a sushi omakase unlike any other. Accompany the outstanding fish with the sake pairing, and you’ll be dreaming of sushi in no time.

Owned and operated by a trio of longtime Adams Morgan residents and seasoned industry players, Tail Up Goat is a neighborhood restaurant that over-delivers in every way. The menu is at once whimsical and deeply satisfying, and any dish based in bread or pasta is a surefire hit.

Over in bustling Dupont Circle is where you’ll find this gem of a craft cocktail bar that also happens to have some of the city’s best Sichuan food, too. Astoria, from the same team behind Copycat Co., is a master of classic Sichuan cooking, including water-boiled beef and shrimp, and the drinks are not to be missed.

It’s dangerously easy to spend all day at Ellē. A bakery and cafe by day and full-service restaurant by night, the Mount Pleasant eatery wows in every regard, especially when it comes to its toast (trust us).

For well over half a century, this Petworth classic has stood out brilliantly for its no-nonsense Southern cooking — fried chicken, blackened catfish, crab cakes, and more — and friendly home-like atmosphere. Don’t even think about leaving without trying the better-than-mom-ever-made mashed potatoes.

The smoky, decadent fish from Ivy City Smokehouse could save even the stalest of bagels, but fret not, and instead set your eyes on the Smokehouse fish board, featuring bagels and signature items (salmon candy, pepper salmon, North Carolina rainbow trout, whitefish salad), with all the fixings.

Chef Ajay Kumar continues D.C.’s tradition of finessed Indian cooking with a menu that seamless integrates new-guard dishes like lobster masala and paneer with pesto alongside classics like butter chicken and lamb roganjosh.

This Adams Morgan stalwart exudes warmth, from the vibrant Afghan rugs on the floor to the ’70s R&B playing in the background. Everything is on point, from the dumplings to the baked eggplant, kebabs, and braised lamb shank. Order it all and share with as many people as possible.

Dining here is your personal invite (“makan” translates to “let’s eat” in Malay) to feel as though you’ve landed right in the heart of Penang, even while you’re in Columbia Heights.

Erik Bruner-Yang puts his stamp on Cambodian and Taiwanese eats, spinning dim sum, noodles, and fried chicken like no other. Gather a crew, and eat your way through the menu; there isn’t a single dish we wouldn’t recommend.

For those nights when all you want (or need) is a satisfying bowl of Mike Friedman’s pasta and a glass of nice wine, there is The Red Hen, which has been perfecting its selections of both for nearly a decade.

The name here was inspired by the owners, all immigrants who settled in Washington. Come for the show-stopping cocktails, especially the espresso martini. There’s also a raft of bottled and seasonal cocktails and, if you’re so inclined, non-alcoholic versions of the espresso martini and ginger cocktails, too.

Sababa translates to “cool” in Hebrew, and that’s certainly the ambiance here, as juicy kebabs, creamy labneh, and next-level vegetables are devoured at this modern Israeli stunner, courtesy of acclaimed restaurateur Ashok Bajaj.

A sfoglina is a pasta-maker, so it’s not surprising that almost all the pastas at this warm and comfortable restaurant from famed chef Fabio Trabocchi (of Fiola and Del Mar) are made in-house. Keep your eyes peeled for seldom-seen specialties from the chef’s native Le Marche region and such Trabocchi signatures as braised beef agnolotti with truffle pesto.

Book the Van Ness and Rosslyn locations, too.

The restaurant that introduced D.C. to ramen almost 10 years ago is still as essential as ever. Critically-acclaimed mainstay Toki Underground continues to draw inspiration from the noodle bowls of Taiwan and Japan, doling out flavorful broths that’ll have you slurping to your heart’s content. Must-orders include the fried chicken steamed buns, red miso ramen, and Abura soba tsukemen.

The comfort of diner food meets a deep dose of inspiration here. That especially extends to brunch, which finds great twists at every turn.

There are multiple locations of Michael Rafidi’s YELLOW cafe, but the Georgetown mainstay has newly launched dinner service, with (not) pizza and much more. What’s a (not) pizza?  We have answers.