The Queen’s English, one of this year’s new additions, serves a version of a negroni.

Isaac Fast / DCist

After the hardest year on record for food businesses, the Michelin Guide is rolling back into town to bestow its coveted stars on local restaurants. Up first: The Bib Gourmand list, which highlights less expensive spots.

This year’s list includes six new additions. Ellē, the multi-purpose bakery, cafe, and bar in Mount Pleasant, earned a spot for its daily bread specials and fermented dinner offerings. Southern soul food spot Hitching Post in Petworth was added to the list with a nod to its fried chicken, and Karma Modern Indian in Chinatown won accolades for its spices and presentation. Malaysian restaurant Makan in Columbia Heights landed with its “cross-cultural deliciousness,” and Queen’s English in Columbia Heights was praised for its wok dishes. The contemporary, colorful Residents Café & Bar in Dupont Circle is the sixth newcomer.

Not all previous Bib Gourmand restaurants made it to the list this year: Nixed from the 2021 roundup were Ambar, Tiger Fork, Spoken English, Millie’s, Mola, Royal, Joselito’s Casa de Comidas, and Supra. One restaurant, Whaley’s, has closed since it was last listed in 2019.

While the starred restaurants often come with hefty price tags, Bib Gourmand restaurants have to meet a pretty strict price standard to make the list: Michelin inspectors (all of whom are anonymous) must be able to order two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for less than $40 without tax and tip.

Michelin usually releases its highly anticipated guides for the U.S. in the fall, but the French tire company postponed its 2020 edition as the coronavirus forced restaurants to pivot to takeout and delivery. (Dozens more have closed for good.) Gwendal Poullennec, the guides’ international director, told the New York Times last week that the company wanted to allow more time for more restaurants to reopen before evaluating. Inspectors were back at work visiting local spots as early as last August, Washingtonian reported.

As for the starred restaurants, those will be announced Thursday morning. (Here’s 2019’s list if you want to do some homework.)

D.C.’s full Bib Gourmand list is here. (New additions are noted in bold):

This post has been updated to include Federalist Pig in the 2021 Bib Gourmand list. It was mistakenly omitted from the original list, according to a Michelin spokesperson. 

Filed Under: Bib Gourmand, Michelin, Michelin Guide, restaurants,